In this video review just a few hours after its official premiere we will examine closely the smaller twin of 2013 hit smartphone the Galaxy S4. Digital Magnet presents Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Design-wise it’s an exact copy of the flagship S4
Since Samsung’s flagman – the Galaxy S4 is expected to be one of most popular and sought smartphone devices for 2013, the company is determined to keep the interest in the S4 device alive by launching this mini version of it. For those who are fond of the S4 but not so much of its price, nor its big 5-inch size this one appears a worth-considering alternative.
Design-wise it’s an exact copy of the flagship, only a bit thicker and wider. The case keeps that standing out grid-like texture. The Galaxy S4 mini, just like its bigger brother, also comes in two color variations – Black mist and White frost.
It is a mini 4.3-inch version which shares some of its key specifications
The smaller brother of Samsung’s best smartphone is a mini 4.3-inch version which shares some of its key specifications. Its Super AMOLED display delivers a resolution of 540×960 pixels at a pixel density of 256 ppi. It’s far from delivering such a great sharpness like the S4, but still the OLED display technology on board saves the day.
The operating system on Samsung premiere device is Android jelly Bean 4.2.2. A dual-core 1.7GHz CPU is responsible for the performance and productivity levels on board.
Actually Samsung are launching different configurations of the S4 Mini – a 3G and a 4G version.
Its Super AMOLED display delivers a resolution of 540×960 pixels at a pixel density of 256 ppi
The 3G model will also be available with a dual-SIM support. Of course configurations may still be market dependent.
The user storage on this model is 8GB, only 5 of which are practically available. Of course this capacity is expandable with 64GB more via the microSD card slot. Now the system memory is the really interesting part about the S4 Mini. Samsung has loaded it 1.5GB of RAM which was the case also with Samsung Galaxy Mega.
The S4 Mini comes with an 8MP back camera, not as high-end as the 13MP in the S4 but certainly it’s much better performing than its Mini predecessor the S3, which provides only 5MP. The new one records high quality 1080p videos. The video call optics on the front has 1.9MP and also performs pretty well for unpretentious self-portraits.
The S4 Mini comes with an 8MP back camera
The camera software is the one we see in the S4 but excluding some of the innovational modes like Dual Shot and 360-degree panorama. The second one we are not going to miss since it didn’t perform that well but we wish Dual Shot hadn’t been drop out of the camera menu. At least Sound-and-Shot mode where you get voice integrated in the photo is still an option.
Let’s find out what else has been removed. The S Heath application is nowhere to be seen among the S4 Mini applications but it is available to download from Samsung Apps. The unique to Samsung Air View, which was one of S4’s stand-out features allowing you to touchlessly control your device, is also missing here.
The unique to Samsung Air View is missing
Good news to people who like to travel, the S translator, which is literally a talking pocket translator, has been spared. On the S4 Mini you can also find the Group Play feature. It wirelessly connects and plays the same music on multiple smartphone devices thus creating a surround sound effect.
The premiere device is also loaded with an IR LED blaster or in other words the application Watch On that turns it into a universal remote control for any kind of devices and brands around the house.
The premiere device is also loaded with an IR LED blaster
You can control the TV, DVD player and even the air-conditioner.
Onboard power is expectedly also cut due to the smaller screen size. But 1 900mAh battery piece will easily get you through a whole day of browse and play.
The pricing is really the big question mark. We should probably wait for a few weeks to see whether this middle-class flagship will be a good bargain.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini test video