Samsung Galaxy S4 ready to Hit U.S. Market This Month

Samsung's eagerly anticipated Galaxy S4 will be made available this month through seven U.S. carriers and from seven retailers, the company said Wednesday.

Sporting a 5-inch, full HD Super AMOLED touch-screen display with 441 pixels per inch and 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, the Galaxy S4 runs an enhanced version of Google's Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and comes in 16GB and 32GB versions with memory expandable up to an additional 64GB.

Samsung didn't name pricing or an exact release date, which apparently will be left up to the South Korean tech giant's carrier and retail partners to announce "in the coming weeks." On the carrier side, those are AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, Cricket, and C Spire. Retailers set to carry the Galaxy S4 are Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile, Costco, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, Staples, Target, and Walmart.

The successor to the best-selling Galaxy S III will be available in Black Mist and White Frost versions, or black and white if you prefer the simpler explanation. More colors will be available with Samsung's S View Flip Covers (below), sold separately, which include a clear window to the display for reading texts, seeing battery status, and answering phone calls.

The 4G-LTE-ready smartphone has 2GB of RAM and sports a 1.9-GHz quad-core application processor, which reportedly will be Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa in most devices but some will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600.

The Galaxy S4 uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3.0 and is powered by a removable 2,600 mAh battery. Also 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and IR LED remote control are all part of the package.

The phone's dimensions are 136.6 by 69.8 by 7.9 mm and it weighs in at 130 grams.

"The Galaxy S line of smartphones has achieved momentous success with 100 million in unit sales worldwide in less than three years. This validates that we are addressing what consumers want from a smartphone," Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America, said in a statement.

"The fourth generation of Samsung's flagship device builds upon the tradition of excellence and provides consumers with even more innovation that simplifies and redefines the way individuals will interact with their Galaxy S4,l" he said. "We believe this device will be a true companion to all aspects of a consumer's life from work, to travel and even watching TV."

To that end, Samsung has loaded the Galaxy S4 with some new features dealing with photo management, useability, media consumption, security, and more.

Samsung's latest, greatest smartphone has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, which can be used simultaneously to snap photos in the new Dual Camera shooting mode, enabling the photographer to be in the photo as well.

You'll also be able to "remove unwanted people" from a photo (and objects too) using Eraser Shot, which sounds perfect for break-ups. Drama Shot allows users to capture progressive action in a single frame. There's also a way to turn pictures into animated GIFs with the push of a button, plus new photo filtering and album creation options.

Samsung is also introducing a new "touch-less" interface using motion capture with the Galaxy S4. A gesture-based system allows users to wave their hand to scroll through screens and more, while looking away from the phone pauses video playback and holding a finger over the screen triggers previews of photos, email, and calendar items.

The device also has a new Optical Reader to scan and recognize text, business cards, and QR codes.

There's also an enhanced version of the Easy Mode setting Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S III. Intended for smartphone newbies or folks moving over from another operating system, this mode simplifies the home screen layout and frequently used features like the camera to make them easier to use and navigate.

"Once a user is more comfortable with their Galaxy S4, they can easily switch back to the standard home screen interface," Samsung noted.

The tech giant is also positioning the Galaxy S4 for the enterprise. It's the first device to run Samsung's Knox security package baked into the hardware itself, the company said. Knox lets business users create a "passcode-protected work container" on their phone that's partitioned off from their personal stuff. The technology is built into all Samsung Galaxy S4 devices but has to be activated by Samsung's distribution channel and mobile solution provider partners, the company said.