Nerdgasm alert! It appears that Samsung is looking to steal some thunder from Apple’s iPhone 5 release. The smart phone powerhouse announced it’s latest weapon in the battle of the Smartphones, the Galaxy S3 mini.
Is this pocket sized piece of tech enough to knock Apple down a few notches on the gadget ladder? Here is what you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini:
1. It Will Be Smaller
Okay, I give you guys the right to say “DUH!” in unison. What non-S3 users probably don’t realize is that the Galaxy S3 was a HUGE phone. It measured in around 4.8 inches and basically felt like carrying around a plasma screen TV in your pocket. A mini S3 phone is just what the tech-doctor ordered for people who want a Galaxy S phone but don’t want to carry around a touch-screen mammoth. Samsung announced the phone will be 4 inches.
2. It Will Have Immediate Competition From Apple
The Samsung conference falls on the 11th; six days later Apple is planning to announce the release of their new iPad minis. Let the battle of Tiny Tech begin!
3. Samsung Has Hinted at it by Acting Like a School Girl
The invitation to the event feels like it was written by a high school girl who has a secret but can’t say it. The following are all quotes from the invite (translated from German):
“Something small will be really big”
“Small can be big”
“Get ready for a little sensation”
“So big can be small”
4. It Will Try to Compensate for the S3
The S3 didn’t create much positive buzz, and Samsung management knows it. Because the S3 didn’t have significant differences from the S2, customers of the S3 felt they had been duped into buy a shiner version of a phone they already have. The S3 mini is looking to fix that. Although the software may be the same, because of it’s smaller size, the S3 will have a marked physical difference from the S2 and will leave customers feeling like they got a brand new phone, not just their old phone in new packaging.
5. The Real Difference is Deceivingly Small
Okay, time for some MOTHA TRUCKIN’ MATH, YO! (Had to jazz that statement up somehow.) Try to follow along this three-step guide to showing how the S3 Mini might be a bit of a rip.
(A) The Galaxy S3 measures in at 4.8 inches. The Galaxy S2 measures in at 4.3 inches. The difference between the S3 and the S2 is .5 inches.
(B) The Galaxy S3 mini is rumored to measure in at the 4.0 inch mark. This would mean it is .3 inches smaller than the S2.
(C) This means that the difference between the S3 mini and the S2 is smaller than the S3 and the S2. AKA, you want a smaller phone? Just get an S2.
6. It Should Feature the Newest Android Operating System
The Galaxy S3 mini will feature the latest version of Android’s operating system, Jelly Bean 4.1.
7. It Can Be Used With One Hand
One draw of the iPhone 5 is that you can use it with just one hand. It is nearly impossible to work a Galaxy S phone with one hand; it’s simply too big. A smaller phone means less to handle, which means the possibility of single-hand use. Finally, you can text and steer your car at the same time!
8. It Will Keep Much of the Same Hardware
The Galaxy S3 will operate with a Touchwiz interface and have much of the cool bells and whistles that you expect from a Galaxy S phone (EX: File sharing by bumping two phones together). One drawback, the phone will be using “S voice” which is Samsung’s answer to Siri and Google Voice. S voice kinda sucks so it would be a bit of a drawback if S voice is your only voice recognition software on the S3 mini.
9. It Will Cost a Ton of Money
Rumor has it that the S3 mini will cost a buttload, though the actual price has yet to be revealed. This price will probably be reduced by around 50% if bought with a contract from a service provider (standard practice for most cellphones).
10. Samsung Ads will be Harsh
I’m speculating. But we’ve all seen the downright brutal ads that Samsung ran before/after the iPhone 5 release. Well, you can bet that Samsung ad execs will have a field day with this phone, especially with (what I can assume to be) a close release date to the iPad mini. LET THE TINY TECH BATTLE BEGIN!