The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been out now for a good month and feedback is extremely positive. With Samsung touting their latest release as a ‘life companion’, and not just a smartphone, they have lifted the bar of what to expect in today’s mobile devices. With everything from dual shot camera shots, non touch interactivity, DIY cloud storage with HomeSync, and even a workout fitness and general lifestyle health app built in, the S4 aims to truly be with you every step of your life.

The camera features are quite a step up and the actual quality of the shots is extremely high even in lower light and more difficult light settings such as high background light. The dual shot feature enables you to shoot with both front and back cameras, and the audio snippet also lets you record a small audio grab with the photo. Although there’s always a novelty factor attached with these new features, it will be interesting to see if people end up using these as default settings. The so called ‘drama shot’ also enables multiple shots to be taken of a subject and then merges this into one shot so for instance someone running would have multiple shots of them moving, but with a steady hand the background would remain unchanged. This will be interesting to see what the more creative of users get up to.

The most interesting feature, which is definitely a bit strange at first, is the enhancement of non-touch interactivity with the latest eye tracking technology. While reading something, the page can auto scroll based on your eye movements, look away whilst watching a movie and the movie pauses; and then picks back up when you’re paying attention again. Also, instead of the typical swiping of the screen to answer calls, speed dial, change songs, read emails etc. the Air Gesture tracks hand movement above the screen and reacts accordingly. This also allows functionality whilst wearing gloves, which although only a minor inconvenience to most, will be highly appreciated those that use it and wish to avoid frostbitten fingers just to answer a call.

Fitness Apps are aplenty at the moment, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 includes it’s own S Health range of apps to keep you in shape. This allows tracking of weight, food intake, exercise regime, and even a sleep monitor. A review could be written on this app all by itself, but it definitely continues on the ‘Life Companion’ moniker and is likely to be heavily utilised in one way or another by most users. Additionally, the S4 can also communicate with a heart rate monitor chest belt (HRM) to sync in with the Running Pro app for fitness tracking, and can also communicate with the Samsung branded body scale weight checker. No news yet if it will sync with your Samsung fridge and go from Life Companion to Nagging Nanny when reaching for that extra slice of cake though.

There are many more features of the S4 and Samsung have definitely put a lot of thought and time into not just developing the features of the phone, but also how this is presented to users. With more complex devices, finding all the features can be difficult with most users just not bothering to learn them. Samsung however have rolled these into the general usage of the phone quite well to ensure a generally easy to use interface. With the next iPhone release just around the corner with an updated iOS, and the latest Windows 8 phones gaining traction, it will be interesting to see if Samsung continue their dramatic increase of the smartphone market.

Read more about the full range of Samsung features here. We also offer complete Samsung S4 repairs as well as general service and support including our FREE, no obligation, device checks. Call us today and let us know how we can assist you.