It won’t be long now until we finally get a good look at the Samsung Galaxy 4S. As we reported previously, we’ve learned that it will feature eye scrolling technology, and we’ll finally get to see the thing this Thursday, March 14 at an event in New York. But in advance of the Galaxy S4 release date, the speculation is already beginning concerning the phone’s fortunes against the iPhone.
Consider this article from The Guardian:
Forecasters say Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S franchise is catching up with the iPhone, and could begin to take its number one spot this year. …
“Apple is not the one leading the market,” said Francisco Jeronimo from analysis firm IDC. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the new Samsung device sells more than the new Apple device over the next two years.”
The chart below via The Guardian and from IDC/Observer illustrates the companies’ trajectories:
To put it conservatively, Apple’s dominance in the premium smartphone market is over. It’s still going to do well there, but it’s no longer head and shoulders above the competition. It could bounce back with something as revolutionary as the iPhone in the next couple years, but unless you count the iWatch rumors, no such device seems on the horizon.
For those interested in specs, a roundup of the rumors out there are below.
Specs
From my colleague’s previous roundup of the rumors that have been out there:
Samsung has yet to confirm any of the reports on GS 4 specs, but we do know that its internal code name is Altius J and its technical name is GT-I9500. Here are the latest Galaxy S4 rumors and specs. As for a processor, the 4G LTE S4 will reportedly run a Exynos 5 Octa processor that runs 1.8GHz. The OLED screen will be larger than that of its predecessor, the S3 (4.8 inches), and the iPhone 5’s (4 inches) – most likely 5 inches and 440ppi. It will also sport 4G LTE connectivity and an Android OS. A 13MP camera and a 2,600mAh battery with wireless charging are also rumored. Galaxy S4 will reportedly be shipped with he latest version of Android: Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1.2 and come in both black and white colors. All of these rumored specs look to build upon the already impressive Galaxy S3 which boasts a 4.8 inch 720p HD display, 4G LTE connectivity, Android’s 4.0 OS, and a reasonable contracted price of $199.
And here’s what The Guardian reports:
The latest model is understood to have a 5in display, 13 megapixel camera and even an eight-core processor – today’s most advanced phones have four cores in their silicon chips. All of which means the S4 should have a bigger screen, take crisper pictures and process web pages faster than the iPhone 5.
Tune in for our coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 event Thursday for more info.
