Looks like Samsung is not quite done with its Galaxy S4 family of devices. With the Korean giants’ “next big thing” – the Galaxy S5 – all but ready to be announced at MWC 2014 in just a few weeks, Samsung has given one final refresh of its 2013 flagship Android smartphone with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition.
Unlike its flashy moniker, the Galaxy S4 Black Edition is merely a cosmetic upgrade – in fact, there’s just one single difference between the standard S4 and the S4 Black Edition. The glossy plastic back cover, which many found to contribute greatly to the Galaxy S4 feeling rather cheap and less premium, has now made way for the faux leather cover first introduced in the Galaxy Note 3.
Hardware wise, this is still the international LTE variant of the Galaxy S4: 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP camera, 16GB of expandable storage, and a 2600mAh battery.
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In addition, Samsung’s also announced a Black Edition for the Galaxy S4 Mini, again retaining every hardware aspect with the exception of the faux leather back cover. Both models are now available only in Russia at $660 and $460 for the Galaxy S4 and S4 Mini respectively, but it seems likely that a global rollout is coming soon, with some speculating that Samsung will showcase these devices at its MWC 2014 booth. After all, the Rose Gold Editions of the Galaxy Note 3 made their way to Malaysia just a few weeks ago.
What may not be available worldwide though, is another update to the Galaxy S4: the Galaxy S4 LTE-A. This South Korea-only device, first announced in June last year, will see three new colourways sporting a similar faux leather back cover: Rose Gold White, Rose Gold Black and Deep Black. All three will be available in Korea later this month.
