Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini: Epic Fail?

The rumours were true: Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy SIII Mini, a "miniature" (i.e. 4-inch) version of the gigantic 4.8-inch Galaxy S3.

The only hitch is that the screen isn't the only thing that's been reduced. So much so that we can safely question whether or not this really has anything to do with the S3, a phone that has become the new standard in thinness, precision and power... For with the S3 Mini, everything has been miniaturised.

The first thing should come as no surprise: the phone has lost 22% of its total surface, but it's also lost 29% of its battery power and become 13% thicker in the process!


In reality, the only thing linking the two phones is aesthetics. Inside it's a different beast altogether. The Galaxy S3 Mini actually has much more in common with the precursor to the S3, the Galaxy S2, which has a 4.3" screen with 800 x 480 resolution, an 8 Mpx camera sensor and a 1.2 GHz processor, is 8.5 mm thick despite a 1,650 mAh battery, and weighs 116 g.

Based on components alone, one would think the S3 Mini would cost the same as, if not less than, the S2. But that's not the case. The S3 Mini is slated for release in November at the recommended price of £300 incl. VAT.




It seems the S3 Mini is not really targeting consumers who want the power of the S3 in a more compact phone, but rather a portion of the non-gadget-oriented "general public" that wants a stylish, in-demand smartphone but is supposedly less demanding when it comes to multimedia capabilities. If that wasn't the case then the S2 would fit the bill perfectly, if not better.

Let's just hope this isn't Samsung's stab at making an "S3 for girls" (everyone knows it's too big for their dainty hands and besides, they wouldn't know the difference anyway, right?)....

Now, let's just for a minute forget about the whole name thing and look at this simply as a new phone, unrelated to the S3. It looks like it would stand a chance to get three or four stars out of five from this writing staff. But in that case they're small stars, because here's what it's up against:




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