Samsung Announces new Galaxy S4

I know, a little late to be announcing the device. After all, plenty of people spent an hour of their life watching the event live. For those of you that didn’t, you missed a little bit of greatness and a whole lot of wasted time.

Samsung spent most of the time trying to pull a comedy style Broadway show. Given that they were Radio City Music Hall, that makes sense. We captured a bunch of images of the new features built into the Galaxy S4 and shared them on our G+ page.  The event show cased mostly software and a few bits of hardware features. Rather than bore you too much with double information, here is the press release that went out a little bit ago. Over the next few hours and days we will dive into some of the features more in-depth and see what other things are hidden inside that they didn’t cover.

 

Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S4 –

A Life Companion for a richer, simpler and fuller life

GALAXY S4 gets you closer to what matters in life, bringing your world together

 

New York, USA, March 14, 2013 — Samsung Electronics announced today the fourth generation GALAXY S, the GALAXY S4, designed to get you closer to what matters in life and bring your world together.

 

Understanding what matters most to us in our lives, the Samsung GALAXY S4 was developed to redefine the way we live and to maximize our fulfillment of life. This sleek and innovative smartphone makes every moment of life very meaningful; it understands the value of relationships, enabling true connections with friends and family.  It believes in the importance of an effortless user experience, making your life easy and hassle-free; and, it empowers your life, helping take care of your well-being.

 

The beauty of the phone is the highly crafted design encompassing a larger screen size and battery, minimized bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape. The Samsung GALAXY S4 is slimmer yet stronger, with less to hold yet more to see. It has come up with simply unreal beauty. At launch, two color options will be available – Black Mist and White Frost, with a variety of additional color options to follow later this year.

 

“With the GALAXY S4, Samsung is again going to enhance the way we live,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “All the innovative features of GALAXY S4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful GALAXY S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. At Samsung we’ll never stop pursuing innovation conceived by people, so we can inspire them in return.”

 

 

Meaningful Moments - Gives Greater Enjoyment

 

A rich life is one that’s filled with meaningful moments and the GALAXY S4 captures and shares those special moments. The GALAXY S4 has the world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display to showcase images at their very best. Its 5-inch large screen has 441 ppi for stunning viewing quality. The Samsung GALAXY S4 also utilizes Corning’s new Gorilla® Glass 3*, making it a durable travel companion for all of life’s adventures.

 

Equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera, the GALAXY S4 also boasts a ‘Dual Camera’ function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally and also adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one. Users can select 8 different ways to combine the two photos taken by the front camera and the rear camera. At the same time, the ‘Dual Video Call’ function enables you to make and receive a video call with friends and family while showing what you are looking at during the call.

 

The camera functionality extends beyond Dual Camera, as the device is also equipped with 12 outstanding shooting modes including‘Drama Shot,’ which allows you to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse, and ‘Sound & Shot,’ which uniquely stores sound and voice together as the picture is taken so those special moments are captured in the truest form imaginable, exactly as they happened.

 

These meaningful moments can also now automatically be stored in a photo album, with the new ‘Story Album‘ function. Photos taken by the GALAXY S4 are automatically gathered and sorted out according to your timeline, geo-tagging information, or a specific event to create a photo album. These unique story albums can be ordered and delivered as an offline photo album through a new partnership with Blurb*, so you can keep those precious moments safe to look at and share time and time again.

True Connections – Brings People Together

 

Samsung GALAXY S4 enables true connections with the people in our lives.  It is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it makes the most of our relationships allowing us to easily share and experience many of life’s pleasures together with family and friends, wherever you are.

With its ‘Group Play’ function, users can enjoy music, photos, documents and games with those around them without even requiring a Wi-Fi AP or cellular signal. This innovative feature enables users to connect directly with others to share, play and co-create content and entertainment instantly. Its ‘Share Music’ option allows users to have the same song playing on multiple phones in sync to create the best party atmosphere.

The GALAXY S4 brings all people closer together by breaking down language barriers. It makes international travel a joy, with ‘S Translator’ which provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON. This instant translation is possible both from speech to text and text to speech and ensures that you can rely on the correct information whilst abroad.

The GALAXY S4 supports HSPA+42 Mbps and 4G LTE which means wherever you are in the world, you can rely on perfect connectivity. Especially, the LTE version supports up to 6 different band sets which allows it to function in most LTE coverage areas as well as enabling global LTE roaming. Furthermore, TDD/FDD LTE Dual Mode version will be introduced later this year.

 

Effortless Experience – Makes Things More Convenient

 

In today’s world, we are all looking for smart ways to make life easier and less stressful. The GALAXY S4 ensures that tasks are effortless with innovative features that detect your face, voice and motions to enable screen control with no need for finger touch activation.

‘Samsung Smart Pause’ enables you to control the screen by where you look. When you are watching a video, the video pauses when you look away then it starts right up again when you are back. ‘Samsung Smart Scroll’ allows you to scroll the browser or emails up and down without touching the screen. It recognizes your face looking at the screen and movement of your wrist and then scrolls the pages up or down accordingly.

‘Air View’ allows users to hover with their fingers to preview the content of an email, S Planner, image gallery or video without having to open it. You can even see a magnified view on the internet browser, or a phone number saved in the speed dial on the keypad. With ‘Air Gesture,’you can change the music track, scroll up and down a web page, or accept a call with a wave of your hand.

With ‘S Voice^TM Drive’ you can activate commands via voice control for optimization when driving. Once connected with a car Bluetooth, the phone automatically turns into driving mode converting text to speech so you can easily and safely check messages with no need to look at the screen.

‘Samsung Optical Reader’ makes life yet more effortless, by automatically recognizing text, a business card or QR code information, and providing useful functions such as translation, call, text message and search.

At home, using ‘Samsung WatchON,’ the GALAXY S4 will transform into an IR remote to control your home entertainment system including TV, set-top box, DVD player and even air conditioner. In addition, you can enjoy various content including live TV, cable TV and VOD based on the rich information provided by EPG (Electronic Program Guide).

Empowered Living – Takes Care Of Your Health and Quality of Life

The GALAXY S4 empowers your life by keeping you up-to-date with health and wellbeing information using the new ‘S Health’ software. The combination of sensors built within the device systematically and automatically monitors your health, surroundings and so much more to help improve your quality of life. Also, users can easily check their health conditions using food diary, exercise diary and sleep monitor to stay fit and healthy. (Certain functions are enabled by specific accessories.)

To further protect your wellbeing, ‘Samsung Adapt Display’ provides an optimal viewing experience, customized for each type of application, and ‘Samsung Adapt Sound’ offers an optimal level and type of sound, personalized for each user, to make the most out of life.

Samsung GALAXY S4 will be available from Q2 globally including US, partnering with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, as well as US Cellular and Cricket. In Europe, Samsung GALAXY S4 is partnering with global mobile operators such as Deutsche Telecom, EE, H3G, Orange, Telenor, Telia Sonera, Telefonica, and Vodafone.

Endorsement by Mobile Operators:

Heikki Makijarvi, SVP of Deutsche Telekom

“The new Samsung GALAXY S4 is impressive. After the extremely successful launch of GALAXY S III, Deutsche Telekom is very proud to launch its successor in Europe. We are happy to work with Samsung to bring a new level of smartphone experience to our customers.”

Yves Maitre, SVP Mobile Multimedia & Devices, France Telecom – Orange

“Orange is delighted to be working with Samsung again to deliver a new evolution of smartphones to our customers. We have already rolled out new superfast LTE networks in seven countries in Europe to date, and are committed to launching LTE services across Europe by 2015. This partnership will deliver a rich suite of services to our customers, thanks to its 4G and NFC capabilities, ensuring our customers benefit from great looking products that provide fast and easy access to all of their favorite content wherever they are.”

Marieta Rivero, Group Devices Director in Telefonica

“The Samsung GALAXY S4 is a great device that will help to make a big step forward in the Premium Smartphone category. We are delighted to be partnering to bring this device to market across a number of our global channels” commented Marieta Rivero, Group Devices Director in Telefonica.

Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals at Vodafone

“Samsung continues to bring devices to market that push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of design, performance and functionality and the GALAXY S4 will be a valuable addition to Vodafone’s portfolio. Vodafone will be offering the Samsung GALAXY S4 on a range of plans, including Vodafone RED, which will enable customers to make the most of their GALAXY S4 on our fast and reliable network.”

Samsung GALAXY S4 Product Specifications:

 

Network	2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps) : up to 6 different band sets(Dependent on market)
Display	5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi
AP	1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / 1.6 GHz Octa-Core ProcessorThe selection of AP will be differed by markets.
OS	Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Camera	Main(Rear): 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BISSub (Front): 2 Mega pixel camera, Full HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BIS
Video	Codec: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark, HEVCRecording & Playback: Full HD (1080p)
Audio	Codec: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X
Camera Features	Dual Camera: Dual Shot / Dual Recording/ Dual Video CallDrama Shot, Sound & Shot, 360 Photo, Cinema Photo, Eraser, Night, Best Photo, Best Face,Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports
Additional Features	Group Play: Share Music, Share Picture, Share Document, Play Games
	 Story Album, S Translator, Optical Reader
	Samsung Smart Scroll, Samsung Smart Pause, Air Gesture, Air View,
	 Samsung Hub, ChatON (Voice/Video Call, Share screen, 3-way calling)Samsung WatchON
	 S Travel (Trip Advisor), S Voice™ Drive, S Health
	Samsung Adapt Display, Samsung Adapt SoundAuto adjust touch sensitivity (Glove friendly)
	Safety Assistance, Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring
	Samsung KNOX (B2B only)
Google Mobile Services	Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google LatitudeGoogle Play Store, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk,Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads, Voice Search
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80)GPS / GLONASSNFC,  Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE)IR LED (Remote Control), MHL 2.0
Sensor	Accelerometer, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, BarometerTemperature & Humidity, Gesture
Memory	16/ 32/ 64 GB User memory + microSD slot (up to 64GB)2GB RAM
Dimension	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
Battery	2,600 mAh

 

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

＊ Android, Google, Android Beam, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play, Google Plus. YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads are trademarks of Google Inc.

* Samsung GALAXY S4 uses Corning’s new Gorilla® Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistanceâ„¢. This cover glass, Corning’s newest formulation, enables improved damage and scratch resistance and reduced scratch visibility.

* Blurb, the global creative publishing platform, partners with Samsung to power worldwide book and magazine print production and fulfillment within the GALAXY S4’s new Story Album application. Users of Story Album will now be able to automatically create professional quality print photo books and magazines quickly and seamlessly from their camera phone images.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 236,000 people across 79 countries with annual sales exceeding KRW 201 trillion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.