The existence of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini was hardly in question after the raft of rumours and leaks we've seen over the past few months - even the Korean firm managed to let slip on its own website.
What is surprising however is the way the Galaxy S4 Mini was announced, with many assuming that Samsung's London event on June 20 would provide the platform to launch the scaled down smartphone, but instead it was rather understatedly revealed a couple of weeks early via a press release.
Following on from the Galaxy S3 Mini, the S4 Mini has received a modest boost in terms of specifications, but don't expect to see any eight-core power or full HD displays here.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini release date
In terms of a Galaxy S4 Mini release date the trail is pretty cold for the moment, although we hope to find out more at the London event on June 20, so we shouldn't have too long to wait.
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S4 Mini will be coming, with more details to be announced "in due course". Phones4U in the UK was the first to give any indication, tentatively reckoning the Galaxy S4 MIni will appear in July.
Let's talk money
We're equally in the dark when it comes to the Galaxy S4 Mini price, but if the Galaxy S3 Mini is anything to go on you can probably expect it to set you back around £320 (around $485, AU$500) SIM-free.
In terms of cost the Galaxy S4 Mini will probably see itself going head to head with the likes of the Nokia Lumia 820, Motorola Razr i, Sony Xperia SP and even the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Look at this
When it comes to the display on the Galaxy S4 Mini you're greeted with a 4.3-inch, Super AMOLED qHD display - that's 960 x 540 - so it's certainly no match for the full HD offering on the Samsung Galaxy S4.
The good news it the S4 Mini's display is an improvement over the 4-inch, WVGA offering we got on the Galaxy S3 Mini - and this helps make the handset that bit more appealing.
It's worth considering that even though Mini is in the name, it's actually got a bigger screen than the 4-inch iPhone 5 - plus it's also cheaper - although the iPhone's Retina display has a far better resolution.
Internal grunt
Under the hood the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini packs a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, backed up by a not too shabby 1.5GB of RAM.
Once again that's up on the S3 Mini and should see things run smoothly on screen, and 8GB of internal storage sounds acceptable - that is until you read that only 5GB will be available to the user.
Thankfully the S4 Mini's saving grace is the inclusion of a Samsung smartphone tradition - a microSD slot, which supports cards up to 64GB in size.
Jelly Belly
That power will be responsible for running the latest version of Google's mobile platform, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which Samsung has sprinkled with its TouchWiz interface.
This means you'll also get a raft of Samsung apps, such as Samsung Knox, S Voice and S Travel, included on the S5 Mini, which some may find useful, but others will just view them as unnecessary bloatware.
Well connected
All the expected bells and whistles are present on the Galaxy S4 Mini with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS all featuring inside the 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94mm, 107g plastic frame.
There are some added extras however, with an infra-red blaster, NFC technology and 4G connectivity also finding their way inside.
In some regions the Galaxy S4 Mini will only be available as a 3G handset, which also doesn't feature NFC, although it's not clear which markets will receive which model just yet.
And the rest
So what else can you expect from the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini? Well it's got an 8MP rear facing camera complete with LED flash, plus there's a front facing 1.9MP snapper for those pouty profile pictures and important video calls.
There's a 1900mAh battery hiding round the back which we hope will give a decent amount of life, although we'll put that to the test in our Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review.
You'll be able to pick from two colours as well - White Frost and Black Mist - although we wouldn't be surprised if more colours appeared later this year, especially as Samsung has confirmed new shades for the Galaxy S4.
We hope to spend some time with the handset at Samsung's event in London in a few weeks time, so keep your eyes peeled for our hands on Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review.
Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-release-date-specs-and-features-1155308
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