Samsung is still enjoying the popularity and success of its Galaxy S III Android smartphone, but today there’s news of its successor, the Galaxy S IV. There’s word that Samsung may actually be in the process of accelerating the annual launch of its flagship handset. According to highly regarded analysts, the Galaxy S4 is now rumored with a release time-frame as early as April 2013. The fourth edition of the Galaxy S line is also reportedly codenamed “Project J” (as in JK Shin) and could feature an “unbreakable display.” The so called unbreakable display could be referring to the flexible OLED screen technology that we’ve been hearing about throughout the year. Constructed with bendable plastic, the flexible display will contribute in making smartphones noticeably lighter and more durable overall.
UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois:
“Looking to the first half of 2013, we see evidence of Samsung likely accelerating the release of the Galaxy S IV – compared with May (2012) for the Galaxy S III. We believe preparations for volume manufacturing of unbreakable plastic substrate displays continue. All in all, we could see a strong products push in the high-end in the first half, followed by other releases.”
Stanford Bernstein analyst Mark Newman:
“Eventually, they’ll have unbreakable and flexible displays. Either the Galaxy S IV or Galaxy S V will have unbreakable and even possibly flexible and foldable displays by 2014. That’s going to be a game-changer.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the possibility of Samsung releasing its next-generation handset earlier than expected. Previous rumors pegged the Galaxy S IV with Samsung’s upcoming 4.99-inch FHD Super AMOLED display with 1080×1920 resolution and 441 pixel density, an Exynos 5450 quad-core Cortex-A15 processor clocked at 2GHz and a 13 megapixel camera. We’ll be at CES 2013 in Las Vegas on January 8th, so hopefully Samsung decides to at least tease the press with official news of the the Galaxy S IV if there’s any truth to these rumors.
Source: Reuters