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Video shows off Samsung Galaxy S4 ahead of launch, possibly Chinese dual-SIM variant

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So this is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S4 on video, supposedly. The short clip gives us  silent walk around the device, showing off what appears to be a handset that borrows heavily from the design of the Galaxy S3 before it. A bit too much, if you ask us.

The look of the phone doesn’t do much to get us excited about what Samsung has in store for Thursday. Sure, the rumored specs — quad-core Exynos Octa 5, 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera — are worthy of awe, we just hope Samsung has done a bit more with the design. In other words, we have our fingers crossed that this Chinese (dual-SIM) version of the phone isn’t representative of the one that will launch in other regions.

That might just be wishful thinking. Previous leaks and a tease from Samsung themselves back up what we are seeing here: a slight retooling of the Galaxy S3 design language. Here’s hoping Samsung can offer us something impressive beyond the look and feel of the hardware.

[via TheVerge]

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41 Comments

  1. chinese… fake. besides, the commercial he is listening to at the intro is for an ipad mini. fake chinese cake.

    outside of that, the speaker is shown on the frontside, in Azn boyz video whereas in the “official” sammy picture, it’s not there.

  2. Yeah….I have a note 2, and I think I’ll keep it. It looks like what I already have and I’m sure the performance is nice, but my note 2 does just fine. Nothing to be excited about.

    1. Yeah… I suspect new phones aren’t for everyone. Besides, if you currently own a Note2 you are currently on a contract thus your comment is invalid. You wouldn’t buy one even if you wanted it. Done.

      1. So, you’re saying it’s unreasonable for people who are currently tied to a contract, to activate a temporary phone, sell their Note 2 or GS3, and use that money towards buying the GS4 off contract?

      2. What does being on contract have to do with buying a new phone? I was on contract with my GSIII when I bought my Note II full retail on launch day.

      3. Do you have any idea how stupid you sound?

      4. Because…. Everyone buys phones on contract? hmm… well thats strange so if thats the case how on earth did I own a One S and a Nexus 4 and STILL ended up being out of contract? It must be black magic.

      5. What is this “Contract” you speak of?

        – Sent from my Note 2

      6. uuhh…. ever heard of using grandma’s, moms, or your bosses upgrade? Note 2, off contract, with unlimited data, and have another upgrade waiting for whats next….crazy i know :-/

    2. Wait for the Note 3 it will blow you!

  3. This is what I expected the GS3 to be like LAST year.

  4. this needs to be fake

  5. Samsung galaxy S3″S”.

    1. apparently they are following apples trails releasing almost the same design with upgraded specs…..fail samsung.

    2. if u watched the 2nd sneak peak, when the kid says my favorite color (while holding an opened Oreo, black with white on back) it makes sense. I’m not impressed, I’m sure specs and software will be the real story but still I much prefer HTC ONE design no doubt.

  6. I seriously doubt that this is the SIV. This is a different Samsung phone.

  7. This better just be a development unit as this thing is ugly and laggy!!

  8. I don’t understand….what’s the problem if this is the real S4? I think it’s a sexy looking phone. Yeah, it looks just like the S3 but that was a good looking phone as well….and it SOLD MILLIONS. Why would they completely redesign something that works? What “new design” are you looking for anyway? A glass back, all metal construction, square???
    Anyone hoping this isn’t the S4, please explain cause I hope it is.

    1. the thing is we’ve somewhat become a costumed to having every new iteration of a phone have a somewhat new design ie galaxy, s2, s3, HTC one x, HTC one, Sony Experias and so on. Maybe its the fact that finally and android OEM has found a very profitable cell series and doesn’t want to brake what’s not broken. But if that’s the case it makes most of us hypocrites for always hating on apple for making no real design differences in there phones. We just want something new and different, but in a positive way, every year…not to much to ask right?

      1. Thank you. But it doesn’t make us hypocrites because we are being loyal to a platform that does offer choices. All of the other phones you mention each have a different design, look, feel, software overlay, etc. That is CHOICE! But if I’m Sammy and I know people love the S3’s design, I’d stick to it. Maybe roll out a new phone called something else with a different design – call it the Galaxy G.
        Compare it to the car industry. They add slight differences each year to the same models. Occasionally they offer redesigns and new models but not every year.

        The only thing I like about Apple…because they made phones the same size and shape…millions of accessories came out from small companies that fit that shape. They can’t do that with Android because there is no volume to profit from.
        If Sammy used the same shape and size, the market of ‘S’ owners would be large enough for accessory developers to support it. And if you got tired of the ‘S’ model, you could move on to something else – like the Galaxy G (which has a different screen size and shape). Yay for Android and CHOICES!
        But some consistency is not a bad thing….especially if it works.

      2. Wtf is a costumed? Did you mean “accustomed”?

    2. I wasn’t planning on upgrading to the S4 in any case (as my S3 will suffice until the Note3), but if what see here is actually the S4, I am a little disappointed. Disregarding the specs, I wanted to see:
      1) smaller bezels (going so far as to get rid of the home button)
      2) front-facing speakers (HTC One’s “greatest feature”)
      3) flare. nebulous flare.

      The one good thing I did notice in the video is that the phone appears THICKER than the S3, which bodes well for a fitting a much larger battery. I couldn’t read the actual mAh rating on the battery in the video.

  9. Thats a huge MuthaEffing screen

  10. First thing did anyone else notice all o the Ipad mini talk in the background? Second was it just me or did the phone seem to be lagging a lot? No thank you Samsung I am going with the HTC One!

    1. I think it just seems laggy bc the sound is about 5 seconds ahead and it gives the impression that the sounds are coming late instead of early, plus he had just booted it and the first few swipes are normally behind. With the sound off, it seemed fine to me

  11. Has anyone noticed that the background video is an Apple product promo for the Ipad mini, I recognized Jony Ive voice….LMAO

  12. Looks like an Apple strategy to me, better specs same design. Not impressed at all. Its pretty ugly and cheap plastic. The specs are great, but I hate the feel of cheap quality in my hand. But I just bought a Nexus 4 so I won’t be a good candidate for the S4 anyways. Samsung does make good devices though. I still rather wait to see what will come out of Motorola’s pipeline.

    1. Cheap Plastic? Just stop the nonsense talk.. already against Plastic! lol….
      http://video-call-usa.blogspot
      Samsung spent more on developing newest plastics than Apple or any other company has ever spent on making the Cheap ScratchGate Die Cast Aluminum on Apple iOS devices… iPad Mini and iPhone 5!!! ……what’s the Nexus 4 made of? (not that it’s not a good device though)

      Besides you and Apple fans, ya all must not be aware that the $55,000 removable roof on Bugatti Veyron is mostly clear Polycarbonate Plastic. Yeah…. in case you don’t know it, Carbon Fiber in it’s other technology is made up of mostly…… (you guessed it)… PLASTIC (Polycarbonate)!

      The ultimate reality though is that Samsung spent a record amount on R&D in record time developing the Ceramic Coated Plastic on GS3’s back cover (which was not cheap and hella more durable than aluminum)!. So…. it’s a whole lot Better Quality than the ScratchGate Die Cast (Recycled Beer Can Aluminum) on iPad Mini and iPhone 5, as well as the plastic on every other competing device!!!

      You only have to remember this one thing about Samsung over it’s competitors.”They Got Loads Mo’Money” and they historically spend the most (if not in the top 3 R&D spenders) in R&D on the planet. The Graphene R&D alone for YOUM Flexible Screens and possibly coating the GS4’s PLASTIC Back took record investment from Samsung. If it does end up being Graphene (single atom thickness – Graphite Oxide Liquid) Coated like YOUM Screens, GS4 will be the most Indestructible Smartphone on the market. Which will validate SAMSUNG’s Projections of selling 10 Million GS4’s a month!

      Where’s LG, HTC, Motorola, Sony or even Apple on R&D investments? Down in the 20’s to 40″! lol…. and Apple has absolutely no factories of their own to even invest the $42 Billion in CAPEX Samsung spent last year alone!!! ;-p ……….and where does all Apple’s Profits go? …..on Beer Cans for Aluminum Research? No! lol… Well it’s all sitting in Offshore Banks and Securities…. Instead of investing in their Future!!! ……and neither Moto nor LG have the money to do better than SAMSUNG either!

  13. This looks as a modified and rommed galaxy s3, i will make my complaints AFTER Samsung unveils it tomorrow, til then, im taking everything with a grain of salt.

  14. If this is the true GS4, then it’s confirm that Samsung is waiting for next iPhone comes out so they can copy the design. This is f’king lame.

  15. whats up with the damage or scratches around the capacitive back and menu buttons? looks all jacked up. also this is the same guy from those pics that were leaked yesterday.

  16. I said this about GSIII and I’ll say the same about GSIV, overhyped plasticy PoS with a good ad campaign behind it.

    1. It’s not overhyped. It’s one of the best android has to offer. I wouldn’t go back to my rooted/romd vzw gnex

  17. Its chinese replica of Galaxy S3 i don’t know how come phandroid not differenciate, the cheap quality of graphics, startup logo and cheap build…

  18. Omg it’s rectangular again with round edges. I was rooting for The Pyramid.

  19. First off it’s too thick to be GS4 and it’s Chinese…… not Korean! lol…… and a another thing obviously, is that it’s not a large enough screen. Looking more like GS3 Clone! Why didn’t they show off any features from Samsung’s Touchwiz UI? We obviously didn’t see how they are rumored to be incorporating Immersion TouchSense Haptic technology either.. Where’s the Eye Scrolling and Eye Screen Recognition of GS3 even? Simply not a real SAMSUNG Device in the first place! hahaha….

  20. That looks a lot like the Galaxy S3, but that’s not a bad thing. The face of the phone looks like the background of Samsung’s “Be Ready 4” announcement. One of the features that I’m looking forward to most would be the 1080p display. Considering that the commute to and from work at DISH takes a bit of time, I like that I can keep up with all of my live and recorded shows on the way. I can do so with the DISH Anywhere app, which allows me to stream from my DVR wherever I go, so it’d be nice to stream on a higher resolution display.

  21. I personally like it! Plastic isn’t that bad honestly. It lets me carry extra batteries and the back won’t shatter if dropped. Plus most but not all of us will be using a case!

  22. The image tweeted by Samsung shows no ear speaker at the top. This phone shows an ear speaker. I trust Samsung, not this dude playing an Apple promo.

    1. Bad argument; that pic sent out also doesn’t show the LED notification light, light sensors, or the front-face camera. Purely a shadow/silloquette sneak-peak as was indicated by Samsung.

  23. Lol yes I’m not sure if I trust that video 100% but you never know .

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