NEW YORK — Samsung has taken the wraps off its eagerly anticipated Galaxy S 4 smartphone in a lavish and arguably over-the-top Broadway-themed event at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

After spending some quality time with it, my overall sense of this phone is that it firmly establishes Samsung as a leading innovator — if not the leading innovator — in the smartphone space. That is because Samsung came out with specs and features that we’ve never yet seen in a smartphone, and no one can accuse them of being copycats this time round.

For starters, the 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED; 1,920×1,080 screen, at 441 pixels per inch, is both bigger and has a higher resolution than every other smartphone in the market bar the HTC One.

AMAZING CAMERA

But what’s more amazing are the S4’s new camera features.

The dual camera function lets users insert themselves into a photo by using the front-facing camera at the same time as shooting a photo with the 13-megapixel rear camera. And the video chat extends to include up to three people at a time, with the same dual-camera functionality — so while you are chatting, you can show the person on the other end of the line what is happening around you.

The S4 also brings user interactivity to a whole new level by becoming the first phone to allow users to attach a voice message to images.

If you are watching a video and look away, the video will pause automatically and resume when you turn your eyes back to the screen. You can also scroll by looking up or down and by slightly tilting the phone. It’s not the full-fledged eye tracking that was rumoured — but it is a step in that direction.

AIR GESTURES

Another cool hands-off feature is Air Gestures. That allows you to control the phone by waving your hand above the screen. Samsung has also very cleverly adapted the hover function first seen in the Galaxy Note II for the S4. Instead of using a stylus or S Pen, consumers just need to hover their finger over emails or calendar entries to get a preview of the data.

A S4-only Flipboard application has also been launched to specifically utilise this nifty new feature. Users just have to hover their finger over categories or stories to view the top three stories or first few lines respectively.

I also love the S Health feature that turns your phone into a pedometer without any extra hardware or, when connected to other devices it can sense your blood pressure, blood sugar or other vital signs.

The phone also has instant voice-to-text or text-to-voice translation, which will be very handy for all sorts of travellers.

A PLASTIC FLAW

But despite all its revolutionary features, the Samsung S4 still feels too cheap for my liking. Apple, Sony and HTC have all begun to use metal in the design of their flagship phones to make the devices look and feel like premium products, and consumers love that.

President and CEO of Samsung Asia Gregory Lee was surprised at the fact that some of TODAY’s readers have criticised the Korean company’s use of plastics but insisted that the polycarbonate material is essential in creating scratch-resistant, durable and lightweight products which pack a lot of power.

With its sleek design and fabulous new features, the S4 should strike fear into the hearts of other Android manufactures including Sony, LG and HTC. But while Android haters and Apple fanboys continue to slam the use of plastics in the phone’s design, it is obvious that the Samsung Galaxy S4 was made for consumers who prefer substance over style.