Samsung has wasted no time in preparing accessories for their new pride and joy. The Galaxy S 4 microsite reveals a wide range of companions for their new flagship device, from a variety of covers to a gamepad and health-related accessories.
The canned response that PC World received upon contacting Samsung for more information was as follows:
Following the massive success of the Samsung GALAXY S III in Australia, we are excited to confirm the Samsung GALAXY S4 will be available from Q2. Pricing and availability will be available closer to the launch date.
Here are the accessories listed on the website, in rough order of how interesting I find them:
Wireless Charging Pad
I’m excited about this because it represents a big step towards the Qi wireless charging standard going mainstream. Although the word on the street is that “it’s up to the carrier to offer [wireless charging]”, it can only be a good thing that the biggest name in Android is rocking Qi.
Game Pad
A Bluetooth game pad built specially for the Galaxy S 4, though it appears to support any phone with a screen size of 4″ – 6.3″. It features one touch Bluetooth pairing using NFC Tectiles, and comes with all the controls that you’d expect from a game pad including a D-pad, dual analog sticks, shoulder keys and four action buttons.
Extra Battery Kit
In an age where many manufacturers are moving towards sealed, non-replaceable batteries, Samsung has stuck to its guns and opted for a removable cover, meaning that users can carry around a spare battery. Interestingly enough, Samsung has realised that their removable battery offers them an advantage over their competitors, and pointed it out as as a feature during this morning’s keynote in New York. The kit will presumably feature an extended battery which can be charged separately from the phone.
S View Cover
A cover with a window built into the top, which allows users to see notifications and indicators without having to open the cover. The cover also unlocks and locks the phone as it is opened and closed. Hipster tip: use the black cover on your ‘Frost White’ Galaxy S 4 and the white cover on the ‘Black Mist’ model.
Flip Cover
The poor man’s version of the S View Cover
Protective Cover+
The clumsy man’s version of the Flip Cover.
Pouch
So uninspired that they didn’t even bother appending an ‘S’ or a ‘+’ to the name.
Fit Bit S Band
A Bluetooth fitness band designed to communicate with the ‘S Health’ app. It records steps taken, calories burned and distance traveled, as well as checking your ‘Sleep Efficiency’ by measuring how much you move while you sleep. Apparently it’s waterproof up to 10 metres.
HRM (Heart Rate Monitor)
Similar to the S Band, but designed to work with the ‘Running Mate’ app and monitor your heart rate.
Body Scale
I’m surprised they didn’t call it the S-Cale. Basically it’s a set of scalse that sends its measurements to the Galaxy S 4 via Bluetooth It supports up to 7 users and works with the S-Health app (which hopefully comes with password protection).
Headset
“Premium Hi-Fi sound experience” featuring 2 speakers in each headphone (woofer and twitter). It remains to be seen whether these will ship with the device or be sold separately (most likely the latter).
Which of these accessories are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments!
