Fingers On A Screen - Tech Blog: S3 Mini

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Specs, Features & Price

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini - A Blow To The Flagship 'S3'

The Samsung Galaxy S3 introduced a new class of smartphone that has been appreciated by everyone. The craze of Android which started from the legendary Galaxy S2 was continued by Samsung Galaxy S3. Everyone trusted Samsung to the point that they knew anything with the tag of 'Galaxy' would blow the competition away. Samsung recently announced Galaxy S3 Mini - the compact version of Samsung Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini will have Android JellyBean 4.1 as its OS which is great add-on for Android lovers.

Also Read Samsung Galaxy S3 - Fails To Impress

Galaxy S3 Mini Specifications

Display
Galaxy S3 Mini features a capacitive-touch display of 4.0 inch screen which is an ideal size for a smartphone. The S3 Mini comes with Super AMOLED screen & resolution of 480 x 800 pixels which is on the lower side seeing as all the phones now sport gorgeous displays.

OS
Galaxy S3 Mini will be launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which is smoothest Android ever thanks to its 'Project Butter'. There are still lot of phones which are yet to get Jelly Bean update which is why why having 'out of the box' Jelly Bean makes your phone a great deal.

Processor & CPU
Galaxy S3 Mini is bundled with 1 GHz STEricsson Dual Core Processor which is major letdown as the Galaxy S3 comes with an impressive Quad Core Exynos Processor. S3 Mini is supported by a NovaThor U8420 Chipset.

Camera
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini has 5 mega pixel camera with Autofocus & LED flash. The front facing camera is disappointing VGA camera.

Memory
Galaxy S3 Mini offers 8/16 GB of internal storage and yes, it has a micro SD card slot which is expandable upto 32 GB.

Connectivity
WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS/Glonass

Galaxy S3 Mini - is the Price Justified ?

Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is rumored be priced around $499 or €370 which is quite overpriced. Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini carries the 'S3 Mini' flagship with it but we think that it is about to get lost in the crowd of other galaxy devices. The Galaxy S3 has set a bench mark in the industry and we see Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini nowhere even close to it.

Samsung S3 Mini - The Good & The Bad

With the announcement of the Samsung S3 Mini I know a lot of android fans were expecting a powerhouse phone with a smaller 4" screen and form factor but the announcement of the new S3 Mini leaves a lot of people disappointed. Even though the device is nothing to be laughed at, its a blow to Samsung's flagship 'S Series' phones as it does not offer the latest specs that some had hoped for. Instead it is just another one of the hundreds of average Samsung mid-range phones that will lose its identity. The worst part is that Samsung decided to label it with its flagship tag of ' S3 Mini ' which to be honest is an insult to the original S3 which had won over the fans with its impressive specs.

"The Galaxy S3 introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world. We’re now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence to the GALAXY S3 mini in a more compact form,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs."

Highlights of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini include:

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz
4.0 inch WVGA Super AMOLED display
1 GHz dual-core STEricsson processor
5MP AF + LED Flash / VGA Front
8/16 GB internal storage, 1 GB RAM
WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS/Glonass
1,500 mAh battery

Again, the phone is no slouch in the specs department and it might be a decent buy if it was priced somewhere around 299$ but im sure a lot of android fans will be questioning what made Samsung think that this phone deserved the flagship 'S' tag. As for me, I expected the S3 Mini to be effectively the original phone in a tighter compact form factor instead of the heavily crippled phone that it is compared to the original S3 phone. Despite their common name they are not even in the same class. All in all this tweet summarizes the phone perfectly.

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