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Samsung’s new Galaxy S IV smartphone has eye-detection feature

It’s the smartphone that looks right back at you.

Samsung yesterday unveiled its Galaxy S IV, with software that lets users automatically scroll down pages and pause and start videos — by just looking at the device.

The program is unseen on any other smartphone in the world, including Apple’s iPhone 5.

The new Galaxy’s most notable feature is Smart Scroll, in which the phone’s 13-megapixel camera “realizes” the user is looking at it and then scrolls through Web pages, call logs and text messages with just a tilt of the wrist.

There’s also Smart Pause, in which the phone automatically stops a video when it detects the user has looked away.

The video will restart when the user looks at the screen again.

While the technology is new to smartphones, it’s not as advanced as rumors had it: that the phone’s display would scroll based on eye movements alone.

“Samsung Galaxy S4 has taken a quantum leap from Galaxy S3,” said J.K. Shin, head of Samsung’s mobile unit, who hosted a fully produced ceremony — including skits — for the device at Radio City Music Hall.

Experts said the device is the biggest threat yet to iPhone.

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Samsung Galaxy S IV (Getty Images)

Samsung outsold the iPhone worldwide last year, but its Galaxy S series still hasn’t caught up to the iPhone’s all-time sales.

“The S4 will be the key to the success of the Samsung smartphone business this year,” said Warren Lau, an analyst at investment broker Kim Eng Securities Ltd.

Users will also be able to command the phone with just a swipe of their hand above the screen — without having to touch it.

For example, if there’s an incoming call and the user is eating, he or she can simply wave a hand above the screen to answer.

Users can also preview e-mails or flick through photos by hovering a hand over the screen and making a gesture, thanks to infrared sensors on the screen.

The smartphone will be available in the United States on April 26 from carriers including AT&T and Verizon.

The price is expected to be about $200.

“I’m excited for the eye-scrolling feature. I’ll use it for everything — videos, pictures, social media,” said Dan Lehman, 26, a computer technician at Staples who owns an earlier Samsung.

“I’m like the king geek, so they’re meant for people like me.”

Another Galaxy highlight is the dual-camera feature, which allows people to use the front and rear cameras at the same time and blend the images.

Brief recorded sounds can also accompany the photos.

The new Galaxy also comes with technology that enables the phone to monitor your heart rate and blood sugar.

Additional reporting by Christine Parker and Post Wire Services