Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 on March 14, and it is due to hit shelves in April. Various analysts have already started to give their perspectives on the handset and how it fares next to other handsets like iPhone 5 and Samsung's old warhorse, the Galaxy S3.
Let's see what some analysts are saying about the device:
"The Galaxy S4 appears to be largely an incremental update to the S3 including a slightly larger screen (4% larger on diagonal), better camera and processor, and updated software, but largely the same body style and casing. We believe some of the software features are unique, including the tilt to scroll, video pausing based on facial recognition, and hand gesture based interactions, but view these software improvements as minor compared with what Siri was to the iPhone 4S or even Google Now to Android," said Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray.
"In terms of competition vs. Apple, the GS4 seems largely as expected - and there could be some relief for Apple (certain versions of LTE won't be available until later this year). However, as we stated recently in a recent report - we believe that Samsung's momentum is a major issue for Apple. As a result, we need to see Apple expand its iPhone market this year in a big way - and improve its platform. However, Apple seems rather silent of late - and could be waiting until C3Q to make any competitive response outside of potential adjustments to pricing," said Ben Reitzes of Barclays.
"The hardware was as expected and much like iPhone 5, the S4 saw little change in design from its predecessor besides a slight increase in size from 4.8" to 5". Samsung focused primarily on its software innovation and interface inputs such as gesture control and Smart Scroll/Pause. While we were impressed overall with our hands-on experience, we await to see how these features perform in the real world and if they are actually used," said Jefferies' Peter Misek.
Misek also said that the Galaxy S4 will certainly sell well and it is "incrementally negative for Apple." However, the device is not revolutionary, in Misek's view, apart from the large screen size, which gives Samsung a large advantage over Apple.
The last few weeks have been full of Galaxy S4 news and it seems that more news awaits over the next few months when the devices starts getting into the hands of customers and reviews start coming from various sources.
It is anybody's guess if Apple was waiting for Galaxy S4 launch to announce its next-generation iPhone soon.
