Samsung’s S3 was one of the powerful smartphones of 2012 and after selling millions of units, company has already brought the bigger sibling in form of S4. The new flagship handset has got a minor hardware upgrade along with loads of software upgrades, and is all set to lock horns with Sony Xperia Z.
Let us see how the new S4 is different from its predecessor, in terms of specifications, display size, and other features.
The new S4 has an aesthetic design, but Samsung more or less seems to be running on auto-pilot in terms of design. Most of their Galaxy series phones look all the same, including the new Galaxy Grand. And, even in case of S4, there is almost no difference physically.
Available in white frost and black mist colors, it weighs 130g and measures 136.6mmx69.8mmx7.9mm. Being lighter than predecessor and built in plastic polycarbonate body instead of aluminum, S4 is 0.2-inches larger than S3. With 5-inches, 1080p screen display, it is fairly thin, and comfortably fitsin jacket or trouser pockets.The bigger display has lot of benefits when it comes to watching videos and surfing the internet through smartphone. Moreover, IR blaster home cinema controller kit and 4G download speeds are also added goodies in the S4.
S3 weighs 133g and feels great in hand; available in marble white and pebble blueand other exclusive colors. But, its plastic hyper glaze-finish stops it from being a premium styled set. S3 too has 4G connectivity and NFC features, but S4 is superior in many ways.
Camera Processor and OS
Galaxy S4 features 1.6GHz ExynosOcta 8-core processor, which is the pick of the lot in the current smartphone club and software features and Android apps ticking over nicely, the processor is a real powerhouse.
S3 with 1.4 GHzExynos, didn’t see hang or stutter, but S4 certainly performs better.Rhe pop-up-display has impressive features, such as windowed HD video playback, picture-in-picture multi tasking. S4 looks thinner and feels bigger with slight software and hardware upgrades. It gets 13MP camera and 1080p screenin comparison to S3’s 8MP and 720p screen.
It is even speculated that S4 would come in 2 editions; one with standard 1.6GHz 5 Octa eight-core silicon processor and another even more powerful 1.9GHz quad-core processor avatar.
The new S4 runs on latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS, and gets Google Map as default mapping tool unlike iOS platforms.Smart pause and scroll web-page eye tracking features are also included, whileGalaxy S3 runs on Android Ice Sandwich, but can of course be upgraded to the Jelly Bean too.
Battery and Storage
S4 comes in 64GB, 32GB, and 16GB versions and alongside micro SD card storage, it also comes with 50GB free Dropbox space. Galaxy S3 came with generous storage optionsof 32 GB, and 16GB and later the 64GB edition was also manufactured.
S3 customers also enjoyed 50GB of free cloud storage.
When it comes to the battery, S4 gets 2,600mAh battery in comparison to S3’s 2100mAh, so you can again expect superior performance from the S4.
Conclusion
Samsung hasn’t revealed the price of new S4, but ahead of its launch, the price of S3 is dropping by leaps and bounds, just the way iPhone 4s prices were dropping before the iPhone 5 launch. Both smartphones have similar external build and S4 has been enlarged to flaunt an even bigger screen. The new S4 outperforms S3, with latestJelly Bean 4.2.2 OS, improved battery life, display and camera quality, and processing power, but will the upgrade be worth paying for? Well, that’s something we’ll be able to comment on, only once Samsung announces the pricing!