News & Reviews:   Samsung Galaxy S4

While the Samsung Galaxy S4 certainly helped raise Samsung's profits, they may be looking to jump the gun even earlier for the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone with a reveal in January 2014 and eventual release in February 2014. Original estimates had the S5 Malaysia release date set for March which was the period when the Samsung Galaxy S4 was released in 2013. Tech specs for the S5 so far could include a 64-bit processor, 3GB of RAM and a 13MP or 16MP camera module with better low-light and anti-shake (optical image stabilization) than before. The previously announced Samsung ISOCELL image sensor is also expected to be used inside the S5. As always, take these rumours with a pinch of salt as Samsung has yet to confirm any Malaysia release date or pricing for the S5 just yet.

Fujitsu has also come out with a smartphone recently, and has announced it as the Fujitsu Arrows A 301F with a release date in Japan due for December 2013. Featuring an almost Samsung Galaxy S4 like design, the smartphone adds on a number of fairly attractive features such as a 3-day battery life (due to the Sharp IGZO display panel), a 10-minute charge resulting in 1-day worth of battery life and a fingerprint scanner on the backside. Other tech specs for the Fujitsu Arrows A are equally impressive which include:

• 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor
• 5-inch Full HD 1080p IGZO panel display
• 2GB RAM
• 64GB storage
• 13MP rear camera (optical image stabilization)
• Hybrid 4G LTE
• 2600 mAh battery
• Fujitsu Smart Fingerprint scanner

Samsung have confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch will soon be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III smartphones. The news comes courtesy of Lee Young-hee, Executive Vice President for Marketing of Samsung who stated that the S4 would be compatible by end of October 2013. The Note II and Galaxy S III on the other hand will be compatible by end of December. This compatibility hinges on the smartphones getting their Android 4.3 updates which will then enable the Bluetooth 4.0 LE support required by the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch to work. As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy Gear has an RRP of RM999 in Malaysia although it can be acquired for free as a combo deal with certain local telcos. In related news, Samsung will be working on apps or a user experience to make the Gear smartwatch pop more as they acknowledge that the smartwatch "lacks something special".

Seemingly coming out of the blue, Samsung has confirmed that a gold (or gold coloured) version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 may be making it's way to consumer markets soon. Revealed as a tweet from the Middle East Samsung branch, the new version will come in Golden Brown and Golden Pink but there is yet any information if it will be just a a gold coloured plastic or actual gold plating. We're guessing that it could be actual gold plating because the colour looks about right as those from third-party chassis makers. We're also guessing that the tech specs or features should remain the same, if not as top range as possible to match the gold chassis. It may stop short of LTE-A considering that there aren't any LTE-A networks in the Middle East but again, these are still guesses and not confirmations. So far, no news on Malaysia release dates or pricing but a gold coloured metal chassis could just as likely get snapped up quite fast as well, considering the other "gold" coloured best selling smartphone that recently got launched.  

Now this is by no means a new rumour, as rumours about a metal body Samsung smartphone have been around since before the Samsung Galaxy S4. What is new, is that the source seems to be coming from mostly South Korean Media who suggest that Samsung may finally be making this move with a premium Project F series of smartphones. These F series smartphones would have metal chassis, feature the latest 64-bit Samsung Exynos chipsets and have the latest Samsung technology such as the ISOCELL mobile camera technology. Tech specs for the smartphones include 4.5-inch to 5.5-inch screen sizes that may see flexible displays and 16MP cameras with optical image stabilization. So far, no other features or information such as Malaysia release dates or pricing are available but rumours indicate that we could see the Samsung Project F smartphones make an appearance in March 2014 which coincides with CES 2014.

It almost seems like deja vu as information surfaces about Malaysia getting both Exynos and Snapdragon 800 powered versions of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note III phablet. Coming from the same source that said we'd get the Exynos Octa and Snapdragon 600 powered versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the site has released a country list for the various versions of the phablet. As mentioned earlier, Malaysia is listed as getting the SM-N900 and the SM-N9005.

One would think that after the LTE-A version powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor, there would be enoughSamsung Galaxy S4 versions out there already, but apparently not as another version following the same model number naming convention has been spotted from the GFXBench site. Marked as the I9507 there isn't much information available for it apart from tech specs that state that it uses a Snapdragon 600 chipset with a 1.9GHz processor. It looks to be using the same Adreno 320 GPU as the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 but apart from the fact that it is running Android 4.2.2 there isn't any other information. There weren't any details like pricing or availability but it could be either a dual-SIM version of the I9505 or a rebadged I9505 tied to a specific provider. It could also be the still unrevealed Samsung Galaxy S4 Max but we'll find out pretty soon as Samsung usually announces as soon as they can.

The recently released Samsung Galaxy S4 mini will apparently arrive in three new colours. These include the usually thematically named Scarlet Dawn, Bronze Autumn and Blue Iceberg, which basically means red, brown and blue. Check out the pics of the mini in all three colours below. Unfortunately, there isn't any mention when these colours will be available but the official announcement should be soon.

Released around the time when Samsung was building up the hype for their Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Grand is an entry-level to mid-range smartphone with a relatively large 5-inch screen. Designed for those on a budget, the smartphone has less features than some of the other Samsung models but offers some good basic performance with a large screen. For some people this is more than enough. Read on to see if one of these people is you.

Design

Since it was released around the time when the Samsung Galaxy SIII was still relevant, the Samsung Galaxy Grand looks just like a larger version of the former flagship smartphone. While it does pack a larger 5-inch screen the resolution is just 480 x 800 pixels for a rather low 187 ppi pixel density. You can still watch HD videos on it with reasonable viewing angles, but details are definitely less sharp compared to similarly sized screens with higher resolution. Build quality is good, if a bit plastic and a little slippery, as the backplate doesn't have the same patterned look and feel as the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Due to the larger screen size, it does weigh in a bit heavier at 162g but it should fit well for those with larger hands. The buttons are also larger while the icons on the interface are about tablet sized.

In many ways, the HTC One is a pioneer, innovating upon features that most Android smartphones lack. It was the first premium Android smartphone to offer more than just a plastic casing and paid much more focus to design (almost like the Apple iPhone). It offers features like Full 1080p HD on a 4.7-inch screen, an UltraPixel camera and software features which you won't find on any other smartphone. Is this the smartphone for you though? Read on and find out.

Design / Appearance

Before the HTC One, most Android smartphones all looked the same, were basically made out of plastic and looked downright boring. The HTC One shook things up by taking the same design approach as the Apple iPhone, giving much thought and focus to a new tough metal unibody chassis with a rounded brushed metal back. In making the overall smartphone, HTC designers decided to stick to a zero-gap construction, which makes for a beautiful smartphone with no gaps in between the components. The result is a nearly sealed case apart from the earphone jack and micro-USB port. In short, the HTC One is one of the most beautiful smartphones in the market, even after so many other Android smartphones have followed or tried to follow what it did.