Gallery: Samsung GALAXY S III mini With 4" Screen And Android 4.1 Launched

Samsung has launched the GALAXY S III mini — a smaller version of its flagship product, the GALAXY S III. The shrunk-down handset is styled similar to its elder sibling, runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out-of-the-box, and is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core CPU with 1 GB of RAM. It sports a 4" Super AMOLED screen with display dimensions of 800x480. The handset has a 5 mp snapper with LED at the rear, along with a 0.3 mp front camera. Weighing just 111.5 grams, the GALAXY S III mini is easier to handle compared with its larger and more powerful predecessor. NFC enables convenient transactions, while S Beam allows easy file transfer by simply tapping another compatible phone. Here is the specifications list (courtesy GSMArena.com):

• Quad-band 2G (GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), Dual-band 3G (UMTS 900,2100 MHz); HSDPA 14.4 Mbps for 3G data transfer.
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean); TouchWiz UX.
• 4" Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with pixel dimensions of 800x480, 16 million colours.
• 1 GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU, Mali-400MP, 1 GB RAM.
• 16 GB internal storage, 32 GB microSD card slot.
• 5 megapixel rear camera with flash, 720p@30fps video capture; 0.3 megapixel front camera.
• Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Stereo Bluetooth 4.0, Standard micro-USB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, 3.5 mm audio jack, Stereo FM radio with RDS, NFC.
• Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Compass.
• Video Formats: MP4, DivX, XviD, WMV, H.264, H.263.
• Audio Formats: MP3, WAV, eAAC+, AC3, FLAC.
• 4.8" (l) x 2.5" (w) x 0.4" (9.85 mm) (d), 111.5 grams.
• 1500 mAh Li-ion battery.

The handset comes bundled with Samsung-specific features including S Voice (voice recognition), Smart Stay (camera intelligently tracks user's eyes and keeps screen on while under gaze), Direct Call (automatic dialling of calls by lifting the phone to user's ear), and Smart Alert (notifies the user about missed calls or messages when phone is picked up).

Launched in Germany, the S III mini is likely to reach European consumers first. Availability and pricing are yet to be announced. However, it seems like it will reach UK Samsung fandroids by early November. When contacted, the Samsung India spokesperson was not able to provide any information about an India launch or pricing. Looking at the specifications, it is clearly several notches below the SGS3. That said, it can hold its own against most 4" smartphones out there. While it is supposed to be a more affordable option for those who find the SGS3 too expensive, we need to see the price tag to figure out whether this is really a poor man's Samsung GALAXY S III. My guess is, it will cost around Rs 25,000.

What do you think will be the price of the GALAXY S III mini? Let us know in the comments. Check out the gallery for more product shots.

TAGS: Mobile Phones, Android, Samsung, GALAXY, Jayesh