by James Laird,
Technology is, by definition, a future-facing industry, so while us gadget-obsessed types fully appreciate the myriad joys that current devices like the Nokia Lumia 920 and Google Nexus 4 offer, it's always with a quiet awareness that the best is yet to come. Part of the fun of nerdery lies in fantasising about the next big thing, and the mobile phone arena lends itself particularly well to the imaginative process.
So what do handset enthusiasts have to look forward to in 2013? There has been a healthy amount of chatter already, covering everything from the arrival of the world's first 8-core handset – the ZTE Apache, apparently – to the fate of perpetually beleaguered Canadian manufacturer RIM and its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. But somewhat inevitably, it's the arrival of the next device from smartphone giant Samsung that has us rubbing our hands with anticipatory glee.
Given that it was first released in May 2012, the Galaxy S3 is well into its life-cycle, so it's only natural that S4 rumours are becoming more and more substantive by the day. As a starting point, we know that Samsung's next flagship smartphone is indeed called the Galaxy S4, as a company executive let slip the moniker at an event in France recently. What's less certain is when and where the Korean multinational will opt to unveil the device.
Some speculation has the firm offering an initial teaser as soon as CES 2013 in January, possibly as part of the wider debut of Samsung's new flexible display technology. However, the smart money is still on February's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona - the aforementioned bendy screen due to be shown off in Vegas has been sized up at 5.5in, which is suitable for a successor to the Galaxy Note 2, rather than matching the needs of the S4, in our opinion. Of course, ITProPortal will be in attendance at both trade shows, so wherever the next Galaxy S device surfaces, you're assured of getting the latest news as it breaks.
What of the hardware itself, you ask? The Korea TImes claims to have been made privy to a substantial Galaxy S4 specification leak, which points to a 5in device sporting an impressive 1,920 x 1,080 pixel 'Super LCD 3' display at a mind-boggling 445 ppi, coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Further speculation points to a significantly upgraded 13-megapixel camera, while yet more unconfirmed chit-chat has put forth that the next Galaxy S handset could itself be the world's first 8-core smartphone.
Given that its predecessor featured the technologies, we know that 4G LTE and NFC support is a given, and there's virtually no possibility of a defection from Google's popular Android platform, so could the Galaxy S4 herald the arrival of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie? That's the real brain teaser.
As you can see, the rumour mill has definitely started churning, even if it's largely on a suggestive basis. That's what we know so far, but stay tuned, as this article will be regularly updated with all the best future news and gossip.