Samsung announced its latest Galaxy S smartphone -- the S4 -- at an event in New
York on Thursday, as the electronics titan steps up its rivalry with Apple's
iPhone.
The Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch full HD screen. It is slimmer, lighter and more solid
than its predecessor the Galaxy SIII, Samsung executive JK Shin said as he
unveiled the phone. "For each of us, life is a journey," Shin says. "What we
want is a device that can join us in our journey."
The phone will go on sale next quarter from all four major U.S. carriers --
Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile -- as well as smaller US
Cellular and Cricket.
No price was announced, but it can be expected to start at $200 with a two-year
contract in the U.S. It will run on wireless carriers' fast 4G LTE networks, as
well as 3G.
The screen size compares with 4.8 inches for its predecessor the S III and 4
inches for the iPhone. Other key specs: The main camera is 13 megapixels. It
will come with 16 gigabytes of storage, with options for 32 GB or 64 GB. It also
includes a micro-SD slot for up to an extra 64 GB. It has a removable battery.
"We have a new king of the smartphones," says lead analyst Roger Entner of Recon
Analytics. "The Galaxy S4 is topping every other phone with its impressive
hardware and new customized software features."
The arrival of the S4 comes as Samsung slugs it out with Apple in the
competitive smartphone market. The South Korea-based electronics giant has
become Apple's top rival through its line of Galaxy S phones, with 100 million
sold since launching in 2010. By comparison, Apple sold more than 125 million
iPhones in its last fiscal year alone.
The smartphone battle is clearly a duel. Samsung and Apple have tightened their
holds on the market, responsible for nearly half the smartphones sold worldwide
in 2012, according to research firm Gartner. Samsung has surged ahead in recent
years, commanding a 30% market share in global smartphone sales last year across
its entire line, up from 19% in 2011.
"Samsung has proven they can beat Apple at its own game," says Jefferson Wang of
IBB Consulting. "It will be interesting to see if Apple (comes) to the table
with either an incremental upgrade (iPhone 5 to a "5S"), or if they're going to
feel pressure to get away from the whole generation."
The gap between mobile operating systems is even wider. Smartphones running
Apple's iOS or Google's Android -- the system of choice for the Galaxy S series
-- represent 85% of the global smartphone market, Gartner says. However, the key
question for Samsung will be whether the user experience will match the S4's
hardware upgrades.
The smartphone will include Dual Camera, allowing users to capture photos and
videos with both the 13-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera at
the same time. There's also S Translator for speech-to-text and text-to-speech
translation, and Group Play for sharing photos, music and games without a Wi-Fi
or cellular connection.
Contributing: The Associated Press
