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Samsung Galaxy S4 rumored for an April release, but the S4 name may be in jeopardy

Andy Boxall
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Samsung Galaxy S4 conceptRumors of a ridiculously named Apple iPhone have taken a backseat today, as the Samsung Galaxy S4 is back, and it’s back with a vengeance. Samsung-focused blog SamMobile claims to have the scoop on a few features and the release date of the highly-anticipated follow-up to the Galaxy S3.

The phone will have the model number of GT-i9500, but is currently known by its codename of Altius. The Galaxy S4 name, although widely used in the press, hasn’t been confirmed, supposedly due to the number four being bad luck in Korea. The battery is said to have a capacity of 2600mAh and a wireless charging dock will be sold separately, while the phone will come in either black or white. SamMobile says this information is, “100-percent confirmed.”

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We’re also expecting the Galaxy S4 to have a 4.99-inch, 1080p touchscreen, just like the one pictured during CES, plus the Exynos 5 Octa processor which also made its first appearance at the Las Vegas show. Previous rumors have added the phone will have a 13-megapixel camera, 2GB of RAM and a version of Android Jelly Bean.

Mid-April launch?

Apparently, the Galaxy S4 will go on sale during week 16 of 2013, which equates to being somewhere between April 15 and April 19. An Unpacked event will be held to reveal the phone, which would logically come about a month before the phone goes on sale; so around March. The Galaxy S3’s Unpacked event was held on May 3 2012 in London and the phone subsequently went on sale across Europe on May 29. The Galaxy S2 was 13-months old when its successor was unveiled.

Returning to the Galaxy S4’s naming issue for a moment, the number four is considered unlucky in Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries primarily because it’s pronounced in a similar way to the word death. So, do those suffering from tetraphobia at Samsung wield enough power to veto the S4’s name?

A look back at Samsung’s model numbers from the past does reveal a distinct lack of any starting with the number four, despite many starting with a three, five, six, seven, eight and nine. So what will it be instead? According to a post made on a blog about the Chinese language, the number four isn’t as regularly skipped in Korea as it is in China, and is often replaced by the letter F. So perhaps we could be welcoming the Galaxy SF rather than the S4 later this year?

This leaves us with the mid-April release date. We’re still expecting Samsung to stick to an annual update schedule, and doubt it’ll hold an Unpacked event so soon after Mobile World Congress closes. If anything, that mid-April date sounds about right for the launch event rather than the phone going on sale. Despite SamMobile’s confidence, we’re still putting all this down as speculation.

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