If you are a smartphone shopper, you no doubt have heard of the Samsung Galaxy S4. The handset has been all over TV and Internet media and advertising, and absolutely erupted in sales when it first launched earlier this year. The GS4 has crushed every possible sales metric for Samsung, and is one of the top selling phones of 2013. The handset recently received a retail price reduction at the Amazon Wireless store online, where a standard two-year contract will net the phone for you on the Verizon Wireless network for just $119.
Delivering wireless Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and DLNA connectivity options, the Galaxy S4 is a SAFE-designated device (Samsung Approved for Business) thanks to its premier security features which help safeguard sensitive business information and data. The handset is also the first wireless device from Samsung to offer that company’s KNOX solution, a feature which separates personal and company information, and adds extra mobile security at both the hardware and software levels. The S4 also delivers one of the largest high resolution displays ever designed for a mobile handset.
The pixel density (441 color pixels located over each inch of display space) runs higher than all but a couple of handsets, leading to a Full HD display resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels. The Galaxy S4 also delivers multiple voice-free and hands-free capabilities such as Air Gesture, which allows you to answer incoming calls with simply a wave of your hand above the display. It can also be used to control your home stereo system, TV set box top or HDTV, and cutting-edge eyeball tracking technology allows you to scroll e-mails and web pages simply by changing where you are looking on the phone’s display.
Delivering the Android 4.2.2 operating system out-of-the-box and a promise by Samsung to upgrade to Android’s 4.3 Jelly Bean in October, the Galaxy S4 measures a slim 0.31 inches (7.9 mm) in thickness. Also light for such a large phone, the Galaxy S4 weighs only 4.59 ounces (130 g). The large 5.0 inch Super AMOLED screen uses more than 16 million colors to render visuals, ambient light and proximity sensors help conserve battery life by automating certain tasks, and a scratch resistant layer of Gorilla Glass 3 protects against the dings and bumps of everyday life.
The system chip on board the handset is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T model, built around a quad core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU. A powerful Adreno 320 GPU is also present, as is a full 2.0 GB of RAM memory. The Galaxy S4 comes equipped with 16 GB of built-in data storage, as well as microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC support for external memory cards up to 64 GB in size. The rear facing 13.0 megapixel camcorder can work in tandem with the front facing 2.0 megapixel chat cam in a dual camera video call mode which allows your callers to see exactly what you are recording. Video is recorded in 1,080P HD resolution.
