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Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch Date: What to Expect

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A short time ago, Samsung confirmed the date for its next Unpacked event, which the company is touting as Episode 1. And while the company is mum on the specifics of the event, set to take place on March 14th in New York City, but it’s all but confirmed to be the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch date. That said, here is what we expect from Samsung’s March 14th launch event.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 Launch Event Invites Tease the Next Galaxy.

In the latter part of last year, rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S4 started to surface. In the weeks since, the Galaxy S4 has been one of the most talked about smartphones in recent memory, with rumors emerging virtually on a daily basis. That should come as no surprise to those that were following the smartphone scene in 2012.

Samsung has an Unpacked event planned for March 14th. Here, is what to expect.

Samsung has an Unpacked event planned for March 14th. Here, is what to expect.

Last year, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy S3, a device that the company has sold over 40 million times around the world. It’s a device that has now put Samsung on the same pedestal as Apple and iPhone not just in terms of sales numbers, but also, in terms of anticipation.

While there was quite a bit of excitement regarding the Galaxy S3, the Galaxy S4 has easily taken the cake as the most anticipated Galaxy S smartphone launch. And with competitor HTC delivering what appears to be a high-quality phone in the HTC One and Apple bringing the iPhone up to speed in terms of data connectivity and screen size with the iPhone 5, all eyes are on Samsung and the Galaxy S4.

On paper, the device appears to already be a winner. Rumors suggest that it will boast a high-resolution display with touch less gestures, quad-core processor, a 13MP camera, and quite possibly, some powerful software to boot.

As was the case with the Galaxy S3, we likely won’t know all of the exact details until March 14th. Many consumers might be wondering about what they can expect from the event. In order to answer that question, here now is what we expect from Samsung’s upcoming Unpacked event, set to take place in just a couple of weeks.

Live Stream

In the past, it has taken Samsung a few days to confirm a live stream for its Unpacked events. This time around however, the company made it abundantly clear that there would be a live stream for the Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement which will allow those outside of the press to watch the action as it takes place in New York City.

Per usual, the live stream will take place through the Samsung Mobile YouTube channel and if it’s like any of the live streams from years past, it should be fairly fluid.

What we mean is that users who wish to watch the announcement shouldn’t encounter difficulties like loss of sound or choppiness.

Some Boasting

Samsung achieved great success with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and while it may not do the full numbers run down that Apple does at its launch events, we do expect Samsung to touch on the successes of the previous Galaxy S models at the event.

https://youtu.be/ZWGsvcFpwNY

Whether or not it plans to take a swipe at Apple and the iPhone 5, as it has done in its advertisements, remains to be seen. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see a new advertisement or something targeting Apple at the event.

Spectacle

Despite it only being Episode 1, this is clearly going to be Samsung’s biggest launch event of the year and we expect it to treat it like one. That means it will probably be a spectacle, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 launch events were.

The event is taking place at the Radio City Music Hall which holds 6000+ people so we expect Samsung to not only put on a launch event, but an entertaining show as well.

We also expect the event to be fairly lengthy, potentially even longer than the Samsung Galaxy S3 event which lasted for an hour.

Samsung has some very credible foes in the HTC One, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S, the last of which is rumored to be out this summer, so this is Samsung’s opportunity to sell the world on its brand new smartphone. Look for it to take full advantage of the the attention that has been given to this device.

The Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung did not announce what it will be revealing in the invitation to the event but it’s fairly clear that it will be for the Samsung Galaxy S4. In fact, Samsung itself has evidently confirmed that it will in fact be the Samsung Galaxy S4 that launches in mid-March.

So those that may have been hoping for an early arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will likely be out of luck once Samsung’s Unpacked event rolls around.

This could be the Galaxy S4.

This could be the Galaxy S4.

Thus far, rumors suggest that the Galaxy S4 will boast some incredible features. Rumored features include:

  • 4.99-inch/5-inch Display with 1080p Resolution
  • Quad-Core Snapdragon 600 Processor
  • 16GB/32GB/64GB Storage
  • 13MP Camera
  • 2GB of RAM
  • Removable Battery

It’s also rumored to have Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on board and will also likely offer Samsung’s own TouchWiz software, potentially Nature UX 2.0, which may include a Photo Sphere-like feature dubbed Samsung Orb.

Samsung Orb could be the Galaxy S4′s version of Android 4.2′s Photo Sphere.

Samsung Orb could be the Galaxy S4′s version of Android 4.2′s Photo Sphere.

Samsung Orb is rumored to allow users to take 360-degree panoramas.

Accessories

With the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung promised wireless charging but never delivered. Don’t expect Samsung to make the same mistake with the Galaxy S4.

This could be the Galaxy S4 Wireless Charger.

This could be the Galaxy S4 Wireless Charger.

In fact, we’ve already heard about a number of potential accessories that Samsung may have developed for the Samsung Galaxy S4. In fact, there are eight different accessories that have been rumored.

  • Clear Cover
  • Flip Cover
  • Protective Cover
  • Pouch
  • Extra Battery Kit
  • Wireless Charging Kit
  • HDTV Adapter
  • Headset

So far, we’ve seen what looked like the wireless charging kit appear at the FCC though the other accessories remain in the shadows. We expect Samsung to deliver at least a few of these at the launch event with the wireless charging kit likely being the crown jewel.

Carrier Announcements

Last year’s Galaxy S3 launch event took place in London. This year, it’s going to be taking place in New York City. Samsung has made it clear how important the U.S. market is to its success, even pushing the Galaxy S3 launch back in order to get closer to the release in the United States. And while we may not see the U.S. get the Galaxy S4 first, we expect there to be carrier announcements at the show, something that we didn’t see in London.

The Galaxy S3 was available on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular and we imagine that many of those same carriers will be involved in the launch of the Galaxy S4. We fully expect several of those carriers, or all of them, to pledge support for the device at the event in the same manner as the HTC One.

Release Date Details

While the U.S. may be a key area for Samsung, American carriers play by their own rules. And given that AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all thrown their support behind the HTC One, with a release date rumored for March, we expect them to give that device some time on the market before launching the Galaxy S4.

What this means is that we may not see a specific release date for the Galaxy S4 in the U.S., and instead, interested consumers will be given a window. We saw it with the HTC One and we saw it with the Galaxy S3.

Read: Samsung: U.S. Carriers Want the Galaxy S4 to Be Announced in NYC.

Expect several U.S. carriers to replace the Galaxy S3 with the Galaxy S4.

Expect several U.S. carriers to replace the Galaxy S3 with the Galaxy S4.

Rumors state that the device will hit Europe in April with a release in the U.S. coming later, in either May or June. But given that U.S. carriers evidently wanted the phone to launch in the U.S., we could see the device arrive in the U.S. at the same time as other regions.

Remember, rumors suggest that the Apple iPhone 5S  could launch this summer and it could be that Samsung is trying to avoid a possible head-on collision by lining up the release dates much closer together.

At the very least though, expect the company to dish out some type of information about the release date whether its a specific date or a Galaxy S4 release window.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. mohd akbar

    02/26/2013 at 4:49 am

    Am very excited to buy this Galaxy S4, You said it is releasing in march plz tell me the date, am waiting for release…….!

  2. Oz

    02/26/2013 at 5:17 am

    Mid April release

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