In one of the more unconventional press events of the past several years (who are we kidding: weirdest phone announcement ever), Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4. Amid the cheesy dramatical sequences Samsung actually managed to pack in a number of new features and drop some interesting hints (we'll discuss those below). The phone will be available in over 150 countries on 327 mobile carriers and will include 4G LTE, a 5" AMOLED display with a resolution of 441 PPI, a 2,600mAh battery, and front and back facing cameras at 13 MP and 2MP respectively.
While the specs are important, the crucial item for any phone are the features that actually make the device useful. The S4 includes features such as S Translator, S Voice Drive, and S Health. And that's just the "S" branded features. For more details on these and other features, check out Samsung's S4 press release page.
We may never know what Samsung was thinking when they gave the "OK" to the spectacle we just witnessed on the live stream. What we do know is that they introduced a powerful new phone with a lot of features and further differentiated themselves from the competition, especially those in the Android space. In doing so, they made a move more reminiscent of Amazon (Engadget article on Amazon's press release) than Apple. While it is natural to think of Apple when we consider Samsung's primary competitors, it would be a mistake to consider them the only smartphone manufacturer that Samsung wants to beat. The harder space for Samsung to compete in is the Android market where every manufacturer runs the same OS.
Differentiation from Apple is easy (hint: they will never run iOS). The Android space is much more complicated and with this release Samsung has shown that they have a strategy for separating themselves from the rest of the Android pack.
Rather than using the generic flavor of Android to build their mobile strategy on, Samsung has taken an Amazon-like approach to the platform. They have certainly not used Amazon's technique of radically re-skinning Android, but Samsung has made Android their own. The number of services and S4 specific features included in the S4 do not constitute a simple skin of Android such as HTC's Sense, it is a complete overhaul of the operating system to suit Samsung's strategic needs.
The OS Samsung created for themselves integrates tightly with their first party accessories including the new S Band (CNET) and HomeSync (Engadget) home server, as well as providing unique features to their platform like Samsung Knox (Engadget) and S Health (Tech Crunch). By building their own accessory and feature ecosystem, Samsung is able to provide added value to the customers while still taking advantage of Google's services like Calendar, Gmail and the Play Store.
To drive the wedge even further between themselves and the rest of the Android phone manufacturers, there was "almost no mention of Android through the whole presso" (Andy Ihnatko, via Twitter). Indeed, the only mention of Android or Google that Samsung makes even in the written press release are two lines in the "Product Specifications": OS and Google Mobile Services. Clearly, Samsung does not consider this and Android phone.
Extrapolate a step further: we have already seen Samsung launch their own services like Music Hub, an all-you-can-listen streaming and off-line music service. It does not tax the imagination to picture Samsung launching a curated App Store similar to Amazon's and taking their own cut of the app market pie. Samsung is a powerhouse in the mobile space and we are fast approaching the point where Google needs Samsung more than Samsung needs Google.
Dismantled Galaxy S4 (Engadget)
You can watch the press event below:
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