Samsung Launches the Galaxy S4

Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 in March 2013, continuing Android’s shift toward large, high-resolution smartphones. The device used a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display and shipped in different regions with either Qualcomm Snapdragon or Samsung Exynos processors.

Samsung added a huge software layer on top of Android, including gesture controls, eye-tracking experiments, multi-window features, and camera modes. This illustrated both Android’s strength and its fragmentation problem: manufacturers could differentiate aggressively, but the same Android version could feel very different from one brand to another.

The Galaxy S4 sold in enormous numbers and reinforced Samsung as Apple’s strongest hardware competitor. It also marked the period when screen size, camera processing, and manufacturer-specific software became major points of smartphone competition.