Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Galaxy S4 VS iPhone 5: 5 Reasons Why the S4 Is Better

 Now, before I start this Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 battle I would like to but a little disclaimer. Namely, I am not a Samsung fanboy and I honestly am not a major fan of the new Galaxy S IV so far. However, my analysis has shown that it is a superior device when compared to Apple's current flagship. As you can also see the title of this blog is "Galaxy S4 News" and thus articles like this are to be expected. However, my honest answer on which one of these two phones I would buy would be "neither!" So, let us see why the S4 is better than the iPhone 5 shall we?

Galaxy S4 VS iPhone 5: 5 Reasons Why the S4 Is Better

 #1 The Galaxy S4 Is Faster and More Powerful

 No, this isn't one of those articles where I will try to tell you that the Exynos 5 Octa is the best thing out there. It is far from it and more of a marketing trick. Also, many countries such as the USA, the UK, Denmark, Netherlands and so forth will get the Snapdragon quad-core processor instead.

 The point is this - benchmarks! Even older benchmarks have shown that the Galaxy S3 is faster and more powerful than the iPhone 5, and the new Galaxy S4 which comes with updates hardware will perform even better. The S IV's quad-core processor beat the iPhone 5's dual core processor in a test performed by Primate Labs who put the Galaxy S 4 at the top of their charts. According to them the S IV is two times faster, but I honestly doubt the difference is so major!

#2 The Camera is Actually Good

 Aside from the fact that the S4 has a 13 MP camera compared to the 8 MP iPhone 5 camera, the difference in software is also very important. Samsung's package includes a lot of very useful and powerful software such as photo blur which lets you "erase" people or objects from a shot and "Share Shot" which lets you sync with other Galaxy S phones that your friends or family have in order to share photos. There are a lot of other cool filters and effects that make photography on the S IV more fun.

However, the most important thing to me is that the camera actually works, unlike the iPhone 5 which had a lot of trouble with "purple flares". If you do not know what this is about then look at this article from CNET. This photo obviously demonstrates the lack of quality on the iPhone 5's camera which I am referring to:

#3 Display Quality

 A lot of people say that the Galaxy S IV is better since it has a larger screen, but this is something totally irrelevant and subjective and I personally prefer the size of the iPhone 5. However, the Galaxy S4 has a much better display in terms of image quality. Now, the iPhone 5's Retina Display pushes out an astounding 1136x640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch. Really good if you ask me...

 However, Samsung used an HD Super AMOLED screen and beefed up the resolution on the Galaxy S4 to a impressive 1920x1080 at 441 pixels per inch.

#4 More Storage & More Speed

 In terms of internal memory the two device are quite even. But when it comes to  extra memory that you can get via an SD card the iPhone 5 users aren't going to be very happy since they don't have support for an SD Card on their phone. Galaxy S4 users on the other hand will get this awesome features as well as access to cloud storage such as Dropbox and Google Drive. 

 However, it is more important to note that the Galaxy S 4 is packed with 2 GB of RAM while the iPhone  has 1 GB RAM. This is a major difference for a power-hungry user since more RAM will allow you to have a better experience while using multiple apps for example.

#5 Removable battery

  This is a major issue in my opinion. and the Galaxy S4 comes out  as the victor since it does feature a removable battery! A removable battery means that when your phone is running low you don't have to stay tethered to a plug. Samsung even sells an extra battery kit allowing you to get some extra juice in a hurry.


 So, what do you think? Agree or disagree? What would you add on this list? Leave us a comment down bellow!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

UK Galaxy S4 Will Not Have the Exynos 5 Octa!

 After the glorious reveal of the Galaxy S4 in New York last week, we the world was left to wait and watch in awe as we expect the new Samsung Galaxy S4 to hit the stores. People were in particular interested in its great Exynos 5 Octa processor, but it seems that a lot of these people will be disappointed and might not even buy the phone at all! 

 Why the hell would they be upset? What has Samsung done? Well, it seems that the new flagship will not feature the Exynos 5 Octa in many area of the world. It all started with the USA, Denmark and Sweden, and now UK has joined this list. All of these countries will have the Galaxy S4 with the Snapdragon 600 chipset from Qualcomm. 

Galaxy S4 UK Exynos 5 Octa
A lot of people in the UK will be disappointed...

 So, the USA, the UK and half of Europe will not be getting the Exynos 5 Octa which is being advertised as one of the amazing features. What gives? If you remember last year's incident, everyone got the Exynoss unit except for the USA which was stuck with Qualcomm's tech. However, this year things are even worse. Now, personally I stated that I care little for these two units as I find it that both of them are amazing and will get the job done for you very well. However, it seems to me that Samsung is being a bit irresponsible and getting a just a little bit too cocky!

 Of course, there is also a valid explanation behind this as well. One idea is that the Exynos 5 Octa still isn't in high production, but this is more of an excuse than a valid reason. However, if this is true, then we just ought to wait a bit longer and the Exynos 5 Octa model will be available as well. I personally don't think that would happen, but hey, who am I to play the judge all mighty?

 In some places the venders will try to ease your pain though, like the good folk in the Netherlands who are giving some extra gadgets such as 64 GB SD card to everyone who does by the Galaxy S IV in spite of the fact that it lacks the Exynos 5 Octa under the hood. Remember, no mater which processor it is carrying, this is still an amazing phone!
 

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Galaxy S4 Presented in New York

 As you have already heard dear readership from other news sources and blogs, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been presented at the Samsung Unpacked in New York yesterday! Of course, the device is not yet ready to hit the stores and we can expect it to begin shipping by the end of April. It is very possible that retailers will begin accepting preorders soon and local carriers are already arranging everything. But what about the phone itself? 



 What are people who were at the event saying about Samsung's latest flagship? Well, it seems that opinions are split - some are loving the new phone, while others say that it wasn't such a huge step from the S3.

 The official specs:

Design and Body:
  • Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 in)
  • Weight:  130 g (4.59 oz)
 Display:
  • Type: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
  • Size: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
  • Multitouch: Yes
  • Protection:  Corning Gorilla Glass 
  • User Interface: TouchWiz UI


     The Hardware Overview:
    • Chipset: Exynos 5 Octa 5410
    • CPU: Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
    • GPU: PowerVR SGX 544MP3
    • Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture
    • Battery: Li-Ion 2600 mAh
    • GPS: Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
    • Card slot: microSD, up to 64 GB
    • Internal: 16/32/64 GB storage, 2 GB RAM
     Camera Features:
    • Primary: 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
    • Features: Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR
    • Video: Yes, 1080p@30fps, dual-video recording
    • Secondary: Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps, dual video call
     Major features:

    • S-Voice natural language commands and dictation
    • Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll
    • Air gestures
    • Predictive text input (Swype)
     Other features:
    • Messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
    • Browser: HTML5, Adobe Flash
    • Radio: TBD
    • Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
    • Colors: White Frost & Black Mist
    • Extra charging: Wireless charging (market dependent)
    • Cloud Storage: Dropbox (50 GB storage)
     Audio Settings:
    • Alert types: Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones 
    • Loudspeaker: Yes 
    • 3.5mm jack: Yes

    Wednesday, March 13, 2013

    Galaxy S4 Is Almost Here! New Teasers and Photos Presented Online!

     There isn't a single doubt in my mind that all of you guys and girls have heard about the Samsung Galaxy S4 presentation date which is due in two days. On March 14 Samsung will hold its Unpacked event in New York to present the new flagship device. Times Square is already filled with Galaxy S4 ads and billboards which clearly state that this no hoax. The catchy phrase "Are you ready 4 the show?" clearly suggests that the fourth generation of the Galaxy S series is ready to be presented to the world. Samsung has even posted part 2 of its official "teaser" trailer.

     
     The little boy seems to be amazed by the content of that mysterious box and the suspense is probably killing all of you fans out there! I personally wouldn't be surprised if this kid brings that box to the stage during the Unpacked show in NYC in two days. If that does happen I would be rather happy with myself for having have predicted Samsung's marketing idea. Nonetheless, we will just have to wait a bit more until the device is official released before we jump to any conclusions.
     

    Galaxy S4 With a 3D Camera?

     

     In the past we talked quite a bit about the Galaxy S4's camera features and specs. The Android community agrees that we can expect a 13 MP camera from Samsung along with a wide array of useful software that will improve our overall experience when using the Galaxy S4's camera. Aside from different filters, settings and options, this will also include a panorama option and other great perks. However, CNET is also suggesting that we might see some 3D options on the S IV's camera or at least on some of the future Samsung devices. I will explain why in just a moment, in the meantime have a loot at another teaser photograph of the Galaxy S IV.

    Galaxy S IV Teaser

     You see, CNET is suggesting that the Galaxy S IV (or future devices) might feature a 3D camera due to the fact that Samsung has filed for a trademark on several patents which all have something to do with this technology. They also filled for a patent that included panoramic software and a panorama lens.

     So what do you think dear readership? Are you looking forward to the new Galaxy S4?

    Tuesday, March 12, 2013

    Galaxy S4 Price/ Cost Rumors

     The Galaxy S4 will be presented on March 14 and we are all excited to see what Samsung has been working on for the past months. This website has covered a fair share of leaks, rumors, official news and many other details, yet this is actually the first article where we will try to discus the Galaxy S4 price concept to see how much this smartphone might cost. Keep in mind that this is a premium, high-end device and thus you can be sure that it will be quite expensive. But how expensive? As expensive as the S III model or as expensive as the new iPhone? Well, I obviously can't tell you, but let us look at the problem from different sides and see what professionals in the industry seem to think.

    Galaxy S4 Price and Cost


     An article on Expert Review says that the price will not be higher than £499 upon release which is the price that the Galaxy S3 has when it was first released. It is believed that the Galaxy S4 price might be a bit lower since there are quite a few phones out there that are giving it a nice for its money. These competitors are phones such as the new HTC One, the LG Google Nexus 4 and the stunning Sony Xperia Z. For those of you in the USA, this a price that is approximately $745 which is quite a lot. Oh, and in case you are from the EU, then that's around 570 euros.

     If you are, however, looking to get this device via a contract with one of your local carriers then you can expect to pay between £30-40. This is between 35-45 euros or $40-60. If you plan on using a service with 4G/LTE then you can expect the costs to be much higher. Some might find this a great offer, other people will say that this is just too much, but these are personal issues and opinions that this blog will not focus on for the time being.

     Of course, it is also possible for Galaxy S4 to cost a lot more and a lot less than this and we cannot be 100% sure due to obvious reasons. However, I personally highly doubt that this device will be more expensive than the Galaxy S3 and I wouldn't be surprised if it were a little bit less expensive, especially in some regions that Samsung will try to take-over with their new line-up.

     So, the question for today dear readership is: how much would you pay for the new Galaxy S4? What do you think is a reasonable price? Judging by the early benchmark specs it will be an amazing device folks!

    Sunday, March 10, 2013

    Galaxy S4 + Visa = Pay With Your Phone!

     Today's rumor isn't directly related to just the Galaxy S4 smartphone directly, but it does certainly involve Samsung's future flagship. You see, it seems that Samsung and Visa have struck a great deal which will allow users to make credit card payments via near field communication (NFC). This will be a feature that will work on all future, next-generation Samsung devices that have NFC chips. Neither Visa nor Samsung mention what will be considered a "next generation" device, but it is safe to assume that devices such as the Galaxy S IV and the Galaxy Note III fall into this category.

    Galaxy S4 Visa PayWave
    Making things simple!
    The agreement between the two company's gives Samsung access to Visa's PayWave system. This is a system that is very similar to Google Wallet. The basic concept is that you can input your credit card information on your phone and then just pay for stuff by tapping your phone on a special pad at the store. Quite a handy feature isn't it? Honestly, I dream of seeing the end of physical currency and somehow I vision a day when mankind will have a common currency and be able to pay for everything virtually. I see this as a good step in that direction!

    Get ready folks!
     But enough about my silly ideas, let us focus on what this agreement means for Samsung's Galaxy S4. As you can already imagine, this is good marketing potential and it clearly gives the consumer the knowledge that this a premium device. However, it is unclear whether or not all the Galaxy S4 models in the USA will have this feature. The main problem is that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have their own payment system called ISIS which works in a similar way, and their devices block other apps that try to do the same thing. A good example of this is the Google Wallet app.

     So, what do I think about the whole Galaxy S4 Visa PayWave idea? I find it brilliant as you can tell, but I would not call it the pride and joy of the device. However, this feature will, along with many other software and hardware innovations that Samsung is expected to release, certainly make the smartphone look much more attractive and, in the end, it is always the little things that get us! After all, people are already going crazy over the Galaxy S IV eye-tracking concept!

     So, what do you guys and girls think?


    Friday, March 8, 2013

    Galaxy S IV Cases Reveal Its Design? Not Very Promising Folks!

     So, yet another leak is coming ahead of launch and this time we know it is real, we just don't know if it is true. Let me rephrase that, Mobile Geeks has recently demonstrated a set of phone cases from the manufacturer TZX China  which claim that they have already made an accurate Galaxy S4 cases based on the leaks they got from the company itself.  Have a look at the photo or skip a bit down to get to the video presentation of Galaxy S IV cases from TZX.

    Galaxy S4 Cases
    The black case is the hard case for the S4, the other one is a S3 case
     Based on what we can see from the cases the Galaxy S4 will be (as we expected) quite a bit larger than the previous model. The hard case also suggests that it will be a bit thicker as well, although it seems that it won't be much wider. It will certainly be quite different than the S3 since Samsung needs to put in room for the 4,99 inch display screen. From what I have seen based on the video and assuming this is case which does have the proper dimensions - the Galaxy S IV will be a lot more "boxy".

     Honestly I am not digging that design option at all. When I try to imagine some of the renders we have seen over the months inside of any of those cases my head starts to swirl and hurt. I must admit that I am quite worried how the Galaxy S IV design will actually turn out. But, enough of my whining, let us look at the video from Mobile Geeks which shows quite well what this case is all about:



     Has your mind been blown yet? Well, I can't blame you, since that video didn't exactly tell us much. But none the less let me ask you - is this the real thing is or someone just trying to make a viral video to promote a website/company? We have seen these sort of advertising campaigns in the past. Just last month another company presented their own "Galaxy S4 cases" but they failed quite big, since that case was large enough to fit the Galaxy Note 2!

     So, dear readership, what is your thought on the subject?

    Galaxy S4 Gets Quite an Ad Campaign in NYC

     Well, Samsung has already invested so much money into their flagship smartphone and there is certainly no more going back! It is all or nothing folks! This is exactly why Samsung is ready to invest even more money into their marketing plan for the Galaxy S4. If you are from New York City and have been to Times Square recently then you already know what I am talking about. Those of you who aren't in touch with the recent story, then perhaps a photograph will speak a thousand words.

    Galaxy S4 Times Square
    Times Square, NYC
      So, Samsung is reminding the world that the Samsung Unpacked event will be held on March 14 in New York City. This is certainly a good move on their part and they will certainly intrigue a lot of people not to mention make the brand more popular. It is hard to say that there is anything wrong with this move to be honest and it is something that ought to have been expected. However, I really hope Samsung has calculated what would happen if their Galaxy S IV doesn't sell so good. Honestly, I hope that they will be able to get all of those investments back somehow, without having to resort to desperate measures.

     Let us remember that Samsung needs to be careful, or else they might end up like HTC. This company had quite a few great smartphones (and they still do!), but a lot of factors have led to this company losing a lot of money! In fact, recent reports show that HTC has earned less money in the past quarter than any other one during the past two years! So, Sammy, here is a bit of advice from an amateur blogger - don't let your ego get you! This means: listen to the users, continue to innovate, make your products as affordable as possible and do not piss people off! Oh, and speaking of HTC, don't forget to have a look at our early Galaxy S4 vs HTC One review (opens in a new window)!

    Ready 4 the Show?

     So, are you "ready 4 the show" dear readership? March 14 is close by and we have already written about the event in a previous blog post - Galaxy S4 Release Date Coming Near! Unfortunately the authors of this blog don't live near the NYC region so we will not be attending the event, but in the coming days we will post a few places where you can watch the live streaming of the Galaxy S IV announcement event.

    Galaxy S4 Media Kit
    Media kit invitation for the event
     So, what should you know about the Galaxy S4 before heading over to the event or watching the live stream? Well, here a few reading suggestions that we would like to give you girls and guys:
    • Galaxy S4 Benchmark and Rumors - this article showcases some interesting rumors about the phones specs and features that are very likely to be true. The article also has a few interesting unofficial benchmark reports which will show you how the phone compares to other devices on the market.
    • Why the Exynos 5 Octa is just a marketing trick - in case the Samsung Galaxy S IV does feature the so called octa-core processor you should learn more about it via this article. This is so that you don't get tricked by this branding/marketing trick which suggests that this a new, powerful processor, which isn't really the case.
    • Galaxy S IV Photos - not exactly a lot of text in here, but you can view all these amazing renders and graphic interpretations that people have created. We wonder if any of these will be anything like the real Galaxy S4?
     Anything else that you would like to add? Just leave us a comment down bellow and we will reply as soon as possible!

    Thursday, March 7, 2013

    Galaxy S4 & Eye-tracking - Sounds Legit!

     The Galaxy S4 will be announced on March 14 which is only a week away, and the rumors are spreading more rapidly than before! Yesterday we gave you a nice rumor update which focused on what we know about the specs/hardware. Today, we will dedicate this post to talking about some interesting features that Samsung is working on. Namely, the rumors suggest that eye-tracking will now be a feature in the new Samsung Galaxy S smartphone. But what does this exactly mean and is there any proof to support this story?

     Take a look at the following screenshot:

    Galaxy S4 Eye Tracking

     Now, it is hard to say if this screenshot is real or not, but it does bring in some interesting debate. As you can see the Galaxy S4 is supposed to be very 'smart' with features such as Smart stay, Smart rotation, Smart pause and Smart scroll. You can read the description of each on the photo above and as you can clearly see all of them are based on head or eye tracking which is really cool. However, is this an actual feature - an innovation - or just a marketing gimmick, is the question that a lot of people will be asking once the device is released.

     One thing does bother me on the above screenshot however,  and I am not sure how many people have noticed it - TouchWiz hasn't changed one bit! Most people won't care, and I don't either to be honest, but I was expecting more fresh style on Samsung's end.

    ....Now, moving on! Let us look at another 'leak'! This time we have a screenshot of the Galaxy S4 which looks quite promising and very elegant. There isn't much commentary following this pic, so just take it for what it is dear readers.

    Galaxy S4 ScreenShot

    Do you have any leaks or info? Share it with us via the comments section?

    Wednesday, March 6, 2013

    Galaxy S4 News and Rumors Update

     The Samsung Galaxy S4 has once again been the major  headline grabber during the first week of March and this is very obvious considering that the device is expected to launch very soon. We have already told you that the presentation date is expected to be March 14 during the Samsung Unpacked in New York. This does not, however, directly tell us when the Galaxy S4 official release date will be set, but we are hopping that this will be revealed to us very soon. In the meantime, Samsung officials haven't given us much food for thought other than a few teasers here and there. This article will therefor focus on the latest set of rumors which involve the Galaxy S4's specs and features. Ready to get started?

    Galaxy S4 March 14 Release and Specs

     The photo above obviously isn't anything official and it just presents us with some expected features. The full HD Super AMOLED screen is something that we have discussed already in the past and as you may remember we can safely assume that the device will have a 4.99 inch display with full HD technology. The news about the storage and the camera aren't exactly new either, and the story about the Jelly Bean 4.2 Operating System is quite standard since we can expect only the latest from this device. 

     Those of you who might have hopped or feared that the Galaxy S4 will feature the Tizen OS have no more reason to think about it. Apart from the many reasons that I listed in a previous post which explains that the Galaxy S4 with Tizen OS is impossible, there is a new one to consider. What is it? Well, Tizen OS isn't ready for a smartphone yet, and it certainly won't be ready by March 14 for the conference in New York.

    Early Galaxy S4 Benchmarks

      As expected, a lot of reports are coming in where people are claiming that they have done early benchmarks using some Galaxy S4 prototypes that Samsung gave them to test. Of course, this isn't what everyone is saying, but it sounds quite similar. Either way, it isn't much more reliable than the Gmalaxy S4 AnTuTu benchark from last month, but it will do for now since there is a lot of interesting details that we can take from the photos.

     Here is one such benchmark:


     Now, many of you may be annoyed that not all of the text is in English and I feel your pain. However, you can see all the major stuff from the graph and the numbers on the side. It is interesting to note how much the Galaxy S4 has scored on the first picture and it would be really nice if the actual device provides us with such performance.

     What are your expectations from the Samsung Galaxy S4? Any ideas to share? Leave them in the comments!