Earlier in the month, the Galaxy S3 Mini launched in Asia, and now it's the UK's turn. In a Samsung press release today, the Korean company announced that the Galaxy S3's little brother, now bolstered by NFC capabilities, will launch in the UK "by the end of the month" (via Android Central).
NFC technology and the digital wallet started to gain traction in 2012, particularly in the run up to the Olympics," notes Samsung UK and Ireland Vice President Simon Stanford. "It's an exciting time in the mobile market watching the next phase of its evolution taking shape, so we're happy to announce that we are bringing these new experiences to our customers through our growing number of NFC-enabled devices."
Don't hold your breath for a U.S. release, as Apple's victory in the high profile lawsuit with Samsung effectively banned the device from the States due to copyright issues. The Galaxy S3 Mini ships with Android Jelly Bean and Premium Suite pre-installed on the device. Currently, no official pricing has been revealed.
As for specs, a 4-inch display with 480x800 resolution adorns the mini, complimenting a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, and a 5-megapixel camera. The reception has been positive overall, but not overwhelmingly so.
Wired writes, "Despite a considerably lower spec [than the Galaxy S3] it's still a pretty decent smartphone with a decent level performance. However, the game-changing price point of the Google Nexus 4 which offers a quad-core processor, better screen and camera, plus the very latest Android (at the time of publication), makes it seem very expensive for what's on offer."
Premium Suite Features
Paper Artist: This new app allows S3 owners to decorate their photos with filters and other customization options.
Camera-Low Light Shot: A solution for dark environments, low-light shot reduces noise and provides bright photos with minimal light.
Camera-Best Face: This feature takes 5 photographs in a row and allows each person to combine their best faces from each shot into one photograph. It may not be authentic, but it'll make finding a new facebook profile picture a lot easier.
Camera-Easy Snap: Developed for the visually impaired, this update provides audio cues for when faces are detected in the shot.
Easy Mode: Now, the 5 most recently used widgets will show up on the desktop
Sound Balance: This new option gives users control over the sound balance of earphones on both sides
Page Buddy: The S3 will now automatically detect when headphones are plugged in and immediately begin paying music.
Setup Wizard: This setup feature streamlines the setup process for disabled users.
Contextual Menu: Now, the most frequently used apps show up first when you list them and attach files to messages.
Contextual Tag: This update automatically tags photos with the date, place, and weather.
Multi-Window (Enhanced Feature): Two apps can be used at once in two windows on the S3's screen.
Auto Share Shot Paring using NFC (Enhanced Feature): Samsung has improved photo sharing with S-Beam.
Reader Mode (Enhanced Feature): New options allow users to adjust text size on web pages and share content with friends easily.
Facebook Lock Ticker: Facebook news feeds will show up on the phone's lock screen if the user so chooses.
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