As the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch date approaches, the latest rumored feature is that the phone will be made out of plastic.
According to the SAMMOBILE blog, an insider has reported that the new phone’s sides are “made from aluminium but the back is still plastic which automaticly hints to a removable battery which is good to know.”
While the post was written on Feb. 23, fast forward to a March 4 entry and the Russian mobile analyst Eldar Murtazin confirmed the phone is going to be plastic. He claims “he has already seen the Galaxy S IV and it will feature a similar plastic build like its predecessor.” Murtazin added that many of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930)’s partners/carriers had already seen the Galaxy S4 at last week’s Mobile World Congress in private meetings.
Is plastic a good thing?
BusinessInsider writes there were hopes that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) would not utilize plastic but instead use improved materials. Examples of this includes Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s use of aluminum and glass for its iPhone 5 case and HTC Corp’s One phone which is almost all made of metal.
Then there’s Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V). It utilizes polycarbonate or a fancy derivation of plastic with a solid feel, more so as compared to Samsung’s Galaxy S III.
For Samsung, they may be going with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But for its flagship phone, the company may want to step it up a notch say some critics.
On Monday, more rumored details emerged about the Galaxy S4. This one included its “eye scrolling” feature.
This can track a user’s eyes to decide where to scroll. One example that had been cited was that “when users read articles and their eyes reach the bottom of the page, the software will automatically scroll down to reveal the next paragraphs of text.”
Samsung had applied for a few patents for the feature in both the U.S. and Europe.
Monday also ushered in a new marketing campaign, “[Samsung UNPACKED] Be Ready 4 the next Galaxy” through a YouTube video. Using the “Unpacked” Samsung Box, a young teen anticipates a viewing of the Galaxy S4. He opens the box’s lid and a gold light shine supposedly from the new device.
That’s all the audience sees and the boy protectively takes it home for safekeeping.
Other rumored features of the Galaxy S4 also includes a higher resolution screen, a better camera and a quad-core processor, reported ABC.com.
In February, HTC Corp (TPE:2498) announced its HTC One device. This is expected to be the Galaxy S4’s competition. This phone features a 4.7-inch, 1080p screen with an aluminum design.
