The Samsung Galaxy S4 was released earlier this month in a huge event held by Samsung in New York City. However, according to brand new reports, Samsung is working on a “mini” version of the Samsung Galaxy S4. What can we expect from the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini in terms of specs, features, and a potential release date.
Remember: this story is constantly change and we’ll be updating it periodically, so stay tuned!
1. Images of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Have Leaked
SamMobile published some leaked images of the alleged Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini device. According to their post, the design is very similar to the S4, simply smaller in size. According to their article, the tips came from one of their Twitter followers, Ermek.
2. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will have a 4.3-Inch Screen
Since the device will be a mini version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, obviously the screen size will be slightly smaller. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a screen size of 5-inches, and the Galaxy S4 Mini will only be 4.3-inches. The deduction in screen size is to be expected, since Samsung need to live up to the “mini” to differentiate the device from the actual S4.
3. It Will Run Android 4.2
According to SamMobile, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will run Android 4.2. It’s unknown whether or not the device will be able to upgrade to Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie when Google releases that software update, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 is rumored to be receiving Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie when Google decides to release it.
4. The Screen Won’t Be As Good As The Samsung Galaxy S4
In terms of ppi, the Galaxy S4 Mini won’t be as refined as the Galaxy S4. Both The Verge and SamMobile report that the Super AMOLED scree will only have a 256ppi pixel density, as opposed to the Galaxy S4, which has 441ppi. It’s disappointing, since the difference between the two devices are so large.
5. Even Though The Screen Will Smaller, It’ll Still Be Bigger Than The iPhone 5
We mentioned that the Galaxy S4 Mini will have a smaller screen, but that’s compared to Samsung devices, which are notoriously large. Compared to smartphones manufactured by other companies, like Apple and the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S4 Mini is still pretty big. The iPhone 5 has a screen size of only 4 inches, and the iPhone 4S — which is still pretty popular — has a screen size of 3.5 inches.
6. The Processor Will Be Less Powerful
Similar to the screen size and pixel density, the processor on the Galaxy S4 Mini will be less powerful, but only slightly so. SamMobile reports that Galaxy S4 Mini will have a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, as opposed to the Galaxy S4, which runs a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor. The .3 difference in GHz shouldn’t make much of a difference, but it’s again disappointing to see such a difference between the two devices.
7. It Will Be Cheaper
Since the Galaxy S4 Mini will have less-impressive stats than the Galaxy S4 is makes sense that the S4 Mini will be cheaper. With such depleted hardware specs, it only makes sense that Samsung will charge consumers a lower price for the Galaxy S4 Mini. The only problem is that with a lower price, the Galaxy S4 Mini could cannibalize the sales for the Galaxy S4.
8. Samsung did the same thing with the Samsung Galaxy S3
Last year, with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung also released the Galaxy S4 Mini. Comparatively, the Galaxy S3 mini had a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and a 1GHz processor, much less impressive than the Galaxy S3. The camera for the S3 Mini also had only five megapixels, down from the eight megapixel camera attached to the Galaxy S4.
9. It Could Dominate The Smartphone Market In Developing Nations
The purpose of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is to increase the company’s market share in developing nations. Emerging countries find it difficult to afford expensive devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5, which runs about $200 with a two-year contract in the US. Mini devices, with less impressive specs, make new devices more affordable for consumers in developing countries.
10. It May Force Apple to Finally Release a Cheaper iPhone 5
Apple has been reportedly working on a cheap version of iPhone 5, made completely out of plastic and much cheaper than the $800 iPhone 5 (unsubsidized) released in September 2012. The problem is, they haven’t yet, which has customers in developing countries leaning towards cheaper devices like the Galaxy S3 Mini. With the impending release of the Galaxy S4 Mini, the executives at Apple may finally decide to ramp up —or even start — production on an iPhone 5 Mini.