Samsung Galaxy S4 slick and smart

Plenty of song and dance at the launch of Samsung's newest smartphone, the S4. Here's a snapshot of the live streamed event.

Samsung Galaxy S4 ... launched today in New York. Photo: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

THERE'S no denying it. Samsung's Galaxy S4 phone looks a lot like Samsung's old phone.

Side by side, you can barely tell them apart.

Pick up the Samsung Galaxy S4, however, and there's no mistaking it.

It's lighter, it's thinner, it has a premium feel and more modern look, a plastic border that seems like metal, and a screen that makes for compelling viewing.

It's this display that makes the biggest impact when you pick up the phone, and not just because of its larger size (5 inches rather than 4.8).

The Galaxy S4 Super AMOLED screen seems brighter and is clearly a lot sharper. Its full high-definition, 441 pixels-per-inch resolution makes words easier to read, photos more detailed, and gives Apple's 326ppi Retina display true competition.

Samsung Galaxy S4 ... compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3 in New York. Photo: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

Samsung seems to have glossed over other hardware enhancements in this phone during its press conference - including an eight-core processor, 2GB RAM, and an infra-red light for use as a TV remote control - but these could make the difference when sizing up a future phone investment.

Instead the company is focusing on the new software in its new Galaxy. Some fresh features have a lot of potential, while others might seem more like a gimmick than a daily saviour.

One of the most useful and innovative additions is Air Gesture. Certain moves, made in front of the phone's 2-megapixel front-facing camera, let users drive the phone without touching it.

Samsung Galaxy S4 ... compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3 in New York. Photo: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

Want to flip from photo to photo without dragging greasy paws across its display? Air Browse let us do that.

Side-to-side waving gestures in the internet browser let us switch between tabs, while up and down movements moved a website up and down. This works comfortably and reliably in practice.

This waving motion can also be used to accept a phone call, though users should be mindful of gesticulations before applying this feature.

Samsung's new Galaxy S4 is seen during its unveiling on March 14, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The slim, feature-rich Galaxy S4 was introduced as Samsung's new champion in the fiercely competitive smartphone arena, scheduled to roll out in 155 countries in late April. AFP PHOTO / Don EMMERT Source: AFP

Eye-tracking technology also receives an outing in this handset in two features: Smart Pause and Smart Scroll.

Smart Pause seemed the most efficient during our brief tests. Even through spectacles, the phone recognised when we were paying attention and when we were looking at the ceiling, pausing the video until our eyeballs returned.

Smart Scroll was less of a joy. The phone tracks a person's gaze and, if it's on the screen during a web-browsing session, the user can scroll by tilting the phone up and down. Sadly, this rarely worked as anticipated. Our eyes regularly disappeared from its field of view when tilting the phone up, halting the process.

JK Shin, President and Head of IT and mobile communication division of Samsung introduces the Samsung Galaxy S4 in New York City. Photo: AFP Source: AFP

The Galaxy S4's new camera also gets much more than a 13-megapixel boost. The image modes from its Galaxy Camera now feature for quick photo enhancements, and some innovative features lie in its menus.

Taking a photo with the phone's two cameras simultaneously might not be useful every day, but Dual Camera makes for excellent postcard-like travel shots.

Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in New York City. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

Other enhancements likely to be useful include Eraser, that accurately identified and let us remove photo-bombers from pictures, and Drama Shot that takes many photos and combines some to give the appearance of multiple exposures.

Samsung Galaxy S4 ... camera and photo features demonstrated by National Technology Writer Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson in New York. Photo: Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Source: Supplied

These are camera enhancements that could be replicated by apps, but they work seamlessly as part of the phone.

Some other software features seemed of limited use. Group Play worked well in our test, sharing photos to a nearby handset so we could see the same thing, and music could be shared between handsets too. Whether this will become common practice is debatable.

Ultimately, Samsung has again proven it can innovate and stand out from the Google Android pack with the Galaxy S4. Only those who like its look will reinvest, but that is a large worldwide audience.

The price is unknown, but the launch price of the previous model, the S3 was $899 outright, and top-of-the-range smartphones tend to sell for $999 and under.

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