Samsung Galaxy S 4: bigger & bolder

Samsung today announced the Samsung Galaxy S 4 handset, with a 5-inch Super AMOLED 1920 x 1080 full HD screen. At 130 grams and 7.9mm thick, its size is very similar to that of the Sony Xperia Z but with the same curved design of the Samsung Galaxy S 3.

The S4 has a 1.9GHz, quad-core processor or a 1.6GHz octa-core processor - yes, eight cores - but the model differs by market and there is no word on which model Kiwis will see. The device is powered by a 2,600mAh battery regardless.

“With the GALAXY S 4, Samsung is again going to enhance the way we live,” said JK Shin, president of IT & mobile communications at Samsung.

“All the innovative features of GALAXY S 4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful GALAXY S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation."

The device will run Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). Like the Xperia Z, the phone will have a 13MP camera. The S 4's camera can take 100 pictures in 4 seconds.

There will also be a dual camera mode, allowing users to take pictures on both the rear-facing camera and a front-facing 2MP camera simultaneously, then insert themselves into pictures or video. You can even enable the dual camera mode while on a call, so the person on the other end can see what you see through your rear camera.

Pictures taken on the same day or in the same place will be grouped together into 'story albums' and hard copies can be sent globally using a service called Blurb.

If you're more concerned about how fast your internet is, the Galaxy S 4 will be capable of both 3G and 4G with speeds of up to 100Mbps down and 50Mbps up.

Other features include group play, which allows people to share music, pictures and video through NFC, and Samsung's S Translator, which allows speech-to-text and text-to-speech translation in five different languages.

Strangely, Samsung said the Galaxy S 4 can also monitor your health using its new S Health app.

"The combination of sensors built within the device systematically and automatically monitors your health, surroundings and so much more to help improve your quality of life," Samsung said in a statement.

"Also, users can easily check their health conditions using food diary, exercise diary and sleep monitor to stay fit and healthy."

However some of those features will only be enabled by certain accessories, Samsung said.

The Galaxy S 4 will be available in the second quarter of this year in New Zealand, from all major mobile carriers.