Samsung looks to have jumped the gun and announced their next Galaxy S4 variant: the Mini. While the Galaxy S4's smaller cousin is noticeably weaker, it has some tantalizing features to entice those interested in a mid-range smartphone.
The Galaxy S4 Mini will be just that - smaller than the Galaxy S4, with the same design. Equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display at a resolution of 960X540, the Galaxy S4 Mini runs on a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. Internal storage is a measly 8GB, but that can be expanded by 64GB with a microSD card. The Galaxy S4 Mini's rear-facing camera will be capable of shooting stills at 8 megapixels, while the front-facing camera will shoot at 1.9 megapixels. Android 4.2.2 will be the operating system on the S4 Mini right out of the box.
Samsung plans on releasing three different versions of the Galaxy S4 Mini. There will be a single-SIM 3G model, a dual-SIM 3G variant, and an LTE version for regions capable of supporting greater speeds. No pricing details or release date has been given, although, based on various reports, it seems July is the most likely time frame.
The Galaxy S4 Mini was expected to be unveiled on June 20, at Samsung's "Premier 2013" event in London. It now looks like that'll simply be the first time the press gets their hands on the phone.
It's not clear whether Samsung will bring the Galaxy S4 Mini to the United States. The Galaxy S3 Mini never made it over due to an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung. Apple had won a ban against the Galaxy S3 Mini being sold in the United States.
Does a Galaxy S4 Mini interest you? Or would you rather pick up the larger, more powerful Galaxy S4?