They say the Galaxy is always expanding…

There has been a lot of chatter going on lately about the upcoming release of the Galaxy S4. Samsung has not published an exact release date yet but it is expected to be available towards the end of April or the beginning of May. We all know how successful the Galaxy S3 was (and still is), it is the first phone to be released in a very long time that has rivaled the current generation of iphone in popularity. It remains to be seen whether Samsung can keep up the momentum that the S3 started with this upcoming release of the S4.

While the advancements from the Galaxy S3 to S4 do not seem to be as drastic as they were between the S2 and S3 it is certainly still a solid step forward for Samsung. I am not going to go into full detail on everything that has been released but here are some of the specs and interesting features that the Galaxy S4 will have.

Let’s start with the cameras. There are two, a rear facing 13 megapixel camera, and a front facing 2 megapixel camera. Both of these cameras can both take still shots and record video is 1080p. What really sets the S4’s cameras apart from the S3 and many other phones out there are the new things they can do and the features that they have. Most notable of these is the fact that you can take photos, record video, and even video chat with both cameras simultaneously. Another cool feature is the ability to capture up to 9 seconds of sound along with a picture allowing you to not only see, but hear what was going on when you took it. There is also a “Drama shot” mode which snaps multiple pictures in quick succession.

The screen size of the S4 has actually increased from the S3, the phone itself is nearly identical in size (a tiny bit wider and just a hair thinner) but by decreasing the amount of space around the screen they have increased the total size of it from 4.8 in. to 5 in. While this may not seem like a big increase, the fact that there is less surface area around the screen will make it seem much larger to the user.

The Galaxy S4 will have a Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7, 2 GB of memory (double what the S3 had), and come with 16,32, or 64 GB internal memory (as well as an MicroSD slot that can hold up to 64 GB). It will be released with the Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Here are some of the other features:

– S-Translator – This will translate text to text, voice to text, and even text to voice in all of the commonly spoken languages around the world.
– S-Voice natural language commands and dictation.
– Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll. – This feature allows the S4 to respond to your eye and head moments, so if you are watching a video and look away it will pause, and then resume once you look back.
– Air gestures – This allows you to manipulate your phone without touching it. (This means you can wear gloves!)
– TV-out (via MHL A/V link) – Your phone can now be your remote control.
– S-Voice Drive – This mode allows you to make calls, answer calls,
organize messages, and ask for directions, and much more, all without touching the phone.

There are a few things that may cause issues such as durability and battery life, but overall I will say that I am very excited for the S4’s release and can’t wait to try it out. As I mentioned the information above is only a small portion of the specifications and features of the Galaxy S4, I have posted a few links below if you would like to learn more.

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxys4/index.html

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_iv-5125.php

http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/

http://www.t3.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s4-release-date-specs-price-news-and-rumours