Samsung Galaxy S IV Rumor Roundup

With the Samsung Unpacked event ready to (hopefully) blow our minds next week, the buzz surrounding the forthcoming Galaxy S IV, which might see an April release, is reaching a fever pitch. The internet rumor mill has been working overdrive pumping out plausible and equally implausible tidbits about the Samsung's latest addition to its line of Galaxy smartphones, and while we understand that gossip is a fickle mistress and few details will be confirmed before next week's event in New York City, we rounded up some of the most pervasive rumors about Samsung's upcoming superphone.

Here's Looking at You, Kid [or Eye Scroll]

When you look at your Samsung Galaxy S IV, you just might find your Samsung Galaxy S IV looking back at you. An anonymous source who has allegedly used the device told the New York Times that the Galaxy S IV will come with an new "eye scrolling" feature that utilizes eye tracking technology to intuitively scroll down pages as you're reading them without you having to lift a finger. Eye Scroll - the name which Samsung trademarked in January - will use the phone's front-facing camera to determine if your eyeballs are still pointed at the screen before it turns itself off.

Image Credit: GSM Israel

Additionally, Samsung's "smart screen" technology will come with a pause feature that will halt video content if you look away from the screen. Samsung's current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, comes with Smart Stay, a similar feature that tracks eye movement to determine if a user is still looking at it before automatically dimming, but if Eye Scroll is all it's cracked up to be, we can look forward to inching one step closer out phones achieving sentience. Probably not, but with features like Eye Scroll and Smart Pause, smartphones are most assuredly getting smarter.

Megapixels: Quality over Quantity?

There have been conflicting rumors about the camera that the Galaxy S IV will be packing, with some sites reporting an improved 8 megapixel camera and others hedging their bets on a 13 megapixel option. Though it's likely that we'll see marginal improvements on the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera, the thought of more megapixels has caused a fair amount of salivating when the rumor first made the rounds. It's important to note that the number of megapixels is not the only, or even the most significant, factor in creating good-looking photos. Indeed, a stellar 8 megapixel camera is capable of taking crisper, clearer, and more vibrant pictures than a 16 megapixel one under the right conditions.

The size of the sensor and the power of the device's GPU are equally, is not more, important than the number of megapixels the device can boast. Most people seem to be hedging their bets on getting an 8 megapixel variant on the Galaxy S III's current camera, with a few upgrades, including a better GPU, to improve picture quality. The phone's front-facing camera is expected to come in at 2 megapixels.

Improved Battery Life

As far as the actual handset itself it concerned, it's likely that Samsung will follow the current trend of trying to fit everything into the sleekest, slimmest package possible, which some are worried might have less than stellar implications for the Galaxy S IV's battery life. Word on the street might allay some of those concerns, as talk of a 2600 mAh battery is being bandied about, an improvement on its predecessor's 2100 mAh battery. Balancing battery life with a sleek aesthetic is a tricky business so we'll have to wait until Samsung Unpacked to see which side of the divide the Galaxy S IV falls on.

A Cleaner, Greener Display

Citing concerns about ease and efficiency of manufacturing, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S IV will have a plastic body, though there have been rumors about aluminum edges to increase durability. Nestled within all that plastic will most likely be a 4.99-inch PHOLED display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The rumors of the phone's display - initially reported to be a Super AMOLED one - caused a bit of a stir when it was announced, as the 440 ppi display would make it the best Samsung has ever produced, even if it isn't the first phone in the world to boast that amount of pixels per inch (Sony's Xperia Z and HTC's Droid DNA beat Samsung to the punch).

If the Galaxy S IV comes equipped with a PHOLED display, as rumored, which uses more energy efficient phosphorescence rather than fluorescent light to create a brighter display, it would mean that Samsung is actively taking a step towards, greener, more eco-friendly pastures as PHOLED displays are reported to perform 25% better in terms of power. In addition, Samsung is expected to equip the screen with floating touch technology, which allows users to hover their finger over the screen to perform simple tasks like checking e-mail and opening apps without having to bespoil their devices with their finger grease.

A Powerful Processor

Much of the hullabaloo surrounding the Galaxy S IV is speculation about what sort of processor it would be packing under the hood. There have been whispers on the wind of the Galaxy S IV becoming the first mobile phone to come equipped with an eight core processor and while it might be an unlikely scenario, it's too tantalizing not to consider. It's true that the larger Samsung Galaxy Note III is a more likely candidate for the Exynos 5 Octa eight core processor, it's possible that we might see it in action sooner with the Galaxy S IV. If the rumors are too good to be true, then one can expect the device to come armed with an Exynos 5410 dual quad-core chip at 1.8GHz, an improvement upon the S III's 1.4Ghz.

Gold? This Knox Is Full of Jelly Beans

Despite earlier rumors about Android 5 - codenamed Key Lime Pie - launching with the Galaxy S IV, it's faded into pipe dream territory as the new device almost certainly coming equipped with the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Samsung also recently told CNET that they were considering embedding its secure software Knox into the handset, which would allow users to seamlessly switch between personal and work interfaces with relative ease. Visa's PayWave, a mobile payment app, might also be pre-installed on Galaxy S IV phones, as Samsung and Visa have previously announced a partnership on future devices, albeit without making any specific references to the Galaxy S IV.

To Micro SD or Not to Micro SD? That is the Question.

It's almost certain that the Galaxy S IV will come with 2GB of RAM, less certain is the existence of a micro SD card slot. Though it's likely that the Galaxy S IV will come equipped with one considering its predecessor does, rumors persist that Samsung might be planning on rolling out 16, 32, or 64 GB options to boost sales in much the same way Apple has with its mobile devices. While nixing the micro SD card slot might be a more lucrative option for the company, it would a decidedly less consumer-friendly strategy should the rumors hold any weight.

Don't Forget Your Grain of Salt

It's important to remember that most of this information is based in pure speculation and will either be confirmed or disproven on March 14th at Samsung Unpacked. IGN Tech will have boots on the ground in New York City to bring you the latest news about the Galaxy S IV and whatever other goodies Samsung might have in store for us then.