By Claire Reilly
Hours after the global unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S 4, Australian telcos are already jumping for preorders of the device, with the major providers offering consumers the chance to register for updates on Australian availability of the smartphone.
Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin have all dedicated serious website real estate to the new device and set up holding pages for registrations of interest, despite the fact that Australian pricing and availability is not yet confirmed.
The official line from Samsung is that “the Samsung GALAXY S 4 will be available from Q2 [and] pricing and availability will be available closer to the launch date”.
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Some of the major features in the S 4 that were being spruiked at launch:
-The world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display (5-inches, 441 pixels-per-inch).
-3G and 4G compatibility.
-2GB RAM, 16/32/64GB memory with a microSD for up to 64GB of extra storage.
-2,600mAh battery.
-13-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front facing camera.
-NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and Infrared built in for remote control functionality.
-Smart Scroll which detects eye movements and scrolls the screen automatically.
-Air View and Air Gesture which allows screen control by hover a finger over the display.
-S Translator for text-to-voice translation in major languages such as English, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. (Interestingly, the choice of languages offers some insight into Samsung’s major markets).
Opinion
Although firm details of local availability are not yet confirmed, there is already significant buzz around the device that calls to mind the kind of excitement normally created by an Apple launch. And if the ever-churning rumour mill was anything to go by before the launch, the Samsung name is certainly pushing more into the consumer consciousness.
However, similar to Apple, Samsung’s update to a previously existing smartphone did not see a grand departure from the tried and tested form factor, design or interface of its predecessors. Just as the iPhone 5 managed to overshadow the 4S with a slightly updated feature set and longer shape, the S 4 brings more functionality and a thinner design.
S Translator certainly has potential to help travellers and Smart Scroll could make for a flawless user experience, but these features could also prove clunky and therefore underutilised when taken out of the perfectly controlled environment of a Samsung promotional video.
The real question for the local market will centre on how the phone is priced and how it is demonstrated in store. Although there will certainly be consumers ready to trade up to a flashy new device, regardless of the brandname printed on the front and what’s under the hood, it will be up to retail staff to show how the S4’s new features will bring real benefits to consumers.
Everything else is just for show.
The polycarbonate body of the Galaxy S 4 is available in Black Mist (pictured) and White Frost.