Rumors of a Galaxy S3 mini started to surface last week, and although many of the reports seemed plausible, we heard no official confirmation from Samsung. Well, Samsung has finally spoken on the matter, and have confirmed that they will be announcing the Galaxy S3 mini tomorrow at an event in Germany. UPDATE: The German tech site Mobile Geeks are reporting they have a leeked image of the device. Picture inside).
The confirmation came from JK Shin (Samsung’s Chief of Mobile), and he seems to indicate that the device could also be a high end smartphone despite its "smaller" size. Samsung feels that demand for this type of device exists, as you can see from their statement at a Korean press meeting:
"We’ll be launching a 4-inch Galaxy S III on the 11th in Germany. There’s a lot of demand for a 4-inch screen device in Europe. Some call it an entry-level device, but we call it ‘mini.’”
As you can see from the picture I threw together (above..not an actual depiction), the Galaxy S3 mini would give consumers the choice of purchasing an "S3 ish like" device (assuming the hardware is indeed high end) in 3 different sizes, which is great for those with small/average/big hands. The 4 inch model could help combat the iPhone 5 as well, as some iPhone fans who could potentially purchase a Galaxy S3 phone aren’t quite comfortable with the large screen after being accustomed to using the iPhone for so long.
If Samsung keeps a quad core processor in the device, it would blow my mind. Hell, even if they keep a very powerful dual core processor in it I would be very impressed. We don’t have availability or pricing details just yet, but we'll be live at the event in Germany tomorrow to bring you all of the latest details.
What do you guys think about a Galaxy S3 mini? Do you think it will also have high end hardware like the S3 and Note 2? Would you buy one?
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
UPDATE: Here is a picture of the leaked photo, courtesy of MobileGeeks:
Picture credits: itproportal.com (edited by myself)
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Comments
@Tony- True, but a 4 inch screen isn't really so "mini" is it? :) I mean, 4 inches is big to an iPhone user :)
@CJ and Apple Conspiracy - I totally agree! And if the price point is right, I bet it will work as well!
@ CJ Brown
Good point!
I think the term "Mini" is just a marketing gimmick that Samsung is going to use (& I can see this becoming another successful no contract smart phone provided it has all the standard Samsung Galaxy specs) ...
I dunno, a gentleman always wears a jacket. The mini's for ladies, children and pets.
@DaBartonator - LOL! That's very true bro :-D
@Clouds - I believe that Apple Conspiracy answered your question nicely. There is a big demand for devices like this, especially with powerful hardware. This way, there is a Galaxy S3ish phone available in all sizes. The more choices, the better!
@ clouds
For your information, there is a gap in the Android market in availablity of smaller high-end phones. You can't buy small high-end phone. Many people would love to have small high-end phone but they can't. They turn to Apple instead. If you want smaller phone, you need to make a compromise in terms of hardware, so this Mini idea certainly makes sense.
I don't like this mini idea. If you don't like a big phone, then buy a smaller one! Why it has to be the same exactly like the S3? Besides, 90% of all phones in the market, are around 4 inch or even smaller.
what about the Galaxy note 2?! That makes all phone mini!
@Baron - That's exactly what I thought! LOL! I guess the iPhone 3GS was "ultra micro" then :-D
Funny.... calling a phone with a 4" screen a mini!!! So the original Galaxy S 1 is also a "mini" phone and the old iPhones are ..... micro?
THAT is EXACTLY what Im curious about Chris. I mean, they should have no issues packing powerful hardware into a 4 inch phone. 4 inches isn't THAT small!
Oh yeah, almost forgot; we will only buy this if it has similar specs as the original S3.
@Christopher - Then this should be right up her alley! :-D
This is exactly what I was waiting for for my wife. She wants a new phone, but wants one she can manage with her small hands. Good job Sammy..