Samsung Galaxy SIV may not be your cup of tea
Android, Android 4.2.2, Android Jelly Bean, Galaxy SIV, Samsung
After many days of widespread rumours and all the speculations, it seems the next flagship of the Samsung Galaxy series of Android phones has finally came out of the curtains though its not official.
The device, widely and obviously referred to as the Samsung Galaxy SIV, the successor of the Samsung Galaxy series and Samsung's next flagship has an interestingly speculated configuration and features which are referred to as 'mind-blowing'. However, don't just start to beat the drums. The recently leaked information has both good news and bad news for the spectators.
Before we move on to the judgement, let's take a recap of the device. Combining all the rumours and speculations, this is the latest, unofficial and what may be the configuration for the device and yes, as I and most of you may have expected, its more powerful and power-packed.
Now that's powerful I never saw in my life before a computer running with an octa core processor inside and even in my homeland here, most computers still use dual core processors and some even quad core processors. However, an octa core processor inside a phone sounds awesome and it means more muscle. The 2 gigs of RAM would also boost up the efficiency of the phone and yes, it will run on the latest Android JB 4.2.2. What's more interesting is the camera which has a 13MP sensor with features like smart-shoot and image stabilization as rumoured. It would also support 1080p video recording. The dimensions indicate that the new Galaxy would be thinner as well as heavier by just 5 grams than its predecessor, the Galaxy S3.
Now that winds up the configuration part. Now, let's get into real business. So, how does the next Galaxy actually look like? Would it present a more vibrant design and look and what would it be made of? These questions were unanswered -- till a few days ago when a video appeared on YouTube which demoed the next Galaxy, the Galaxy SIV as seen in the video and you would be surprised to see it. Check below if you haven't seen it yet and ask yourself -- does it seem familiar? (Don't mind the audio in the background, its just the iPad mini Ad)
There's no doubt that the device is strikingly similar to the Galaxy S3 but differs in the size as it is bigger. Now, you may still think that it is a fake video as Samsung didn't officially release stills of the new device until it gave a peek few days ago via twitter.
That looks quite familiar... |
Compare the still and the video. Now, I think you would've reconsidered yourself on the probability of the video being not fake. Yes, I too believe the same as I'm quite sure after a side-by-side comparison that the device on the video might not be a fake after all and is the next Galaxy itself. At the end of the video, the About section of the Settings gives us a more clear picture of the device as it clearly stated the device model number, make and other details which concludes to the fact that its real.
Furthermore, more leaked assets of the smartphone was released yesterday by a Chinese website mobile.it168.com which shows the device to be exactly the same as the one in the video. One picture is given at the top of this post. Some of the rest are here and alongside, the features of the phone are written in Chinese.
So, why it isn't your cup of tea?
On reaching this far, you must've understood the reason for why it wouldn't be your cup of tea. If you still haven't or if you're still lost in the dreamy Android world, here's the deal. For those who used the Samsung Galaxy series before and those who own Galaxy S3, this wouldn't make much of an impression as it is awfully similar the SGS3. Even the new camera, a couple of new features or an even more power-packed configuration doesn't make it a worthy device since you wouldn't feel the difference when it reaches your hands. From the pictures and videos, its pretty clear that you can be confused with the SGS3 and the next Galaxy.
Design is a major form-factor that decides the beauty of the device. For years, Samsung has been running on the same old design and I never saw any device which presented a change. The same boring legacy is continued in the next Galaxy too as it would have the same Samsung design (that's too boring).
I wouldn't bet on the specs too. You see, I'm no Android-hater. I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 and I've known each and every bite of it. The presence of a quad-core processor back then made it a highly popular one and so did the other powerful features. But I never felt the power of the processor while using the OS as it never made any big difference in the whole experience. It came in handy for some powerful games and for faster graphics acceleration but the experience I had with the OS was never any different from the one I had with the Galaxy SII. So, winding it up, it never made any big difference. So would the octa core Exynos 5, I presume. I don't think that's gonna change the game big time as by the time it launches, only the SGS3 would be running an octa core processor and app makers won't be launching apps exclusively for that. Thus, the already present underdog phones would be able to run the same apps at the same speed with very slight differences.
Moreover, the extra features aren't gonna help too if you're a normal user. Let me take you to the example of Smart Stay in Galaxy S3. To be frank, I never found any use with it and at most times, it never worked the way it should've worked. For me, its absolutely useless and its just a battery-drainer. I was also left disappointed with the stock OS as it was too much buggy and laggy and soon moved over to custom ROMs. For an ordinary customer, he'd have no idea of tweaking with the phone's features and he would need to suffer all its drawbacks until he gets someone to help him out. I could also point out the failure of NFC but I think its a problem only at here as people are still less technically advanced (even the rich ones) and I'm sure NFC is widely used abroad.
By these, I don't mean the Samsung Galaxy SIV is a dumb or a useless device. No such smartphone is useless and each has a purpose. However, I'm more fascinated on why Samsung shows lack of devotion for its phones and shows less sincerity towards customers. If given into the hands of a master blacksmith, the Galaxy SIV could be having a much better design and a vibrant feel and Samsung can do that, I'm sure of it. I'm just pointing out here that phones with better hardware doesn't mean its just superior. A smartphone is a harmony of beautiful software and powerful and efficient hardware which altogether comes at a cheap price. The Galaxy SIV would surely be a better Galaxy S3 but it wouldn't be revolutionary -- just evolutionary. I'm sure each and everyone of you feels the same and you are depressed as in sight, there's nothing new with the new device except for a bunch of new hardware and some features that may/may not satisfy the expectations of the crowd.
I have no hard feelings for Android or Samsung. I'm a Windows Phone fan and I love the way everything is present in a Windows Phone. I haven't complained the next Galaxy in this article -- I just gave a few advises and a few points to think. There's no problem with the Galaxy SIV and it would be like any other Android phone or like any other Galaxy phone and it would be a strong competitor. However, Smartphone shouldn't be like this all the time and its high time Samsung gave something new and a twist to its saga. Even if it failed to do that with the Galaxy SIV, I believe it wouldn't fail the next time we see a 5.