incorrect views about Samsung Galaxy S4

1) The Samsing Galaxy SIV is all plastic -
Wrong! It's Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front which is 3 times more resistant than the GG2, plus poly-carbonate plastic (like the Lumia 920) on the side and removable back. In all likeliness it'll take various hits better than slim brushed metal or regular glass with older screen protective technology

2) The Samsung Galaxy SIV design is the same -

Wrong! The subtle differences are noticeable in hand according to those touching. It's thinner, lighter, slightly less rounded and at 79%, it's the most screen-dominant of any phone on the market

3) Same old AMOLED -
Wrong! While screen tech is not labeled as new (not sure if it's the PHOLED variant), but it has a new hexagonal sub-pixel arrangement, more brightness according to testers and less blueish tinting

4) No real innovations, just overblown S3 functions - Think again. Floating Touch with AirView functionality, input through gloves, new gesture controls and eye-tracking features, barometer, thermometer, health equipment compatibility, IR sensor and remote control, much larger camera sensor and lens with new function, big jump in HW performance and battery, SW designed for fresher OS, more NFC functions (VISA payment), wireless charging

5) Octa-core is a marketing gimmick -
Wrong

6) 13MP is a marketing gimmick, it doesn't have more details -
You sure? more here

7) Bigger screen, more uncomfortable use -

Wrong! The Galasy SIV is actually smaller than it's predecessor and it's smaller and lighter overall than the HTC One, Droid DNA, XPeria Z and Oppo Find 5 wile featuring the largest battery at 2600mAh

Samsung Galaxy s3 8 core !!!!

What's it all about?

The Exynos Octa or Exynos 5410 is a big.LITTLE design engineered by ARM and is the first consumer implementation of this technology. Samsung was their lead partner in terms of bringing this to market first. Reneseas is the other current chip designer who has publicly announced a big.LITTLE design.

Misconception #1: Samsung didn't design this, ARM did. This is not some stupid marketing gimmick. The point of the design is to meld the advantages of the A7 processor architectures, with itsr. The A15 cores are in another ballpark in terms of performance but their power consumption is also extreme on this current manufacturing generation.

The effective goal is to achieve the best of both worlds. Qualcomm on the other does this by using their own architecture which is similar in some design aspects to the A15 architecture, but compromises on feature and performance to achieve higher power efficiency. The end result is for the user can be expressed in 2 measurements: IPC (Instrucitons per clock), and Perf/W (Performance per Watt).

In terms of IPC, the A15 leads the pack by quite a margin, followed by Krait 400, Krait 300, Krait 200, A9, A7, and A8 cores, in that order.
In terms of Perf/W, the A7 leads by a margin, followed by A9's and the Krait cores, with the A15 at a distant last in terms of efficiency.


Real-world use

Of course, the Exynos Octa is the first to use this:



Currently, the official word seems to be that the A7 cluster is configured to run from 200 to 1200MHz, and the A15 cluster from 200 to 1600MHz.

There are several use-cases of how the design can be used, and it is purely limited by software, as the hardware configuration is completely flexible.



In-Kernel Switcher (IKS)

This is what most of us will see this in our consumer products this year; Effectively, you only have a virtual quad-core processor. The A15 cores are paired up with the A7 core clusters. Each A15 has a corresponding A7 "partner". Hardware wise, this pair-up has no physical representation as provided by an actual die-shot of the Exynos Octa.

The IKS does the same thing as a CPU governor. But instead of switching CPU frequency depending on the load, it will switch between CPUs.



Effecively, you are jumping from one performance/power curve to another: And that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

The actual implementation is a very simple driver on the side of the kernel which measures load and acts much like a CPU governor.



The above is a demonstration; you can see how at most times the A7 cores are used for video playback, simple tasks, and miscellaneous computations. The A15 cores will kick in when there is more demanding load being processed, and then quickly drop out again to the A7 cores when it's not doing much anymore.

Misconception #2: You DON'T need to have all 8 cores online, actually, only maximum 4 cores will ever be online at the same time.

Misconception #3: If the workload is thread-light, just as we did hot-plugging on previous CPUs, big.LITTLE pairs will simply remain offline under such light loads. There is no wasted power with power-gating.

Misconception #4: As mentioned, each pair can switch independently of other pairs. It's not he whole cluster who switches between A15 and A7 cores. You can have only a single A15 online, together with two A7's, while the fourth pair is completely offline.

Misconception #5: The two clusters have their own frequency planes. This means A15 cores all run on one frequency while the A7 cores can be running on another. However, inside of the frequency planes, all cores run at the same frequency, meaning there is only one frequency for all cores of a type at a time.
Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP)

This is the other actual implemented function mode of a big.LITTLE CPU. In this case, all 8 cores can be used simultaneously by the system.

This is a vastly more complex working mechanism, and its implementation is also an order of magnitude more sophisticated. It requires the kernel scheduler to actually be aware of the differentiation of between the A7 and A15 cores. Currently, the Linux kernel is not capable of doing this and treats all CPUs as equals. This is a problem since we do not want to use the A15 cores when a task can simply me processed on an A7 core with a much lower power cost.

The Linaro working-group already finished the first implementation of the HMP design as a series of patches to be applied against the Linux 3.8 kernel. What they did is to make the scheduler smart enough to be able to track the load of single process entities, and with that information to schedule the threads smartly on either the A7 cores or the A15 cores. This achieves much lower latency in terms of switching workloads, or better said, switching the environments (CPUs) to the respective work-loads, and exposes the full processing capabilities of the silicon as all cores can be used at once.

You can follow the advancements of this in the publications of the Linaro Connect summits that happen every few months. The code was only published in the middle of February this year for the first working implementation equivalent in power consumption to the IKS.

Misconception #6: Yes the CPU is a true 8-core processor. It's just not being used a such in its initial software implementations

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Sony xperia Z

The recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy S4 will undoubtedly be a popular smartphone this year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other contenders to the title of best Android smartphone. Probably one of the most surprising players this year is Sony, who has pleasantly surprised us and many smartphone fans with the Xperia Z.

But is the Sony Xperia Z a real challenger to the Samsung Galaxy S4? Or is Samsung so far ahead of every other Android manufacturer that its devices are without rival?

If you’re looking for a video comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Sony Xperia Z, you can jump straight to the bottom of this article. But perhaps you will be more interested in joining us as we go through the pros and cons of each device. Sounds fun? Let’s begin.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch Super AMOLED display that shows 1920 by 1080 pixels at a 441ppi ratio.

The Sony Xperia Z uses a 5-inch TFT display that runs at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, and shares the same 441ppi density.

Both displays are very crisp and both look great, and although some may love the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S4 display has more vivid colors, others call might be put off and consider them gaudy.

Verdict: Draw – the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Sony Xperia Z both have great displays.

Design and Build Quality

Given that the two devices have displays of the same dimensions, they are quite similar in terms of overall footprint. With that said, Sony and Samsung have markedly different design languages, and their philosophy is epitomized in their respective 2013 flagships.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 weighs 130 grams, measures 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 in), and features asymmetrically rounded corners, a hardware ,button and two capacitive buttons below the display, with a polycarbonate back.

In the other corner, the Sony Xperia Z features an angular, almost monolithic shape, with on-screen navigational buttons and a glass back.The Xperia Z is quite slim, clocking in at 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm (5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 in). One of the special features of the Xperia device is its resistance to elements – the device is dustproof and can be submerged under water for up to 30 minutes without any adverse effects.

Verdict: Design is subjective to personal preference, but the Sony Xperia Z takes the round thanks to its build quality and proofing.

Internal Hardware

CPU, GPU & RAM

The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 uses the new Exynos 5 Octa SoC, which brings together four high-speed A15 cores and four high-efficiency A7 cores. This is ARM’s new big.LITTLE configuration, that is said to provide amazing raw power, without putting too much stress on the battery. Samsung has added a three-core PowerVR GPU, that promises to help the Galaxy S4 run the most intensive games without breaking a sweat.

Although we’ll have to wait for benchmark results to roll in, the Exynos 5 Octa SoC is estimated to overcome the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 in benchmarks. The Qualcomm-made chipset is used in the North American version of the Galaxy S4 (1.9 GHz Quad-Core Krait CPU, Adreno 320 GPU).

Both versions feature 2GB of RAM, which is the de facto standard in early 2013.

The Sony Xperia Z is powered by a Qualcomm S4 Pro released just a few months ago. However, the specs race in the mobile industry is advancing at breakneck speed, leaving the S4 Pro behind in terms of raw performance, as benchmark scores clearly indicate.

Storage

The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes in three versions, with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of internal storage space respectively. The Sony Xperia Z is available in 16GB and 32GB versions. Both smartphones feature microSD card slots.
Cameras

The Sony Xperia Z features a 13.1MP primary camera and a 2.1MP secondary one. Naturally, Sony used its in-house developed Exmor RS for the camera, which is widely considered one of the most advanced in the market.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 uses a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary camera. Traditionally, Sony’s cameras are slightly better than the ones on Samsung devices, but we’ll have to wait for more test shots before we can know for sure that’s the case here.
Battery

The Sony Xperia Z comes with a 2330 mAh non removable battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 2600 mAh removable battery. Battery life is likely to be similar, but Galaxy S4 users will be able to use a spare battery to get through the day.

Android implementation and software

The Sony Xperia Z comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box and uses Sony’s own, lightweight overlay on top. Sony’s user interface is tightly integrated with its media services, and does have feature several interesting functions, although some users might consider it not

The Samsung Galaxy S4 runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, with a fresh version of TouchWiz, one that now adds new features such as: AirView, Smart Scroll, Samsung Knox, Group Play and a quite a few more.

Verdict: Samsung has packed enough features in the Galaxy S4 to make sure that every user will find something to like.

Conclusion

Although Samsung is in a totally different situation than Sony as an Android manufacturer, the truth is that the Sony Xperia Z is quite an interesting and attractive device.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the faster smartphone of the two, that’s for sure, but the Sony Xperia Z wins some points back thanks to its better design and protection against water and dust.

My opinion is that choosing between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Xperia Z could ultimately boil down to this question: are you comfortable with SAMOLED displays and don’t put too much price on the design and build quality of a high-end smartphone? Then the Samsung Galaxy S4 is clearly the better smartphone for you. However, Sony Xperia Z is a very interesting choice for almost every type of user.

What is S4 ???

The successor of the most popular smartphone from the most widely adopted platform - it doesn't get much bigger than this in the mobile industry. After months of rumor frenzy and high-pitched hype, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 at their Unpacked event in New York.

At first glance the Samsung Galaxy S4 looks very similar to its predecessor, the S III, but tinges of disappointment, if any, should be soon put to rest. It's a completely new phone on the inside and one that seems to have all it takes to keep Samsung ahead of the Android pack.



Squeezing a larger screen of higher resolution in a more compact and lighter body, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is also the first smartphone to feature an octa-core CPU. The Exynos 5410 chipset has a set of four Cortex-A15 cores to do the heavy lifting and another quartet of power-saving Cortex-A7 cores, which handles the less physical tasks. There will be a version of the Galaxy S4, powered by a Snapdragon 600 chipset too, but we are unsure which markets will get it.

Here are the rest of the Galaxy S4 highlights to get you started.
Samsung Galaxy S4 at a glance:
General: Optional 2G/3G/LTE connectivity
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm, 130 g
Display: 4.99" 16M-color Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (441ppi)
Chipset: Exynos 5410 Octa / Snapdragon 600
CPU: 1.6 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 and 1.2 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 / 1.9GHz Krait 300
GPU: PowerVR SGX 544MP3 / Adreno 320
RAM: 2GB
OS: Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Memory: 16/32GB/64GB storage, microSD card slot
Still camera: 13 megapixel auto-focus camera, face detection, touch focus and image stabilization, Dual Shot, Cinema Photo; 2MP front facing camera, video-calls
Video camera: Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, standard microUSB port with MHL features (TV Out, USB host), GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, Infrared port
Battery: 2600 mAh
Misc: TouchWiz UI, Impressively rich video/audio codec support, built-in accelerometer, Smart stay and Smart rotation eye-tracking, Smart pause, Smart scroll, S Health, Air Gestures

More power, a better screen, a host of new exclusive software features and a larger battery to keep it going longer - the Samsung Galaxy S4 has all the right boxes ticked to be considered a worthy successor to what many considered the uber smartphone. It also has a key advantage over its direct rivals in running on the latest Android 4.2 platform.


Samsung Galaxy S4 live photos

The second Jelly Bean release isn't an incredibly massive upgrade, but offers some cool new features that take the user experience up a notch. Of course, Samsung will be more than keen to direct your attention to its home-baked goodies like Eye-scroll and Auto pause, which surprisingly or not, work pretty well.

specs of s4
More here 

specifications of samsung galaxy s4 :

General

• 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 
• 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
• 4G Network LTE (market dependent)
• SIM Micro-SIM
• Announced 2013, March
• Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, April 26th

Body

• Dimensions 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 in)
• Weight 130 g (4.59 oz)

Display

• Type Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• Size 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
• Multitouch Yes
• Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• - TouchWiz UI

Sound

• Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
• Loudspeaker Yes
• 3.5mm jack Yes

Memory

• Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB
• Internal 16/32/64 GB storage, 2 GB RAM

Data

• GPRS Yes
• EDGE Yes
• Speed HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
• WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE
• NFC Yes
• Infrared port Yes
• USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go, USB Host

Camera

• Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
• Features Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR
• Video Yes, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps, dual-video recording
• Secondary Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps, dual video call

Features

• OS Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Chipset Exynos 5 Octa 5410
• CPU Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
• GPU PowerVR SGX 544MP3

Sensors

• Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture
• Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
• Browser HTML5, Adobe Flash
• Radio TBD
• GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
• Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
• Colors White Frost, Black Mist

Others

• - Wireless charging (market dependent)
• - S-Voice natural language commands and dictation
• - Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll
• - Air gestures
• - Dropbox (50 GB storage)
• - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• - TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
• - SNS integration
• - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
• - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
• - Organizer
• - Image/video editor
• - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
• - Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
• YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
• - Voice memo/dial/commands
• - Predictive text input (Swype)
• Battery Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery