Galaxy S4 in 32GB Set to Release

Android users have long touted the ability to upgrade their phone’s internal memory to any size they choose by simply purchasing an internal micro SD card, as opposed to the iPhone, which has no upgradable storage and comes in pre-determined sizes of 16gb, 32gb and 64gb. It was always assumed that Android users cared less about the internal size of the memory, but with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S4, that seems to have changed.

The S4 comes in 16GB but nearly half (7.72GB) that is taken up with the OS and preloaded apps that cannot be removed. Samsung’s response is somewhat off-putting: "For the Galaxy S4 16GB model, approximately 6.85GB occupies [the] system part of internal memory, which is 1GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide [a] high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers," the company said in a statement sent over to CNET. 

In other words, buy an internal micro SD card and forget about internal memory. Another solution is to upgrade or replace the 16GB model with the upcoming Galaxy S4 with 32GB of internal storage.

AT&T has released on its Twitter that the 32GB model will be coming to them on May 10, 2013, and will cost $249.99 with a two-year contract and qualifying plans. The Galaxy S4 is the latest release from Samsung, which releases a number of Android phones throughout the year. Although the Galaxy S4 is out in 16GB, with an anticipated May 10 release for the 32GB, there is no schedule for the release of the 64GB.

Despite the pending release of the 32GB and 64GB models of the Galaxy S4, users are not getting the internal storage they are buying. Assuming of course that memory requirements for the larger devices are the same, there will be an approximate 7.72GB difference in what is advertised as the internal memory size and the space taken up by OS and pre-loaded apps.