Buying a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will not get you a miniature version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mind you. These two smartphones are highly different despite the name and the design. If you want a cheaper smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini might be a good idea, but there is another Samsung smartphone you might want to consider too, the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 Mini have Super AMOLED displays. But the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8 inches and 720 x 1280p resolution with 306ppi pixel density while the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has a smaller 4.3 inches display with 540 x 960p resolution and 256ppi pixel density. The dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is smaller but slightly thicker at 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.9mm.
Lies in the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the Exynos 4412 quad core processor while the Samsung Galaxy S4 has the Snapdragon 400 dual core. But the Samsung Galaxy S3 only has a 1GB of RAM and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has 1.5GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is lacking in internal storage though, it is only available on an 8GB internal storage while the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a variety of internal storage capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. Both devices support storage expansion with SD card.
One major similarity of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is the camera. Both smartphones have the same rear and front camera. The rear camera of these two smartphones are 8MP complete with the capability to record at 1080p, LED flash and auto-focus; the front facing camera is a 1.9MP shooter.
Powering the Samsung Galaxy S3 is a Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery pack while the battery pack in the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is just slightly smaller, which is a Li-Ion 1,900 mAh battery pack. So these two smartphones give about the same talk time duration to the users. The Samsung Galaxy S3 was released with pre installed ICS but upgradable to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean while the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Both are expected to get Android 4.4. KitKat eventually due to it being compatible with older hardware.
Despite the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini being released a year after the Samsung Galaxy S3, the hardware and features on the Samsung Galaxy S3 isn’t too bad and even has some benefits over the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is just slightly cheaper than the newer Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini though. So which one from these two smartphones do you prefer?
