Samsung Galaxy S4: Better than All the Rest?

The Samsung Galaxy S4 may have landed a few months back but it continues to cause a flurry of excitement in the smartphone world. Now many industry watchers are even claiming it could be the handset to finally triumph the world-wide success of the iPhone.

After selling over 10 million Galaxy S4 handsets in its first four weeks on sale the Korean manufacturer is now forecasting that it will sell 80 million units of its flagship by the end of the year, which would make it the fastest selling Android smartphone of all time.

Mark Sue, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said “Galaxy S4 demand in the first month of availability has been incrementally better” than estimations. Following recent research in the US, Sue also confirmed that some stores had in fact sold out of the black variant of the device. It is these figures, combined with the fact that Apple is yet to launch any devices this year, which makes Samsung’s dominance across the globe even more prominent.

So, what is it about the Galaxy S4 that makes it such an appealing proposition? Judging by its looks alone the answer to this question may not seem obvious, as it shares many design cues with its predecessor, the Galaxy S III. But, under the hood the device tells a very different story and it is here that the attraction lies.

Key specs of the Galaxy S4

• 5-inch full HD super AMOLED display with pixel density of 441ppi
• 1.9GHz  quad-core processor
• 13 megapixel camera
• 1080p video capture
• Android Jelly Bean
• 2GB RAM
• 2,600mAH battery
• 16GB/32GB/64GB variants
• 130g
• 7.9mm thick

Alongside these fantastic specs lies a wealth of new software innovations, which Samsung has placed at the centre of its marketing strategy, even labelling them as the ‘soul’ of the device.

Here we take a look at some of these unique features and what they bring to the Galaxy S4…

S Health

A new health suite aimed to track your exercise regime, daily calorie intake and monitor your overall health and wellbeing. By entering details such as height, weight and age the app can tailor the results to your physical frame and abilities.

There’re also nine new sensors integrated into the handset which enable S Health to alert you when your surroundings are too hot or cold, as well as keep track of how many steps you take each day.

Air View

This innovative feature first launched on the Galaxy Note II and lets a user preview onscreen content in a pop out window simply by hovering a finger over the display.

Smart Pause/ Smart Scroll

Using eye tracking technology the display is able to detect when a user is looking at the screen. As a result, if you look away from the display the Galaxy S4 will automatically pause videos, and if you’re reading a web page you can scroll through it just by tilting the device.

Group Play

This allows for the sharing of documents and photos with other enabled devices that are within close range, and what’s more there no limit on the size of data that is exchanged. There’s also no need for a data connection because the sharing device automatically becomes a Wi-Fi access point which all other handsets will recognise and connect to, in the same way it would any other Wi-Fi network.

S Translator

Aimed at helping to break down those tricky language barriers, the app offers translations for nine different European languages via text or spoken word. Also on board are a range of stock phrases with the option to ‘favourite’ frequently used sayings for instant access, when you need them most.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Samsung’s latest offering really pushes the boundaries when it comes to combining great specs and software innovations, and with a generous helping of Samsung Galaxy S4 deals now on offer its popularity looks set to soar even further.

The Galaxy S4 certainly proves that looks aren’t everything but it won’t be until you experience all it has to offer that you’ll start to wonder how you ever coped without a handset which promises to be your “life companion”, helping to make everyday tasks that much easier.

To see the new Galaxy S4 in action check out our full video review below.