Samsung challenges Apple's iPhone with new Galaxy S4
Samsung on Thursday revealed its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, with features like photos with sound from a 13MP rear-facing camera, language translation, group media streaming, infrared gesture control and more.
With the newest Galaxy S4 debut, Samsung spared no expense as it introduced the device on stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York, complete with live orchestra and an incredibly polished scripted presentation.
One of the few major hardware features Samsung introduced was the S4's cameras. A dual-camera mode can capture images from both the 13MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, allowing the photographer to be in the video or photograph. Users can also add audio to still photos, along with other advanced software functions.
The 5-inch, 441 pixel-per-inch Super AMOLED display on the S4 includes "Air Gesture" capabilities that allows users to interact with the screen without actually touching it.
Rounding out the new component set is a plastic body measuring 5.3 inches long by 2.7 inches wide and 7.9mm thick. The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on a 1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core processor and comes with 16GB of storage standard, with options for 32GB or 64GB, while all models come with a MicroSD slot. Powering the device is a 2,600mAh battery.
Overall, it seems that Samsung is banking on software improvements and innovations to drive sales, as hardware enhancements were largely iterative.
Media coverage of the event has been unusually high for a Samsung product debut, possibly due to pundits sounding off on a "doom and gloom" scenario for Apple, the Korean company's biggest rival in the smartphone space. Whatever the reason, the tech giant was able to drum up a substantial amount of attention. The company's YouTube live Webcast of the S4 unveiling hit over 430,000 viewers when the device was finally unveiled.
It was reported on Wednesday that Samsung has substantially boosted its U.S. advertising budget for the company's mobile phone lineup, spending in excess of $401 million during 2012, up from $78 million the year prior. The Korean firm managed to outspend Apple, which consistently generates media buzz when it announces a new product.
The battle for smartphone supremacy has become a two horse race between Apple and Samsung. According to a recent report from research firm Canalys, the two companies accounted for a respective 22.1 percent and 29 percent of all global handset shipments for the fourth quarter of 2012. It should be noted that the estimates are based on shipments, not sales.
On a device by device level, impressions across Chitika's ad network in North America found Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S III to be in a dead heat during the first nine days of February. A broader look at the data showed all Samsung smartphones to account for 20.6 percent of the market, while all iPhone models took a 41.5 percent share. Overall, Apple's marketshare dropped 4.5 percent since the last Chitika study as Samsung's grew by 3.6 percent.
As for the new Galaxy S4, the handset will no doubt be compared to Apple's own flagship iPhone 5, which debuted six months ago in September 2012.
With the newest Galaxy S4 debut, Samsung spared no expense as it introduced the device on stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York, complete with live orchestra and an incredibly polished scripted presentation.
One of the few major hardware features Samsung introduced was the S4's cameras. A dual-camera mode can capture images from both the 13MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, allowing the photographer to be in the video or photograph. Users can also add audio to still photos, along with other advanced software functions.
The 5-inch, 441 pixel-per-inch Super AMOLED display on the S4 includes "Air Gesture" capabilities that allows users to interact with the screen without actually touching it.
Rounding out the new component set is a plastic body measuring 5.3 inches long by 2.7 inches wide and 7.9mm thick. The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on a 1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core processor and comes with 16GB of storage standard, with options for 32GB or 64GB, while all models come with a MicroSD slot. Powering the device is a 2,600mAh battery.
Overall, it seems that Samsung is banking on software improvements and innovations to drive sales, as hardware enhancements were largely iterative.
Media coverage of the event has been unusually high for a Samsung product debut, possibly due to pundits sounding off on a "doom and gloom" scenario for Apple, the Korean company's biggest rival in the smartphone space. Whatever the reason, the tech giant was able to drum up a substantial amount of attention. The company's YouTube live Webcast of the S4 unveiling hit over 430,000 viewers when the device was finally unveiled.
It was reported on Wednesday that Samsung has substantially boosted its U.S. advertising budget for the company's mobile phone lineup, spending in excess of $401 million during 2012, up from $78 million the year prior. The Korean firm managed to outspend Apple, which consistently generates media buzz when it announces a new product.
The battle for smartphone supremacy has become a two horse race between Apple and Samsung. According to a recent report from research firm Canalys, the two companies accounted for a respective 22.1 percent and 29 percent of all global handset shipments for the fourth quarter of 2012. It should be noted that the estimates are based on shipments, not sales.
On a device by device level, impressions across Chitika's ad network in North America found Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S III to be in a dead heat during the first nine days of February. A broader look at the data showed all Samsung smartphones to account for 20.6 percent of the market, while all iPhone models took a 41.5 percent share. Overall, Apple's marketshare dropped 4.5 percent since the last Chitika study as Samsung's grew by 3.6 percent.
As for the new Galaxy S4, the handset will no doubt be compared to Apple's own flagship iPhone 5, which debuted six months ago in September 2012.
Comments
Apple needs to step up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blitz1
Well no, the iPhone5 is set against the SIII.
Apple needs to step up!
S4 is against Z10 not ip5
aapl declines
Interesting, but I think the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z both have it beat....
I watched most of the live presentation but it had to be the worst presentation in the history of tech. Whiny dancing idiots on the stage. I've got to go stuff cotton in my eyes and ears to stop the bleeding.
No rational person can find a reason to buy this phone. I defy someone to challenge this observation/fact.
It loses on every metric to HTC, Sony and of course the best phone still is the iPhone 5.
obs: It's so cheap looking and ugly.
I don't like Android either. What product outside of search and maps has Google done well? Nothing that I want or use.
"Banned" is probably more accurate.
...and Apple sues Samsung for using the term "4S" backwards.
Give us an infra red emitter and detected, with a barometer, temp gauge and humidity detector, and maybe an extra earphone/input/output port too, and watch the App market get even bigger when App designers turn it into a Tricorder. Give them the tools and the App designers will finish the job. If they can fit all these sensors into a Casio watch, they can go into an iPhone 6 and Samsung can't compete.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins
No rational person can find a reason to buy this phone. I defy someone to challenge this observation/fact.
It loses on every metric to HTC, Sony and of course the best phone still is the iPhone 5.
obs: It's so cheap looking and ugly.
I challenge your observation. I think they will sell a lot of them.
Give us an infra red emitter and detected, with a barometer, temp gauge and humidity detector, and maybe an extra earphone/input/output port too, and watch the App market get even bigger when App designers turn it into a Tricorder. Give them the tools and the App designers will finish the job. If they can fit all these sensors into a Casio watch, they can go into an iPhone 6 and Samsung can't compete.
deleted
2) no battery life mentioned?
3) terrible acting?
4) does it wipe my ******?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mindcrime
I have no desire for Samsung phones. I don't want something that big for a phone. Apple needs to use some of that 137 billion and blow Samsung out the window.
I don't like Android either. What product outside of search and maps has Google done well? Nothing that I want or use.
Google Docs are nice, Google Now, Chrome is a decent browser, Google Earth is fun and somewhat handy, and while Google didn't create YouTube, it does belong to them now.
And whether or not you like Android it's fairly popular, and depending on who's implementing it can be pretty decent...
Quote:
Originally Posted by cnocbui
I challenge your observation. I think they will sell a lot of them.
Based on what? Fanboyism? Of course they will sell, but only for those that can't think for themselves and are easily influenced by ads.
A few Android phones already beat the S4 on every metric, and the iPhone still is the best phone available when all things are considered.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324392804578360674154361886.html WSJ
"But while many of the functions are useful or innovative, a few of them didn't seem ready for prime time in a preview with journalists."
It's just about gimmicks and stupid people.
nokia
Guess who's who... http://t.co/uzhuR7mk3s
15/03/13 00:02
And fandroids complain that Apple doesn't innovate when Apple releases a new phone.
I watched the samsung unpacked live broadcast and I like the hardware specs of the s4 but the software features are too complicated. It has a ton of photo options that to me seems confusing and hard to use and also has other features like the eye scroll thing and pause feature that could give people headaches. I don't like the idea that everything that moves forward in technology is necessarily better. The iphone 5 is still the better overall phone, its very simple, and easy to use and doesnt complicate users like the s4 will. I just hope Apple doesnt go down this same path of adding a bunch of software features that nobody will use. Also the Apple keynotes are still the best to watch, the samsung unpacked event was complicated by dancers, singers, musicians and so on, while the Apple keynotes are simple, with one speaker at a time and just very easy to follow.