Samsung is the undisputed leader in Android device manufacturers. Whether you love Samsung devices or hate them, they have done a lot for Android. The South Korean company is getting ready to release the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. They are not resting on their laurels, though. Korean blog ETNews reports that Samsung is working on a new line of premium devices code named “Project F.” The Japanese blog rbmen is backing up these rumors about Project F, stating that the premium smartphones will hit retail stores in March of 2014.
“Project F” is the next iteration of the Galaxy S4 and Note devices. This is not really news, as Samsung has been working on the Galaxy S5 and Note 4, if those are the names, since well before the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 were launched. What is interesting about this information is that Samsung is supposedly changing their design guidelines, increasing build quality and changing the materials they are using for the device chassis. The new Project F smartphones are going to be made out of metal, similar to the HTC One. ETNews also mentions a “1600 million pixel” camera with optical image stabilization. That probably means a 16 megapixel camera, not one with 1600 megapixels, as this information is all translated from Korean and Japanese. The addition of OIS is very welcome, and would put the new Samsung device cameras above the LG G2’s.
ETNews also says that the Project F devices will be running Android Jelly Bean, but this seems highly unlikely given a release date of March 2014. The current test devices may run some version of Jelly Bean, but these high-end smartphones should launch with Android 4.4. Kit Kat. The rumors also include an Exynos SoC and Samsung’s flexible display technology.
Apparently Project F is not meant to completely replace the Galaxy and Note smartphone lineups, but add to them. It sounds to me like Samsung is going to continue flooding the market with devices the way they have for the past several years. The model has been working very well for them. The change from plastic chassis to metal ones would be great, if it turns out to be true.