Samsung's Galaxy S3 was one of the most popular smartphones of 2012 but what does the tech giant have up its sleeve for the Galaxy S4? We take a look at how the new flagship handset could compare to its predecessor in our Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 comparison review.
Hype and anticipation surrounding the Galaxy S4 is building at an increasing rate of knots. There's been plenty of rumour and speculation posted across the web so we've pulled it all together and pitted it against the Galaxy S3. Best smartphones of 2012
Before we get any further, we are aware that the Galaxy S4 hasn't been announced by Samsung yet. This article is purely rumours we've heard about the S4 compared with known specs of the S3 plus our opinion.
The Galaxy S4 is tipped to be revealed at a launch event in March following Mobile World Congress and launched in April.
Take a look at the following two articles for more details on each handset.
Samsung Galaxy S4 release date, specs and rumours
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Design
No specific dimensions of the Galaxy S4 have been leaked but the image below shows the latest of a few leaked design. Whether it's correct or not is anyone's guess – almost anyone can use Photoshop to mock up something these days.
See also: Group test: What's the best smartphone?
If it is the case, then the Galaxy S4 will have a much squarer look compared to the curves of the Galaxy S3. It looks more like the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note 2, and keeps the central physical button design. The image also suggests the Galaxy S4 will have a similarly plastic build to its predecessors.
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Screen
There are a lot of rumours suggesting the Galaxy S4 will have a 5in screen, 4.99in to be exact, meaning it will be slightly larger than the Galaxy S3's 4.8-inch display. See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 to get 5-inch full HD screen
The size matches up with a lot of the smartphones announced at CES this year, including the Sony Xperia Z, Huawei Ascend D2 and ZTE Grand S, and we wouldn't be shocked if it was the case.
It's the resolution which is tipped to increase too, from 720x1280 up to a Full HD 1080x1920. This would up the pixel density from 306ppi to 440ppi. If the Galaxy S4 doesn't get a Full HD or higher resolution, it will be lagging behind its rivals.
Another rumour suggests the S4 could even have a curved section to the screen while a more farfetched possibility is an entirely flexible display. See Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3 could have flexible displays.
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Processor
Samsung used its own Exynos 4 Quad processor for the Galaxy S3, a quad-core chip unsurprisingly. It's clocked at 1.4GHz and is based on the ARM Cortex-A9 architecture.
It is generally thought that the Galaxy S4 will get the Exynos 5 Octa processor which Samsung announced at CES. If so, the smartphone will be the first to boast an 8-core chip. Four are Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 1.8GHz for performance while the remaining four are Cortex-A7s clocked at 1.2GHz for less demanding tasks and power saving.
See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 to have 8-core Exynos 5 processor
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Storage
Samsung was generous with the storage options on the Galaxy S3 matching the iPhone with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models plus a microSD card slot.
There's not been any word on Galaxy S4 storage but we expect 16GB and 32GB models at the very least. It's also likely that Samsung will continue to provide a microSD card slot and if so, we wouldn't be surprised if the 64GB model was dropped – it just doesn't make much sense when there is an expansion slot.
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Cameras
The Galaxy S3's 8Mp camera was a fairly standard resolution for 2012 with the exception of only a few handsets. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is tipped to get a 13Mp rear facing camera with Sony's Exmor RS sensor, the same found on the Xperia Z.
Other details are scarce and it's not just going to be down to the resolution to decide how good it is in comparison.
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Software
Now running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is almost up-to-date in the world of Android. The Galaxy S4 will supposedly ship with version 4.2.1 which is no significant difference and the Galaxy S3 should be updated anyway.
However, it's likely that the Galaxy S4 will come with a new version of Samsung's TouchWiz interface. This may or may not be gifted to Galaxy S3 users after launch, although we assume Samsung would want to keep its customers happy.
Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3: Battery
There's no word on battery capacity for the Galaxy S4. However, we expect it to be larger than the Galaxy S3's 2100mAh battery considering, at the least, the larger screen and higher resolution. Whether batter life will be longer will only become apparent when we give it a proper test.
A strong rumour on the battery side of things is that the Galaxy S4 will feature wireless charging. See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 to get wireless charging.
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