Samsung Galaxy S4

[Murani Lewis]

I made it a priority to point out the advancements in WP7.5 that developers never utilized. The examples you mentioned about watch time/trafic to make flights. As much fault Microsoft gets we can't foget that it is a two-way street and far too many developers have shown lackluster commitment to the platform. The same for the background audio and location that Microsoft showed off with the INRIX app during the WP Summit back in June. Not to mention the voice conversation ability that is WP8. Very few apps take advantage of these platform benefits and the end result is that users complain about how Windows Phone lack things that truthfully already exist but are not being implemented by developers. There is a third party responsible for this and its the users. When a developer does put in the work to add platform specific features and we don't support that app while oggling another platform's hot app we are part of the problem.

 

[Davis Allie]

The way I see it the S4 was just upgrading for the sake of it. 1080p 5 inch screen - ~320ppi is the most the human eye can distinguish and any bigger and our phones won't fit in our pockets. 13mp camera - the HTC One has shown that megapixels aren't everything, I'm gonna wait and see some samples first. 8 processor - I have never experienced any lag on my dual-core 8X, 8 cores is just simply not needed. 3 core GPU - any game that needs that much graphical power does not belong on a mobile app store in the first place. 2,600maH battery - absolutely neccessary for a phone this powerful if it wants to have any sort of battery life. and all the other "new tech" as you would say is either hardware already available in the 920 (wireless charging, super sensitive screen) or is software that could have been added to the S3 anyway. Oh and from a distance, how many people do you reckon will be able to tell an S4 from an S3? If you're gonna release a new "flagship" phone at least make it noticeably different from the previous one.

 

[buxz777]

if nokia had any sense then they would jump on this ....... the sgs4 isn't much of an upgrade to the sgs3 , if nokia could get the following on their next flagship and get it out there asap I think a few people would have to take notice

# tv out through hdmi and 3.5mm jack like Symbian 808
# large battery
#lumia design and colours with micro sd slot as well as 16gb minimum
#pureview phase 1+2 camera tech hybrid 808/920 mash up with xenon and duel led flash
#2gb ram for future proofing as well as high end cpu and gpu
#4.5" screen with screen protector fitted from factory those that don't want it can remove it etc
#high end headphones included in the box with wireless charging plate in the box
#fm transmitter and fm radio people in india use this a lot and india is a big market
#waterproof internals
#usb2go for connecting usb devices like pen drives etc
#latest windows 8 o/s

if this device was announced asap do we not think it would make the sgs4 look inferior? would it not nick some of the sgs4 limelight? who here wouldn't be interested? id be saving right now wouldn't you?

nokia have great tech , they just need to get it all in one device instead of a device that always has compromises , if they can do this we will have a true flagship .... a true convergence device

 

[inside man 55]

Nokia will be introducing some amazing tech, maybe not all the features you mention as it would be cost prohibitive but definitely more with blue, that is my gut feeling, I just hope they ramp up production to take advantage

 

[squire777]

I love the screen and and the internals, but Android fails to impress me anymore. It feels like these days with Android it's just an arms race about cramming in the best specs possible. I would love to see what kind of battery life a 1080 screen + 8 core processor gets.

Looks like I'll get my Ativ after all. It will just say S4 and run Android.

You're not the only one looking forward to that day!

 

[Podunks]

Dual Camera photos and recording

Smart Scroll/Smart Pause

Air gestures/Smart Call Accept

Air View

S Translator

S Health

WatchOn video

Cinema photo
If you've ever watched one of the Harry Potter movies, you'll notice that all the still photos in Harry's World move in a little loop. Online, you can accomplish this kind of looping still image with animated GIFs with the Galaxy S4's new Cinema Photo feature. Just shoot a picture and highlight the areas of the image you want to move in the final product. So your friend's face can be still in the foreground while trees sway in the wind in the background of your picture.

Group Play/gaming

Eraser shot

Story album

Group Play:
Connect up to eight Galaxy S4s via NFC and share music (imagine a half-dozen phones all playing the same song at the same time) and photos and what not.

Samsung Optical Reader:
Scan business cards and the like. Not a new technology, but it's built in.

Samsung Adapt Display and Adapt Sound:
Optimizing sound and screen on an app-by-app basis.

Samsung WatchOn:

MicroSD slot:

1080p Resolution: Lumia 920 is only768 x 1280

Removable battery, as well as being a very larger battery:

Sound and shot:

55g lighter than Lumia 920:

.11" thinner than 920:

Screen is .5" taller than 920, while it is only .25" taller:

Corning Gorilla Glass 3: 920 has Gorilla Glass 2.

109 PPI higher than 920:For those who think this is just a Galaxy 3s... You are wrong.

 

[chetan_merchant]

Even I was never a fan of Android especially the Galaxy series..but was keen to know what Samsung is upto...cos it directly affects Windows Phone sales and thus the competition...

But the release was dissappointing...the software tweaks to me are just gimmicks..
Hardware is impressive but do you really need all these ammo...quadcore with 2 gigs of RAM is good for any high end phone IMHO...

I still feel that Lumia 920 is the most innovative phone in market...not because I own it but because its practical and provided features I will use...e.g. Pureview, OIS, NFC, supersensitive screen and all these in a well built hardware...the only drawback being OS which is still immature...

 

[lemonsteveo]

I'll stick with my L920. It does everything I need with amazing call quality which is what I require the most. The G in GS4 should really stand for "gimmick." I am much more excited with what's coming after the 920 (not the variants though).

 

[Abdul Rahman Noor]

The S4 seems like a decent enough phone, but it still looks as ugly as the S3.
Virtually every "flagship" Samsung's released in the last couple of years - S3, Note, Note II, and now the S4 look identical save the screen size.

Samsung should really take a few design cues from the HTC One or XPERIA Z or Lumia 920.

 

[poiman]

Dual Camera photos and recording

Smart Scroll/Smart Pause

Air gestures/Smart Call Accept

Air View

S Translator

S Health

WatchOn video

Cinema photo
If you've ever watched one of the Harry Potter movies, you'll notice that all the still photos in Harry's World move in a little loop. Online, you can accomplish this kind of looping still image with animated GIFs with the Galaxy S4's new Cinema Photo feature. Just shoot a picture and highlight the areas of the image you want to move in the final product. So your friend's face can be still in the foreground while trees sway in the wind in the background of your picture.

Group Play/gaming

Eraser shot

Story album

Group Play:
Connect up to eight Galaxy S4s via NFC and share music (imagine a half-dozen phones all playing the same song at the same time) and photos and what not.

Samsung Optical Reader:
Scan business cards and the like. Not a new technology, but it's built in.

Samsung Adapt Display and Adapt Sound:
Optimizing sound and screen on an app-by-app basis.

Samsung WatchOn:

MicroSD slot:

1080p Resolution: Lumia 920 is only768 x 1280

Removable battery, as well as being a very larger battery:

Sound and shot:

55g lighter than Lumia 920:

.11" thinner than 920:

Screen is .5" taller than 920, while it is only .25" taller:

Corning Gorilla Glass 3: 920 has Gorilla Glass 2.

109 PPI higher than 920:For those who think this is just a Galaxy 3s... You are wrong.

From all that I just want dual camara and air view for some websites.

Cinema photo and eraser have already been in the 920 since its launch.

 

[WorzelGummage]

To me the S4 is a natural step up from the S3 and is just a normal evolutionary step with a bigger screen and higher specs. So obviously, millions upon millions of Galaxy users will want to upgrade to the S4. As far as the competition is concerned they are languishing and trying desperately to catch up with Samsung's success.
I will say though, I have an S3 and find it to be an exceptionally boring phone so I spend very little time with it preferring to use my Lumia 920 instead for most things. What I'm looking forward to is the 920's true successor later on this year (hopefully).

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Please keep the thread civil.

 

[conanheath]

Of all the things Samsung pitched with S4, I'm getting it for SD card and removable battery. Something the line has always had. The gimmicky software I don't care about. It is nice to see a company looking forward and working on future technology. MS will be bogged down for a year or better just getting WP working. I do hope Nokia will start working on Android devices. I think their innovative side will be held back by MS and WP. It would be nice to see Nokia releasing some of the gimmick software along with Samsung.

 

[Bicpug]

Most of my issues with the lumia920 appear to be MS fault, not Nokias; so hopefully an OS update can correct it.

 

[WorzelGummage]

Of all the things Samsung pitched with S4, I'm getting it for SD card and removable battery. Something the line has always had. The gimmicky software I don't care about. It is nice to see a company looking forward and working on future technology. MS will be bogged down for a year or better just getting WP working. I do hope Nokia will start working on Android devices. I think their innovative side will be held back by MS and WP. It would be nice to see Nokia releasing some of the gimmick software along with Samsung.

Microsoft will end support for WP8 in July 2014 so we'll be forced into buying a newer platform, either WP 8.5 or WP 9. That's just an 18 month support lifecycle for Windows Phone. Nokia used to give around two years worth of support for the Symbian platform. With this in mind Nokia should consider adopting another OS which gives them more freedom to create a more unique, and at the same time, mainstream device that people would definitely want to buy. This would suggest that Nokia really ought to consider creating an Android powered handset.

Please Verify your Location

 

[Podunks]

Do not get me wrong, some of the software is "gimmicky" but I feel like this is merely a cop out for most people, to just say, oh well, I have WP, all that stuff is gimmicky, turn up nose.

A lot of it is pretty neat, group sharing, S translator, etc.

Not to mention the great hardware and massive battery.


I would love to stay with WP, I absolutely love my Focus S, but my only upgrade choice is the Lumia 920, which is a brick in the hand, and a ton in the pocket. It is far too heavy, does not have a removable battery, or microSD slot, has issues with dust getting on the lenses has all kinds of glitches, and factory defects in the build quality.

The rest of my gripes lie with Microsoft and WP. No file management like I enjoyed with my LG Expo Projector Phone, terrible update support, I have had to force the last 2 or 3, lack of real customization.

All WP8 brought to the table in terms of "innovation" was kids corner, and customizable tiles.... And some new colors.... Nothing to write home about. Until Microsoft frees up the device for developers to really use, gets off of its Internet Explorer high horse, and stops limiting hardware such as the screen.... I will have to pass it up for the GS4.

 

[Microsoftjunkie]

The issue is, it's made by Microsoft. And when people see "Windows" they think yuck. And the tiles are cool and all, but the features of an Android phone vastly outdo the cool tiles. And to the performance point, it is true that Android needs high end hardware to perform well, but Android also has real multitasking, and running Java with that doesn't help.

Nokia did real multitasking with sub <800mhz processors

 

[WorzelGummage]

Until Microsoft frees up the device for developers to really use, gets off of its Internet Explorer high horse, and stops limiting hardware such as the screen.... I will have to pass it up for the GS4.

I'm not sure what you mean by "limiting the hardware such as the screen". The screen on my 920 is far superior to the one on my S3 in many different ways. I agree with your comment on IE10 though, but thank the heavens for UC Browser! :wink:

 

[Microsoftjunkie]

Do not get me wrong, some of the software is "gimmicky" but I feel like this is merely a cop out for most people, to just say, oh well, I have WP, all that stuff is gimmicky, turn up nose.

A lot of it is pretty neat, group sharing, S translator, etc.

Not to mention the great hardware and massive battery.


I would love to stay with WP, I absolutely love my Focus S, but my only upgrade choice is the Lumia 920, which is a brick in the hand, and a ton in the pocket. It is far too heavy, does not have a removable battery, or microSD slot, has issues with dust getting on the lenses has all kinds of glitches, and factory defects in the build quality.

The rest of my gripes lie with Microsoft and WP. No file management like I enjoyed with my LG Expo Projector Phone, terrible update support, I have had to force the last 2 or 3, lack of real customization.

All WP8 brought to the table in terms of "innovation" was kids corner, and customizable tiles.... And some new colors.... Nothing to write home about. Until Microsoft frees up the device for developers to really use, gets off of its Internet Explorer high horse, and stops limiting hardware such as the screen.... I will have to pass it up for the GS4.

And as soon as Microsoft do what you said, wp8 will run like **** just like Android. Microsoft said they don't adopt standards as fast as Google because they want to be able to make it run fluently without any hiccups. You see they enabled flash support again, after websites optimized their websites. Same thing for cell hardware and the like. You can't say the same for Android. They push, any and everything they can into Android, just to say we can, but it only caused horrible user experiences, crashes, and viruses. its a reason why android is like the only os that needs virus protection. Lol good times.

 

[Podunks]

I'm not sure what you mean by "limiting the hardware such as the screen". The screen on my 920 is far superior to the one on my S3 in many different ways. I agree with your comment on IE10 though, but thank the heavens for UC Browser! :wink:

Microsoft has limited the display of WPs to 1280 x 768.

And as soon as Microsoft do what you said, wp8 will run like **** just like Android. Microsoft said they don't adopt standards as fast as Google because they want to be able to make it run fluently without any hiccups. You see they enabled flash support again, after websites optimized their websites. Same thing for cell hardware and the like. You can't say the same for Android. They push, any and everything they can into Android, just to say we can, but it only caused horrible user experiences, crashes, and viruses. its a reason why android is like the only os that needs virus protection. Lol good times.

I do not see where you are getting this from. How would it run like ____? My LG Expo, which was a Windows phone pre WP7, ran smooth as silk! I could manage anything and everything through file browsers, I had all kinds of different web browsers, I was barely limited at all!! And no hiccups for years.... So your post does not really hold water in my opinion, and sounds more like you are just not willing to acknowledge the shortcomings of Microsoft and WP7/8.