Rumours surrounding Samsung 's yet-to-be-official Galaxy S IV started floating since
September last year. The latest one now indicates that the smartphone will support wireless charging.
Android Authority reports via Korean news site
DDaily that Samsung Galaxy S IV will feature support for wireless charging based on the Qi standard as introduced by the Wireless Power Consortium. Amongst Android devices, currently only the Nexus 4 is compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard, though the charging orb for the smartphone isn't commercially available yet.
Nokia has also adopted the feature for its latest flagship devices, the
Lumia 920 and
820, that come with their own colourful wireless charging accessories.
The report states that Samsung plans on using an alternate technology based on resonant magnetic coupling that is different from the electromagnetic induction found in the current wireless chargers. It also states that the Galaxy S IV will not come integrated with wireless charging compatibility, but will rather sell the charger and a backplate which is required to enable wireless charging separately.
The reason Samsung is using resonant magnetic coupling is that, at least in theory, it would allow the Galaxy S IV to be charged from a distance of up to 2 meters. In comparison, other smartphones that have wireless charging support right now require to be placed at a distance of no more than 4cm away from a charging pad.
But DDaily also states that Samsung has reportedly developed a wireless charger based on magnetic resonance, but feels that it would be to expensive in the market and hence has ultimately decided to stick with the more standard wireless charging method.
At the moment, there are no official details on the wireless charging accessories or when Samsung is planning to unveil the Galaxy S IV. With MWC taking place next month, it would be great to see a glimpse of the device even though it won't be available till the later half of the year.
As far as rumoured specs on the Galaxy S IV go, the device is being developed under
Project J and will indeed come with a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED display with full-HD resolution, giving it a pixel density of 441ppi.
It is also likely to feature a
13-megapixel rear auto-focus camera and a slightly thicker, 9.2mm body. Additionally, murmurs are that the new Samsung Android flagship will run on Jelly Bean and is likely to feature the company's latest
Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor unveiled at CES. The new SoC will be manufactured using a 28nm process as opposed to the 32nm process used by the Exynos 5 Dual, hence claiming to be more power-efficient.
More recent speculations suggest that the Galaxy S IV is the first smartphone in the series to come with the famed
S-Pen stylus as seen in it's 5-inch phablets the Galaxy Note and Note II. The stylus as the Korean manufacturer seeks to "unite its Note series with the flagship Galaxy S IV", allegedly confirmed by a quote from a Samsung official.