Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung has defended the relative lack of user-available storage in the Galaxy S 4, arguing that the fact that the 16GB handset offers roughly half that amount as usable capacity is a welcome compromise given the usefulness of the preloaded apps. Users of the cheapest Galaxy S 4 were surprised to discover that, out of the box, a typical example of the smartphone had just 8.49GB of the billed 16GB available for use; Samsung says that’s a side-effect of its “more powerful features” however.

“For the Galaxy S 4 16GB model, approximately 6.85GB occupies [the] system part of internal memory, which is 1GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers” the company told CNET. “To offer the ultimate mobile experience to our users, Samsung provides [a] microSD slot on Galaxy S 4 for extension of memory.”

Unlike with other high-profile devices, such as Apple’s iPhone 5 and the more recent HTC One, owners of the Galaxy S 4 can choose to buy a cheaper, low-capacity version of the handset upfront and then add on storage at a later point. That’s often a cheaper route than going for a higher-capacity model; a $100 difference between 16GB and 32GB tiers is commonplace.

However, while 64GB microSD cards are broadly available now – with a street price of around $54 – they don’t offer quite the same flexibility as onboard storage. The Galaxy S 4 will use memory cards for keeping multimedia, such as purchased music or photos and videos taken with the smartphone’s camera, but it will not allow applications to be installed to them.

Instead, if you want to install an app, that will have to be to the internal storage, which may prove limiting if you’re a fan of the latest games with high-res graphics to make the most of the Galaxy S 4′s Full HD display. There’s more details in our full Galaxy S 4 review.

Samsung: Galaxy S 4′s app preload bloat is the price you pay for features is written by Ewdison Then & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week a new Samsung handset has appeared in a leaked photo aside a set of specifications that suggest a display larger than the device’s predecessors. With the device taking on a 5.9-inch display, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (or Galaxy Note III if you prefer) will work with the same amount of pixels given to the Samsung GALAXY S 4. This means that the device will have a lower pixel density and will be bringing with it a similar processor under the hood, that being the Samsung-made Exynos 5410 “Octa” SoC. Updated after the cut.

This tip comes from Chinese device blog MyDrivers where they’ve also gotten word that the device will come with its four A15 cores clockd in at 2.0GHz while its four A7 cores are clocked at 1.2GHz. This makes for a rather interesting system-on-chip combination of eight cores – though you’ll want to read our SlashGear 101: Eynos 5 Octa Processor guide before you decide it’s a whole lot better than the competition. This processor works with big.LITTLE technology to move tasks to one core or the other based on need.

This device is said to be coming to the market with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and 3GB of RAM. That’s the highest amount of RAM to come with a smartphone thus far, competitors having stuck with 2GB for over a year. This device will also be coming with with a microSD card slot the way its predecessors did, this time offering up 64GB of additional space if you have the card to boost it, this along with the 32GB built-in space on the one model being tipped today.

At the head of this article you’ll see this newest generation sitting aside the Samsung Galaxy Note II. Both of these devices are still significantly smaller than the Galaxy Note 8.0 and the Galaxy Note 10.1, both considered tablet-sized.

Users will once again be finding a display size covered by Samsung, the company’s display coverage hitting the vast majority of standard sized from small to large over the past several years in smart devices. With the Samsung Galaxy Note III, users will also, of course, be working with the company’s S-Pen built-in to the device along the back, much as the newest generation offers.

Update: Looks like it’s still too soon to get Note 3 excited – Paul O’Brien points us in the direction of this Note 2 clone which looks to be the device in the image.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 appears with logo-less facade is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has appeared in two separate drop test examinations in which its ability to withstand day-to-day accidents has been called into question. While the Samsung lineup of Galaxy-branded smartphones and tablets has never really been known for its ruggedness specifically, this particular release appears to finding a special place in the books of groups like SquareTrade and TechSmartt, both of them known for their fragility tests of smart devices.

While the Samsung GALAXY S 4 brings a reinforced glass face with rounded corners and a flat face, its back casing and rim are made of hard plastic. In the feature video you’re about to see coming from TechSmartt, the GALAXY S 4 is compared to the iPhone 5 for it’s ability to withstand basic drops. You’ll see the GALAXY S 4′s corner suffering some damage through both plastic and glass from a drop a bit higher than 7 feet.

Meanwhile a much more involved set of tests was run by SquareTrade, a company that considers a variety of factors in their breakability tests. Front and back panel design, materials, size, weight, friction quotient, edge construction, and more are considered in SquareTrade’s rankings for device breakability. SquareTrade did series of tests and comparisons between the GALAXY S 4, the Galaxy S III, and the iPhone 5, noting the iPhone to have the least breakable hardware of the bunch.

“Our research and experience shows that even the smallest device characteristics can dramatically affect its breakability: the weight balance of a device can affect the way it spins in free-fall, making it more likely to land on its screen; devices with rubber backs are less likely to slide, and device dimensions can effect how snugly smartphones fit in pant and jeans pockets. The likelihood of damage due to these common scenarios has never been higher.” – Ty Shay, SquareTrade CMO

According to SquareTrade, the iPhone 5 ranked a 5 (halfway between least breakable at 1 and most breakable at 10) due mostly to its palm-sized body, able to be gripped easier than either Samsung device. The GALAXY S 4 ranked a 7, SquareTrade mentioning its larger body and slippery back panel reducing grip-ability significantly. One must remember also that the Samsung Galaxy Note is larger than the GALAXY S 4, and the Galaxy Note II is larger yet.

GALAXY S 4 fragility causes concern amongst droptesters is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon-based quad-core Samsung GALAXY S 4 flagship smartphone is just days away from hitting multiple US carriers, and before its even been released the handset has already received a root exploit. While a few inventory issues delayed the release date, with 100 million sales expected Android developers are already hard at work for the smartphone.

Popular XDA Developer member djrbliss, who has gained popularity largely for his work on Motorola devices, has released a simple root method for all Snapdragon-based quad-core GALAXY S 4 smartphones. Which is all the U.S. carriers and more that aren’t enjoying Samsung’s Octa-core variant. His same tool that was released for rooting and hacking multiple Motorola smartphones appears to work nicely with Samsung’s latest too.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 has seen plenty of praise lately for that 5-inch 1080p HD display, 8-core processor and more, and we had similar feelings in our full Galaxy S 4 review. Now with tons of developers getting behind the device we can expect more good things to come, especially with such an easy root method for those wanting to take the risk.

Speaking of risk. While tweaking and hacking your smartphone always carriers a certain level of risk, at your own expense, the tools and tips to root the device are quite easy and can be followed over at this XDA thread. If you feel like taking a dive into tweaking your new GALAXY S 4 a full how-to is provided from the folks at Android Community.

[via Android Community]

GALAXY S 4 quad-core Snapdragon model gets rooted before release is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As more companies become more aware of the build quality of their smartphones, the more likely we are to see tougher devices come to the market. It’s reported that Samsung is working on another version of the GALAXY S 4 that is said to be waterproof and dust proof, but will sport the same design as the company’s current flagship model.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the rugged version of the GALAXY S 4 is said to arrive sometime in July, and as of right now the phone is being dubbed the GALAXY S 4 Active, but it’s possible that the name could change eventually. The launch of this phone is said to come shortly after the rumored release of a new 8-inch tablet in June.

The tablet is said to be Galaxy-branded and will fit between Samsung’s 7-inch and 10-inch models already on the market, although the company just release the Galaxy Note 8.0 earlier this month (read our full review here). It’s the company’s only 8-inch variant, so it could be possible that this rumored tablet will simply be a lower-cost option.

As for the GALAXY S 4 Active, we’re sure many people will be worried that Samsung will butcher the sleek design theme that the Galaxy S line has had, but it’s said that Samsung will attempt to keep the design unchanged, possibly using nano waterproof coating. We’ve also heard rumors recently that Samsung will be using plastic screens on the Galaxy Note III instead of glass to make the device shatterproof, so it’s possible that they’re thinking about doing the same for the Active.

[via Android Community]

Samsung GALAXY S 4 tipped with rugged makeover in July is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.