News & Reviews:   Samsung Galaxy S4 specs

A while back Samsung showed off a number of the S features for their upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV smartphone and one of them was Group Play. From the initial Samsung Group Play ad, it seemed like just a way for you to share your music and media, however, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In a video showing off just what you can do with Group Play, HowardForums.com sat down with Samsung reps and did a little bit more digging with Group Play.

Practically every telco is coming out with their preregistration plan for the soon to be released Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV. Celcom is no different as we discovered a listing for the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV under the devices available for Celcom. While the link seems to still be undergoing work (links to the Samsung Galaxy S III instead of it's own Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV) it does list the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV model being released by Celcom as the Exynos 5 Octa version. As usual, we will keep you updated as to any new developments but for other Celcom telco plans click here, or check out the Celcom link here.

While everyone else is still speculating on the price of the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV, DiGi have revealed that they may be in the know with a pre-order for the smartphone starting from RM1199. Granted this is a subsidized price under a 24 month contract for the DG SmartPlan 148. The point is that this subsidized price is dropped from an RRP of RM2199, about RM200 less from earlier estimates, RM100 lower than the HTC One under the same DiGi pre-order plan and even lower than the Singapore price (RM2450).

U Mobile recently opened up their Pre-Registration page for the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV here. Their pre-registration closes on 30 April 2013 but they say that they will contact you starting from 24 April 2013. If you're interested about getting a Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV under U Mobile then you should definitely try it out. Details include your name, IC number and other personal details but it does ask if you're an existing U Mobile customer. No details on whether this gets you anything special but this may just be the case when 24 April 2013 swings about.

Samsung are arguably the current king of the heap in many smartphone markets, but if you're already a Samsung convert, then which Samsung Flagship model smartphone or phablet should you pick up? This time around, we answer this question and see how the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II match up. The one page tech specs comparison can be seen here.

Which Samsung Flagship Smartphone is best?

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV upon us this April, rumours surrounding this flagship smartphone are flying about like crazy. While the rumours about Malaysia receiving both the Exynos 5 Octa Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV (non-LTE) version and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 powered Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV (LTE) version seem to be true, other rumours include the fact the the Exynos 5 Octa Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV (non-LTE) version may be priced at RM2199 while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 powered Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV (LTE) may be priced at RM2399 in Malaysia.

We've all been waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV to make its appearance in Malaysia and fortunately that wait may soon be over. DiGi is one of the first telcos to offer a pre-order registration for when the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV will hit Malaysian shores (or at least when DiGi gets their hands on their first shipment) which would be 20 April 2013. For now, you can register your interest in getting the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV under a DiGi contract or deal by filling up your particulars here. There is no mention of any deals or incentives or even how much the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV may cost under DiGi but if you're done waiting, then this is probably the first Malaysian outlet to go to, at least for now. We also have other DiGi telco plans as well which you can see by clicking here.

Recently it has been discovered that a third Samsung Galaxy S4 /S IV model set to be released for the South Korean market may exist (and it probably is the best). While most of us know that there are two models; one using a 1.6GHz Exynos 5 Octa processor and another using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 S4 processor the model set for the Korean market is supposedly running a 1.8Ghz Exynos 5 Octa processor.

According to SamMobile the model numbers and other details include:

• GT-I9500 – Exynos 5 Octa 1.6 GHz without LTE
• GT-I9505 – Snapdragon 600 1.9 GHz with LTE
• SHV-E300S – Exynos 5 Octa 1.8 GHz with LTE

While the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV remains the king of the hill to beat in the smartphone market (especially the still as of now unbeaten Exynos Octa versions) its main focus has always been about making life easier, or at least that is what Samsung's marketing machine wants you to believe. Samsung's introductory video for the Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV highlighted many of these "life companion" S features and now they're showing them off one by one. Check out the videos below for a sometimes heartwarming and heartpumping look at the Sound Shot, Group Play and S Translator in action for real-life situations. Expect more to come, but for now my favourite remains the S Translator (imagine the unfair advantage you could get with it on shows like the Amazing Race ;) ).

China-brand phones are rapidly becoming better and better, providing more powerful performance and more solid build quality. One such China brand smartphone is the Xiaomi Mi2S which recently beat out the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 powered Samsung Galaxy S4 / S IV in benchmarks. The benchmark in question is the now often remarked AnTuTu benchmark where the Xiaomi Mi2S scored 25913, edging out the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 powered Samsung Galaxy S4 which got 25446.