Samsung Galaxy S4 update leaves analysts unmoved

Analysts have reported that Samsung's S4 is a worthy upgrade but many wonder if it's enough to compete in the ever-evolving smartphone market.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has launched with a variety of upgraded features and hardware. Samsung touted the phones enterprise, translation, and eye-tracking features during a recent unveiling in New York.

However, some analysts have questioned whether the upgrades will be enough in the ultra-competitive smartphone arena.

Ovum chief telecom analyst Jan Dawson said that the features are worthy additions but could prove to be a bit gimmicky in the long run.

"The improvements to eye tracking and the additions of S Translator and the hover feature and so on are good steps in this direction, but they can be seen as gimmicks rather than game changers," said Dawson.

Dawson believes that Samsung's release shows that the smartphone maker is trying to win over converts through quantity instead of quality of features. According, to Dawson most of the announced S4 features will not even be used by consumers.

"At this point, Samsung appears to be trying to kill the competition with sheer volume of new features - there should be something here for everyone, even if most of these new features won't be used by most users."

One of the key features touted by Samsung was its Knox security offering. The platform offers consumers the ability to separate data on their smartphone between work and home containers.

Principal analyst at Pund-IT Charles King said Knox shows that Samsung is truly trying to make a play in the enterprise sector.

"Knox clearly demonstrates how seriously Samsung is approaching this market. It isn't just a matter of taking on and besting behemoths like Apple," King told V3.

"Instead, the company is intent on innovatively addressing the central fears of corporate clients with a device that consumers will also find a delight."