This April weekend, the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 finally arrives to our part of the world. Turns out the wait for us here in Malaysia is just about to come to an end. The Samsung Galaxy S4Â identified as the most advanced Galaxy compared to its predecessors so far – which could be as impressive for some, yet complicated for the average smartphone novice. Some even claim that it is likely the most desirable device Samsung has created yet.
Love At First Sight?
Just last year, many of us fell madly in love with the Samsung Galaxy S3. Could the S4 win our hearts once more? At first take, it seems that the Galaxy S4 is almost similar in terms of design with the S3; notably its size remains. But the screen did increase once more – fitting in the 5 inch Full HD screen boasting of 441ppi. Impressive? Seems pretty standard for a high-end Android. Merely keeping up with Xperia and Ones.
A high resolution sensor 13 megapixel rear-facing camera, 2 megapixel front. What’s captivating, however, is not the upgrade on the sensor. It is what the software does. Samsung uses the front camera for more than just video-calling. The Smart Pause and Smart Scroll are some of the major improvements that built off the S3. The software now knows when you’re paying attention and when you avert your gaze. Tilting the screen up and or down while looking at it scrolls you up or down when you’re reading. Artificial intelligence, almost.
Another slamming fact about the Samsung Galaxy S4 is that it uses their very own Exynos processor (which is a whopping ocotocore!). For the Samsung Galaxy S4, there are actually 2 different variants. The other one has a quad-core 1.9Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. Some early benchmarks show that the octocore model is slightly faster in terms of raw speed.
Take A Quick Peek On The Inside
The Samsung Galaxy S4 introduces a new set of smart toggles which would come in a quick tutorial when you first turn on the phone. The black bar at the top is removed. All notification icons are now placed on top of the homescreen art and the Samsung Hub has a different design altogether.
If you could recall, one of the smartest things that Samsung has put in the Galaxy Note II is the Air View function which allows you to preview content by just hovering over it using the S-Pen stylus. You have it in the Galaxy S4 as well; by merely using your finger. You get to see more detailed information without having to click and access information in and out.
Now, the Air Gesture is brilliant. It allows you to control your phone without needing to touch its screen. Need to answer a call? Just wave. This is incredibly useful when your hands are covered with grease and what not. However, like all good things, it has its limitations and we would guess that it is one of those features which you will use for more than a few times and never again.
Little Luxuries
Have yourselves a little S4 party with the Group Play feature where you can be connected to multiple Galaxy S4 phones to share music, games or files. There is also the DualCam that allows you to use both the front and back camera at the same time – which really brings a whole new level of picture-taking. Eraser allows you to remove any unwanted object in the photo by detecting movement.
Should you lose your TV remote, fret not. Like the HTC One, you can easily program your S4 to command your TV, DVR, home theatre setup and what not. Don’t worry. It does not just work with Samsung televisions. It is universal. Simply fire on your Watch On app and let it work its magic.
The efficient battery life prevails yet again in the new Samsung Galaxy S4. Honestly, while we could understand the advantage and reason for their removable battery option, but given that power banks are readily available and affordable now, Samsung might want to consider refining their chassis a little and eliminate it altogether.
Some other features that come with the S4 include apps such as S Health which tracks activity levels, S Translator that covers over ten languages and the Optical Reader that converts analog text into digital text. Again. Nice to have, nice to see but highly doubt it would be of much use.
Samsung should really be commended for their creative innovations. However, alhough impressive and power-packed with more than just a handful of features, at the end of the day, one has to decide for themselves whether the Samsung Galaxy S4 is really for you. Most of the features may appear as monumental but it seems to us like some of the features may not be as practical and all that useful as they may seem. However, given all that’s said, it deserves to be a success. Overall, kudos Samsung for the continuous innovation!
We can’t wait for this weekend!
Be sure to be on the watch out for tomorrow