11:05 PM
Lecor Martineau
March 15 or March 22 only suggest that Samsung's Galaxy S4 is coming to town a few weeks from now, and many are reviewing the list if the latest rumours about the flagship device would tally with the ones set for unwrapping next month.
Do we get to see jaws dropping by the time Samsung pulls down the veil covering its second 2013 handset masterpiece, the first one being the Galaxy Note 3 (which likely will debut earlier via the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona)?
It's worth revisiting the specs that numerous reports said would practically make up the sleek look and powerful beast that is the Galaxy S4.
Is it quad-core or 8-core?
For some time, and experts agree, all reports about the latest Galaxy S smartphone point to a CPU upgrade that will see the S4 strutting the Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor. Developed by Samsung, this replaces the Qualcomm CPU that came with the Galaxy S3 and is generating excitement for its apparent brute ability without gobbling too much battery juice.
But the storyline saw a twist this week when SamMobile reported that Samsung's premier handset will hum into its processing tasks with a maximum speed of 1.9GHz on a quad-core chip provided by Qualcomm again. It appears that some experts called it right in insisting that eight-core mobile computing will not be a reality until 2014.
What exactly are the display elements?
Earlier this year, the Galaxy S4 is said to sport a bendable screen, making the front portion of the device virtually unbreakable because the glass material covering its screen has been tempered for better flexibility. Samsung even showcased a prototype handset that bears the actual screen flavour.
It turned out, however, that the technology will only be ready for mass production by 2014, at the earliest so speculators trained their attention to the latest Corning Gorilla glass screen. There was even a suggestion that Samsung would wait out until June this year to launch the Galaxy S4 in order to make sure that phone rolls out with the best Corning technology to date.
Nothing is definite till now on the overall display attributes of the S4 except that it will have a better Super AMOLED rendering that is viewable on its 1080p 4.99-inch screen. Another possible addition, though remote by now, is on-screen gesture capability, with Samsung reportedly mulling the use of maXTouch S sensor that was first seen in a Sony Xperia handset.
Do we get to see real high-end camera offerings this time?
On S3, tech experts could only hand down decent remarks about the phone's 8MP rear-shooter. The euphemism also meant that Samsung could have done better because its snapper is easily beaten by the competition like HTC's One X, according to Gotta Be Mobile.
Hopefully, with leading smartphone brands fitting 13MP capturing tools with their products, Samsung would equal or raise the bar a bit higher. HTC has been bragging that it is jumping to the UltraPixel level via the HTC M7 (or HTC One), which maybe Samsung can replicate with last-minute adjustments prior to the Galaxy S4's launch time.
Will Samsung tweak the Wi-Fi signal?
This is crucial because as Gotta Be Mobile noted, all smartphones connect via Wi-Fi. And Samsung would further boost the Galaxy S4's appeal if owners can rely on faster and more stable wireless connection. This feature will be made possible if Samsung would use the new Broadcom 4335 5G Wi-Fi chip. When partnered with a compatible wireless router, S4 users will experience the best Wi-Fi technology there is, the same Gotta Be Mobile report said.
How much juice can be squeezed from the S4 battery?
From 2100mAh battery, the Galaxy S4 will reportedly pack a 2600mAh battery and paired with better chip components, the prospect of using the new Samsung smartphone longer in a single charge is much higher. And if Exynos 5 Octa CPU actually makes it to the handset, many owners should regale with the promise of 70 per cent less power requirement of Exynos. That means more gaming, media playing and communicating hours on the Galaxy S4 before users scramble to look for the nearest power outlet.
Will it be JellyBean or Key Lime Pie on S4?
The best bet, admittedly, is the latest JellyBean when the Galaxy S4 comes right out of the box. But many are hoping that Samsung would able to persuade Google into deploying Android 5.0 first via the S4. Tall order maybe but still possible. One can only imagine the smooth collaboration between the latest TouchWiz skin and Google's KLP, which later on this year skirmish with Apple's iOS 7.
We are so looking forward if all these questions or at least most of them will get the right answers in a few weeks' time.
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