My Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S4

Yesterday, the tech world eagerly anticipated the official announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

They got more than they bargained for.

Not in terms of specifications. Many of the new features were leaked in several YoutTube videos a few days beforehand. Samsung got me excited with their showmanship as much as their super-phone. Oh, it was INCREDIBLY corny. But I think Samsung was going for corny. Why else have this guy show off the new phone?

Look at me Ma. I'm a star!

I also want to point out that the full orchestra and original musical arrangement were awesome.  I'm a sucker for things like that. Could this be the start of a new presentation style for mobile technology? Will other companies try to imitate (or emulate) Samsung by showing off their new products in similar staged examples? I suspect not, but I would welcome it wholeheartedly. 

Well...maybe HTC disagrees.

Now for the real deal...the phone.

Here are the specifications of the Galaxy S4 (left) compared to the iPhone 5 (right):

Dimensions	5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches	4.9 x 2.3 x 0.3 inches
Weight	4.59 oz	4 oz
Operating System as Tested	Android 4.2.2	iOS
Total Integrated Storage	16, 32, or 64 GB	16, 32, or 64 GB
Processor Speed	Quad-core 1.9 GHz	Dual Core 1 GHz
Screen Size	5 inches	4 inches
Screen Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels	1136 x 640 pixels
Screen Type	Super AMOLED HD	Retina
Screen Pixels Per Inch	441 ppi	326
Camera Resolution	13 MP Rear; 2 MP Front-Facing	8 MP Rear; 1.2 MP Front-Facing
Video Camera Resolution	1080p Rear; 1080p Front-Facing	1080p Rear; 720p Front-Facing
802.11x/Band(s)	802.11 b/g/n/ac	802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Version	4	4
GPS	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	No
microSD Slot	Yes	No
Battery Life (As Tested)	(Not Yet)	8 hours 40 minutes

What really jumps out to me is the difference in processor speed, the screen size and the weight.  A quad core chip at 1.9 GHz will make Android 4.2.2 just as fast, if not faster than, iOS 6. My only Android experience is on the Nexus 7 and I am not impressed at all by the speed of Jelly Bean. This phone should change that. 

Of course, the screen size is another glaring difference. One inch is A LOT in the smartphone world. What's more impressive is the incredible pixel density of 441 ppi  on a larger screen.  Early reports indicate that the screen is gorgeous.  Auto-adjusting brightness and deep color saturation combine with the pixel density for a truly wonderful piece of eye candy.  I really need Apple to increase the screen size of the next iPhone, or I'm jumping ship. 

I suspect the screen and operating system will be the only important differences between the S4 and the iPhone 5 (albeit those are big differences).  I am not convinced the quad core processor will make the S4 faster than the iPhone 5, but it should certainly give it a run for its money. The weight difference is interesting, because although the iPhone 5 is the lighter of the two, the S4 is only half an ounce heavier with much larger dimensions.

The camera hardware is really not very different between the devices. I doubt I can tell an 8 MP photo from a 13 MP photo. The diversification will be in the software that gives the cameras more utility. The S4 is already showing some impressive camera based features the iPhone can't contend with (burst mode, erasing anomalies in photos, etc). Camera functionality is incredibly important for many smart phone users. It will be interesting to see if Apple fans switch over specifically because of the camera capabilities.

Now for my favorite new software features of this incredible device....and some features I am concerned will be more annoying than helpful.

1) Dual Camera Usage: You can take photos and videos that use both cameras at the same time. Now I can take a photo of my cat and I can be in the picture! That's such an elegant idea that should have been employed a long time ago.  

2) S Translate: I hope this is the device that can accurately translate foreign speech to text and text to speech.  This would be the ultimate convenience that no one else has truly mastered. But I am skeptical of its accuracy and comprehension.

3)  Hand Waving Gestures: With the Galaxy S4, you can wave your hand over the screen to switch between pages of an eBook and photos (among other things). This is a useful feature if your find yourself with dirty/greasy/grimy hands, but otherwise, its a nice parlor trick. And I think it would be super cool to wave my hand to turn the page when reading Game of Thrones.

4)  Audio-Picture Pairing: I see myself using this feature quite often. You can a photo while recording an audio clip like "Cheese!" or "Wish you were here!" Then, when you look at the photo on your phone, the audio clip will play. This makes a lot of sense. Audio files are smaller than most high pixel photos, so attaching a few seconds of sound to a photo doesn't dramatically eat up storage space. Also, this combo is much more storage efficient than recording videos. AND it's faster and easier to share photos than videos.

5)  Ordering Physical Photo Albums: This is one of my sleeper picks. It was mentioned briefly during the presentation that Samsung is partnering with the company Blurb to order physical photo albums of your pictures directly from your phone. I think this feature needs to be publicized more. My father is of the generation that wants pictures printed out and put in albums. He doesn't believe digital pictures are as easy to print as rolls of film. This built-in feature should quell his bitter feelings. 

Now for the features I worry will not be executed well and, therefore, forgotten (like several features of the Galaxy S3).

1) Smart Stay: On the surface (not Microsoft's), the ability to have your phone stop video playback when you turn away from the screen is useful and super cool. But I'm worried about the execution. How long will I have to wait for the video to stop and start again when I return my gaze? Even if it's only a few seconds, it may just be easier to turn off the feature. And how sensitive will this be? If I roll my eyes to see what's in front of me, will the video stop? What if I sneeze? What if I yawn and close my eyes? We need to know if the camera focuses on the eyes, the face, or just senses for some object close to the screen. It may be more trouble than it's worth, but I hope it isn't.

2) Eye Scrolling: This is the next step in the evolution of eye-tracking, but again, I worry about it's effectiveness.  Sensitivity and accuracy need to be top notch or I will be turning off this feature and, I don't know, using my thumb maybe?

3) Air View: Maybe if I use it regularly, it will make sense. Right now, I don't see the need to hover my finger over the screen to preview albums and videos.  I'm more concerned this feature will get in the way when I hover my finger over the screen deciding which app to open or looking for the right picture album. Having a screen pop up flashing through the photos and video would be annoying...at least for me.

My English is sup-par, but you gotta admit, I got style. 

These are my initial impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S4. As many others have said yesterday and today, its evolutionary, not revolutionary. But it does make it that much harder to stick with Apple. I'm not sure I can last two years with a 4 inch screen. Only time (and my impatience) will tell.