Samsung S4
 

The Samsung S IV announcement party is tonight in NY. Details here. Rumors abound, as expected, about what the phone will contain. Thoughts? Will this thing follow in the footsteps of the S3 and be a big hit, or even bigger? How will Apple respond?

The only thing I've seen so far ...

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/apples-schi...7--sector.html

The leak is all over the web: http://sammyhub.com/2013/03/11/pictu...e-galaxy-s-iv/

The major changes are 1080p full hd 5 inch display and 1.8GHz quad core processor. Other features stay more or less the same. More evolutionary than revolutionary IMO.

Galaxy S IV is not for me. In the Android arena, I would only buy a Nexus device. Nexus 5 is rumored to be announced during Google IO in June; I will be waiting for that one.

Amazing what a long way Samsung has come in such a short time - three years ago nobody really cared about their bland phones, and now they are getting the same buzz as Apple gets before a launch.

Five inch display??

Guess I'll have to carry it in my murse, since it definitely won't fit in my skinny jeans.

Higher rez camera with panoramic features, better display, etc. definitely evolutionary, but I read rumors of various gesture controls and payment features that would be revolutionary. Can't wait to see it.

Bigger displays aren't for everyone. The iPhone 5 has a 4 inch one for those who like smaller, or if you prefer Android, a strength there is choice...lots of good phones in the 4-5 inch range. My wife has had the Note 2 for a few months now, and while I thought its 5+ inch display would be too much, I now prefer it. Might not fit in tight 80s jeans, but could be used with mom-jeans, as it's thin enough. ;)

Don't worry - the 5 inch rumors turned out to be incorrect.

According to the now-released details, it's only 4.99"...

adds face/eye tracking.
Look away while viewing a youtube video, and the video will automatically pause.
look up and down to scroll a page.
that sort of thing is incorporated.

Sounds like big battery-eater functions but nice nonetheless.

Actually it isn't, contrary to all the pre-release rumors. Scrolling is by tilting the phone up and down. That sounds a lot easier to replicate in an OS update than eye-based scrolling.

and also less prone to disconcerting unwanted scrolling. tilting is more deliberate; eye direction is subject to myriad brief distractions.

An eminently worthy upgrade for S2 owners but nothing to have S3 owners crying into their beer IMHO. One thing I've noted before though: If you want equivalent power in a more pocketable device, there's only really Apple, with major Android manufacturers throwing everything at their monster phones. Samsung had a chance in this area with the S3 Mini but instead played on the S3's name rather than it's power.

Personally, I'm impressed they were able to get a bigger screen and much bigger battery into a slightly smaller form factor.

I was waiting to see what the S4 would bring before deciding whether to buy a (used) S3 - and wait for the prices to drop. But, considering that I was expecting the S4 to be much bigger, I might wait for the S4 prices to drop on the open market.

It seems the general consensus is "meh".

Must be all the Apple blogs you're reading... :D

In reality, the sales numbers will be the final judge. Personally, I'm no fan of 5" screens and not really a fan of Samsung phones, but have been genuinely surprised at how well the S3 has sold - which has a 4.8" screen.