With devices like the brand new and cutting-edge Galaxy S4 and the big, bold and beautiful Galaxy Note 2, Samsung has the market fairly sewn up. The latest addition to the stable is the Galaxy S4 Mini, a device which has yet to be officially acknowledged by Samsung, but whose specification leaked in a major way earlier in the week.
What we want if the Galaxy S4 Mini is a worthwhile investment over 2012's flagship Galaxy S3? The Galaxy S4 Mini – once launched – will be newer but it's not a flagship. The Galaxy S3 was and still is a top tier device and that should, technically, make it a wiser investment.
Perhaps. Lets find out.
Display
The Galaxy S3 sports a fantastic 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen which operates at a resolution of 72x1280 and weighs-in with a pixel density of 306PPI.
The Galaxy S4 Mini has a Super AMOLED screen too, one that only measures 4.3-inches and operates at a resolution of 540x960 and has a pixel density of 256PPI.
It’s plain to see that the Galaxy S3 takes the win in this round with its larger, sharper screen.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini features an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, touch-focus and face detection.
We aren’t sure whether the S4 Mini will capture 1080P video, but it’s a safe assumption, and we’re also in the dark about the device’s secondary, front-facing camera, though we know for sure it will have one.
The Galaxy S3 also features an 8-megapixel camera, which has geo-tagging, touch-focus, face & smile detection, image stabilization, simultaneous HD video and still capture and LED flash.
The device also captures 1080P and has a 1.9-megapixel secondary camera, capable of 720P video capture.
We predict that the Galaxy S4 Mini will mirror the S3 for its camera prowess, so we’re calling this one a draw…for now.
Winner – Draw
Power
The Galaxy S3 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 4412 Quad, which consists of a 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a Mali-400MP GPU. The device has 1GB RAM and comes with 16, 32 or 64GB storage options, all of which support micro SD cards up to 64GB in capacity.
The Galaxy S4 Mini is powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz CPU which could be the new Exynos 5210 chipset based on ARM's big.LITTLE technology. The device will ship with 1GB RAM but its storage options will begin at a lower mark, with 8, 16 and 32GB versions available. It's also said to support micro SD cards, though only up to 32GB capacity.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
Form
The Samsung Galaxy S3 feels well balanced in the hand and comfortable to hold and use, even for extended periods. While not feeling as heavy or premium as other rival devices it's still relatively robust.
The Galaxy S4 Mini will feature the same plastic construction as the Galaxy S3 and the device even looks distinctly similar, with the same curved edges. We expect the S4 Mini to be lightweight and durable, just like every other Samsung Galaxy we’ve seen in the last 3 years.
Move along people, there’s nothing to see here…
Winner – Draw
Value
At the time of writing you can pick up a Samsung Galaxy S3 for around £350 SIM-free, making the device a fair option for anyone looking to grab a premium Android handset without dropping over £500.
The Galaxy S4 Mini will likely be priced at around £299 like its predecessor the S3 Mini, making it a good handset for under £300.
Would we advise you choose the S4 Mini over the S3? At this stage, no. The S3 offers a fair few premium features that you won’t get with the S4 ‘lite’, and we’d expect the RRP for the S3 to drop further once the S4 goes on sale in the next couple of weeks, so you could end up snagging yourself a bargain.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
And the winner is…
Samsung Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S4 Mini is shaping up to be a solid device and if you’re bound fast to a budget you ought to consider it, but if you can stretch to it the Galaxy S3 should still be your go-to device if you’re adamant you don’t want or can’t afford the full-size Galaxy S4.