Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch April 26

NewsPublish Date 15/03/2013 - 11:23am GMT

Specs and features revealed. Gaming controller add-on show off.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will launch on all major operators in the UK on April 26, Samsung has announced.

Pitched as a device to bring your world together the S4 boasts a 1080p five inch screen, 2GB RAM, either a Samsung Exynos 5 or Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor (depending on the region), 13 Megapixel camera, and is offered in 16/32/64GB storage varieties.

Despite its bigger screen the S4 is actually slimmer than the S3 at only 7.9mm and weighs just 130g.

New features include:

'Dual Camera': so you can take simultaneous photos and videos using both the rear and front cameras, then blend the pictures together
'Story Album': curates content, such as SNS posts, memos, location and weather information, as well as photos and videos, to create a photo album which is personalised around your timeline of special occasions and events
'Group Play': means you can enjoy music, photos and games with those around you, without requiring a Wi-Fi AP or cellular signal
'Samsung Smart Pause': so you can control the screen using your eyes
'Air View': allows you to hover with your fingers to preview the content of an email, S Planner, image gallery or video without having to open it
'Air Gesture': so you can change a music track, scroll up and down a web page, or accept a call with a wave of your hand
'S Health' software: empowers your life by keeping you up-to-date with health and wellbeing information through a range of accessories

Simon Stanford, vice president of IM division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said: "At Samsung, we are restless about innovation, and are constantly striving to create unique experiences for our customers that will transform their lives. The Galaxy S 4 does just that. We have listened to what consumers around the world want and taken the intuitive technology from the Galaxy S III a step further. Combining this with superior hardware has led us to develop the Galaxy S 4, the ultimate smartphone inspired by our customers."

In addition, Samsung showed of a range of accessories including a gamepad spotted by Joystiq. The device doesn't have a name, but it's a Bluetooth controller into which the S4 snaps and offers four face buttons, dual analogue sticks and a d-pad.

Source: Press release

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User Comments

FrostySphincter @ BC_Animus

Ah, cheers, not really an avid phone user, I've never owned a phone that costs more then 30 quid so I've never seen the point in researching tech i'm not planning on buying.

Posted 02:53 on 16 March 2013

BC_Animus

Not saying it's necessary, but higher resolution on a smaller screen does have benifits. Texts are easier to read, you get more details in videos, et cetera. After you get used to it you'd find it hard to go back.

Posted 02:37 on 16 March 2013

FrostySphincter

Am I just being stupid, or does 1080p on a 5" screen seem a bit unnecessary, i mean is it really going to add that much? Or is it as I suspect more of a "make it 1080p and you can bump up the price a bit and sell a boat load more units!"?

Posted 02:23 on 16 March 2013

tvr77 @ Wido

"I still don't get why these companies keep releasing new versions of these phones. "

It don't really bother me and it brings the older models down in price. There are always tons of new people about ready to upgrade or buy a new phone and most people want the newest model they can find and phone developers don't want to miss out so they like to have a new model out there pretty much all the time.
My upgrade is due the end of the year, if this new s4 is to expensive ill get the soon to be cheaper s3 or the galaxy note maybe.

Posted 18:07 on 15 March 2013

Wido

Those that have a iPhone. Are they really worth it?

Posted 15:10 on 15 March 2013

BC_Animus

Android's come a long way, but I'm sticking with my Windows Phone for now. I actually kinda like Samsung, but to be honest I'm not a fan of the Galaxy design. The whole trend of weirdly shaped super thin super large thing I just can't get into.

Posted 12:20 on 15 March 2013

pblive

Wasn't keen on the memory card management of the Galaxy phones. That's one thing I hope they've fixed. The Nexus 4 is the preferred option for me if I was looking for an Android phone.

Even though i regualrly use Android, I still prefer iOS myself, but its all down to how you get on with each phone, there are no right and wrong phones here.

Posted 12:12 on 15 March 2013

dav2612

I'm still waiting for someone to launch a fancy phone that I can afford.

Posted 12:00 on 15 March 2013

rbevanx@ Karlius

Yeah that's what I'm thinking of getting when my expires in Autumn I think. Not getting HTC though again, rubbish camera's

Posted 11:56 on 15 March 2013

Wido

I still don't get why these companies keep releasing new versions of these phones. I'm happy with my SII, though when my contract is near the end, which is this January coming. I think I will jump on the Apple bandwagon, just to have a different phone than using Android. In some cases in my opinion. I do feel as if the Android device ala my phone, is very inferior than say the iPhone. I don't know why I get this feeling, but it does more than enough for me at the moment. General browsing of the web and the quick access to Facebook and Twitter.

I think I use my phone more on Facebook & Twitter than I actually do my laptop. I do use my laptop when it comes to play the odd facebook game mind.

People moan about many iterations of consoles and phones? They are killing themselves massively in my view.

Posted 11:55 on 15 March 2013

Karlius

As an avid SII and SIII user I was looking forward to this announcement but nothing really interests me about it as there just wasn't enough development and it fell flat. I suppose when you are the industry leader this can happen it happened at the last 3 iPhone launches and now Samsung are king it happened there too. I think when my contract ends I'm more interested in the Lumia 1000 than anything else possibly HTC One if staying android.

Posted 11:27 on 15 March 2013