Samsung has been doing a rather bang up job in terms of teasing the upcoming Galaxy S4 announcement. Or at the very least, keeping the teasers coming at a regular enough interval to not let us forget. Of course, with all the hype, leaks and rumors, it would be near impossible to forget that Samsung had an announcement coming up. Just in case anyone may have forgotten though, Samsung has an event planned for March 14. The official event will kick off at 7PM EST and will be done at the same time as a public event in Times Square.
At this point there are a few items that we know, and a few that are safe to assume. Basically, we know the Galaxy S4 will be running Android. We can even say that it will be running Jelly Bean, though there has been some differing opinions on which specific version of Jelly Bean. The handset should also arrive with LTE connectivity, with a wide variety of carriers and with a larger display. Well, larger as compared to the Galaxy S III anyway.
Rumors are calling for the display to measure in at 4.99-inches (5-inches to make it easy) and be 1080p (1920 x 1080). The processor looks to vary depending on market. So far it is looking like the US will get a quad-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 600 series with Europe getting an Exynos 5 Octa-core. RAM should be in at 2GB and we are expecting a rather large 2600 mAh battery. The storage will also be upped with rumors suggesting that Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S4 with a 32GB and 64GB option — both of which will have a microSD card slot for any additional storage needs.
Anyway, while much of this is still rumor, it does appear that a recent Bloomberg article has confirmed at least some. Citing “two people familiar with the product” they have said the Galaxy S4 will have a 5-inch screen and that the US model will have a quad-core Qualcomm chip. This same report also mentions the rear-facing camera as being a 13 megapixel.
While some may be hoping to see Samsung do something a bit nicer in terms of build quality. Say, using less plastic, there is really nothing to suggest they will do anything but that. After all, that is what they have built on with the Galaxy S lineup. Not to mention the Galaxy Note lineup. All said and done, if nothing else we can say one thing — the event is drawing ever closer. Be prepared for the announcement tomorrow evening and rest assured in knowing that you will find plenty of Galaxy S4 related coverage right here on Android Community.
Although the processor is still up in the air, I think the display is a no brainer. Many of the top smartphones have 1080p displays, so it makes sense to have one. During the commute to and from work at DISH, I like to stream my live and recorded shows on my phone, since it takes some time getting there. I use the DISH Anywhere app to stream from my DVR wherever I go, and I’d like a higher resolution display to watch them on.