With the Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement rapidly approaching, it might be time to start thinking about two obvious questions: "When will the phone come out?" and "Where will it fit in the smartphone universe?"
The Galaxy SIII was initially unveiled last May, and released in Europe by the end of June. If Samsung follows a similar pattern, some users will be able to get their hands on the new phone as soon as next month. The SIII launch was delayed in the US, but if Samsung gets the kinks worked out this time around, Samsung fans in the US may not have to wait much longer. At the very latest, those waiting for the phone should expect to see it by June, any later and the S4 will get caught up in Apple's presumed iPhone 5S bubble.
The more important question is how is this phone going stick out? If you believe the rumors, the S4 is extremely similar to the S3, with small hardware improvements like a bigger screen and improved camera, and a new eye-tracking feature that makes the phone automatically scroll and pause video based on the user's gaze. If the phone is really as iterative as we've been led to believe, Samsung may be its own worst enemy. After the inevitable price drop, a cheap or free Galaxy SIII on contract may be too good to pass up.
Hopefully we'll find out more about when we can get our hands on the Galaxy S4 and why we'd want it at Samsung's "Unpacked" media event in just a few short hours.
