Samsung slashes Galaxy S4's price ahead of S5 launch; device now available for Rs 29,860 in India

Late last month, Samsung had unveiled the latest version of its flagship smart phone series – Galaxy S5 along with Gear Fit at the Mobile World Congress 2014. While the company has not announced an exact India price and launch date for the device, it is launching globally on April 11, 2014. Providing indications that an India launch could soon follow, the company has slashed the prices of its predecessor- the Galaxy S4.

The smartphone, which was launched in India in April last year for a price of Rs 41,500, is now available for as low as under Rs 30,000 (Rs 29,860 to be exact). At this price, Galaxy S4 is almost 30 per cent cheaper than its launch MRP. Prior to this, the company had also started a buyback offer on the smartphone (similar to what Apple was offering for its iPhone's) and was providing up to Rs 10,000 off if a user exchanged their old smartphone for it. Here is a quick look at the specifications of the device.

Galaxy S4 has a 5 inch full HD Super AMOLED touchscreen display (1920×1080 pixel resolution) with 441 pixels per inch density and runs on the Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system with Samsung's TouchWiz UI interface. It is powered by a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor/1.6 GHz octa-core processor (depending on the geography), has 2 GB RAM and in terms of internal memory, users have a choice between 16, 32 and 64 GB models. There is also a microSD slot to expand the device memory by 64 GB.

As for the camera, this one has a 13 mega pixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash that can also record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 2 MP front-facing camera for video calls that can also record full HD videos at 30 fps. On the connectivity front, the device has Infrared, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi direct), Near Field Communication (NFC), 3G and 4G. It also comes with a micro USB port (with USB on the go) and a microSD card slot. The device has a 2,600 mAh battery and comes with GPS (with A-GPS support). Galaxy S4 measures 136.6mm x 70.6mm x 7.9mm and weighs 130 gm.

In comparison, the Galaxy S5 comes with a fingerprint scanner and dust- and waterproof capabilities. It offers a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED full HD display and comes with a 16MP camera with improved menu and user interface. It also gets a 2.1MP front-facing camera. An additional 'Selective Focus' feature allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while blurring out the background.

The plastic-built Galaxy S5 also adds a heart-rate monitor just below the camera module, has fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and comes with 4G LTE. The smartphone provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behaviour, along with tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor. However, there is no major change in terms of design barring that its home button also functions as a finger-print reader. And the fact that many Samsung fan boys were disappointed with the lack of innovation and 'wow' factor of the Galaxy S5, we cannot help but wonder whether at under Rs 30,000, the S4 might just be worth a buy. What say you?