One of the most anticipated phones of 2013 is without any doubt the Samsung Galaxy S4. After months of speculation, leaks and rumours, we finally have full visibility of this amazing new phone.
The specs on this phone are nothing short of amazing, but will this device stand out from the competition?
When it comes to looks, the Galaxy line of devices never stood out, mostly because many accuse Samsung of being a design copycat. It’s thin and light, just as it should be, and some say it’s pretty, but I tend to disagree. It’s made almost entirely of plastic and it has a finish that gives the appearance of some texture, but is actually smooth and glossy. Comparing the phone to an iPhone or the amazing HTC One, the S4 certainly takes the third place here. The amazing part is that somehow, Samsung managed to fit a bigger five-inch display on a phone that actually got thinner and lighter from previous generations.
The buttons for lock and volume are smaller and more compact than before, and they are raised just a tiny bit for easy reach. I wasn’t too comfortable using the bottom physical key during normal operation and a two-hand operation at most times was required to reposition the phone. Other design features include the 13MP camera centred on the top half of the device, along with a microUSB charging port on the bottom edge ofthe phone. The software part is where the S4 truly shines. TouchWiz has been thoroughly revamped and includes a lot of new features on top of Android that makes this device a technological wonder but in some cases a bit gimmicky too.
When you first power up the device you’re shown a quick tutorial of all the new things the Galaxy S4 has to offer. Let’s start with the Air features. Air View, which lets you hover over content to get a preview of extended information, is the latest iteration of technology originally developed for the Galaxy Note II with its S-Pen stylus. This time, however, all you need is a finger.
At first, this may sound confusing, but Air View might end up being one of the must-have features for phones moving forward. It gives you a window into more detailed information without forcing you to click in and back out again. Air Gesture, on the other hand, lets you control your phone without touching it. Wave to answer a call, swipe to scroll up and down on a web page or through a gallery of pictures, and you can even set a locked phone to recognise when you gesture towards it to pick it up. This stuff will come in handy when you’re multitasking, though it’s important to notice that for now Air Gesture is only limited to certain apps like the photo gallery, music app, and browser.
Though Samsung’s new Smart Pause and Smart Scroll features seem equally innovative, I’m far from impressed and the features often cause frustration rather than delight.
Jesmond Darmanin is a technology enthusiast who has his own blog at www.itnewsblog.com.