Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs: FM Radio Tuner Dropped in Favor of Internet Streaming Services

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will not come with an FM radio tuner, according to a statement from the company.

"Our studies show a trend shift of interest to digital broadcasting -- namely, the focus on listening to music content on social networks or on the channel YouTube. The flagship model of our devices targeted at customers who use digital content, which use modern formats and channels of information consumption," Samsung told a Russian website.

While online streaming services for music or news have grown exponentially in recent years, many users limit their use on these services because of data caps and overage charges on their plans.

FM radio offered an easy and relatively low-tech and low-bandwidth way to get information, particularly about breaking news. And many users like the randomness of the playlists on the radio.

Internet radio has adopted a similar format, and services like Spotify or Pandora can tailor their content to a particular user, including the ads, but FM radio offers content for specific markets and cities, and the signal can reach out-of-the-way and difficult locations with relatively high fidelity. Internet radio requires a strong, clear, high-speed mobile data signal, or access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, situations that are becoming more common but are far from ubiquitous.

The lack of FM radio isn't new; American versions of the Galaxy S3 didn't include the feature either, though international versions do.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 1.6GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (depending on country), 2GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display at 441 ppi, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, internal storage between 16 and 64GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64GB, a polycarbonate body, Smart Pause and floating touch tech and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Check back for the latest info on the Galaxy S4 as it becomes available.