Rumors after rumors. Finally, it is certain the long-waited Galaxy S4 will be unveiled in the Time Square on March 14 (less than 2 weeks away).
Will Galaxy S4 be the best selling smartphone in 2013 as S3 did in 2012? Will Galaxy S4 give us surprises? On March 14, we will probably know the answers!
The competition in high-end smartphone market is fierce. iPhone 5, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, ASUS PadFone Infinity, LG Optimus G, HTC Butterfly, ….are all lined up to hold their feet in this most profitable, and also most crowded, market. The momentum of S3 dies down. Recent reports indicated Galaxy S3 was toppled by iPhone 5 and iPhone 4s in Q4 2012, although it still tops Android phone sales.
So, it is a crucial release for Samsung. This market is so dynamic. Any errors may be a disaster. Black Berry is still struggling with Z10. HTC is trying to stop bleeding.
Galaxy S3’s success is mainly due to better user experience; rather than the hardware specifications. Of course, Samsung’s marketing muscle also plays a role.
The importance of user experience (usually linked to software implementation) can never be overlooked. Spectacular hardware specification may attract some eyeballs. But it is the user experience that converts patrons to buyers. If we take iPhone as an example, you may notice the hardware specifications in iPhones are close to most middle range Android phones. But Apple is able to convince fruit fanbois to pay high premiums. It is not just because of marketing.
Samsung’s major problem is not the OS. Android Jelly Bean (4.1 and 4.2) is better than (or at least as good as ) iOS 6. This can be easily verified when you putting your hands on Nexus 4 or Nexus 10.
Most Android phone makers try to differentiate each other by overlaying its owning UI. Such UIs are supposed to improved user experiences; but unfortunately, most of them degrade.
Samsung’s TouchWiz does provide some interesting functions, especially the latest Nature UX. But overall, it is over-weighted, lack of consistency.
What surprises will Samsung Galaxy S4 bring to us? We will know these on March 14.
What’s you view on Galaxy S4? Post in the comments section below, or start a thread in the discussion forum! Galaxy S4’s rumored specification was discussed in Galaxy S4 Specifications(rumored), and teh display was discussed in Will Galaxy S4 use Super AMOLED or SoLux Display? Why it matters?