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Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini price, release date, specs, rumors

androidpit galaxy s6 mini hero 2
© nextpit

For every Galaxy S phone, there is a corresponding Galaxy S Mini, until now. Ever since the Galaxy S6 was released we've been speculating on what might be in store for its younger sibling. The latest announcement of the 2016 Galaxy A series has finally put the rumor mill to bed: the Galaxy S6 Mini is dead. Read on to find out all we knew about the Galaxy S6 Mini price, specs, features and release date, although it looks like it will never be released at all now.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini Design

PhoneArena has given us what we think is the first real glimpse of the Galaxy S6 Mini. It's a dimly-lit photo, but it might have answered one of the key questions regarding the S6 Mini design: is it made from metal?

We think yes. There's no way to know for certain, but it looks as though it follows the Galaxy S6 design closely, including the metal chassis. The Galaxy S Mini devices do tend to mimic the design of their flagship cousins, and when the Galaxy S6 arrived with a premium glass and metal body, we were left wondering whether the Mini series would follow suit.

Quite how Samsung intends to keep the cost low while also using high-end materials, we don't know, but we may only have a few short weeks before find out. It's speculated that the phone may be announced on August 13, alongside the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S6 mini
Is this really the Galaxy S6 Mini? / © PhoneArena

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini display

This phone will be largely defined by its display size, which we initially speculated would be in the 4.5-4.7-inch region (anything above that, and there's no point in calling it a Mini). According to GFXBench, the Galaxy S6 Mini will feature a 4.6-inch 1,280 x 768 display, which is actually 0.1-inch bigger than the Galaxy S5 Mini.

This is a fair reflection of the times, with definitions of what constitutes a 'small' or 'large' phone getting broader each year. Remember when the 4.8-inch Galaxy S3 display seemed huge?!

AndroidPIT samsung s5 mini screen
The 4.5-inch S5 Mini screen was decent, but the S6 Mini looks like it'll bump it up to 4.6 inches. / © ANDROIDPIT

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini specs

Information for a phone called the 'Samsung SM-G9198' appeared on GFXBench recently, revealing a device with a 4.6-inch display, hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chipset, and 15 MP rear camera, among other things. Of course, it doesn't say 'Galaxy S6 Mini' anywhere in the leak, but the specs seem perfectly in line with what we're expecting from the phone. Here's what we know so far.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini camera

If the GFXBench leak is to be believed, then the Galaxy S6 Mini camera will be a 15 MP offering - a big jump on the 8 MP Mini cameras of the past. It will apparently be capable of Full-HD (alas, no 4K) video recording, and will have the usual host of expected features such as autofocus, face detection, HDR, and touch-focus.

samsung galaxy s6 back
Here's hoping that the S6 Mini doesn't have a protruding camera sensor like Galaxy S6 (pictured). / © ANDROIDPIT

The front camera doesn't look like a bad effort either, with the GFXBench leak claiming it will be a 4.7 MP (2,576 x 1,932) snapper - though no further camera features have been mentioned.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini features

According to GFXBench, the Galaxy S6 Mini will come with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, so it'll be right up to date upon release.

It'd be unrealistic to expect the S6 Mini to cram all the gadgets of the Galaxy S6 into its small body, but turbo charging looks like a given if it's going to use the Snapdragon 808 chipset, which features turbo-charging by default.

IMGL9078
The Galaxy S5 Mini was a spitting miniature image of the S5. / © ANDROIDPIT

Wireless charging is a bit of a gimmick for now. We think Samsung knows this too, and that it will leave that option out of the S6 Mini. The same goes for the fingerprint scanner, which is yet to prove itself as a crucial security feature. Such flashy features are usually left to the flagships.

A heartbeat monitor however, is something that could be well implemented, and we're still holding out hope that the Galaxy S6 Mini features one. The S6 Mini means is the ideal size to take with you when training, and we'd like to see Samsung take advantage of this by angling the phone towards being a fitness assistant.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini price and release date

The Galaxy S5 Mini price was initially around US$490, or £300 in the UK. The S6 Mini will likely come in at a similar price point off-contract. Samsung's tradition with its Mini series is to release them a few months after their respective flagships, so we're expecting the S6 Mini to be launched in August or September.

galaxy s6 mini galaxy s6 comparison
Will the Galaxy S6 Mini look just like a smaller Galaxy S6, or will there be more changes? We'll find out soon. / © Samsung, ANDROIDPIT

Are you impressed by the leaked specs? Do you think the S Mini series is good value for money, or is it a bit of a cash-in on the success of Samsung flagships? Let us know.

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Robert Zak

Robert Zak
UK Editor

A tech aficionado since he first picked up a NES controller, Robert has written about technology, videogames, and film across a range of sites and magazines, including Den of Geek, Gamasutra, and Computeractive. At AndroidPIT, he'll be bringing you the latest Android news and reviews from the front line in the UK.

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15 comments
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  • Steven F. 6
    Steven F. Jun 29, 2016 Link to comment

    I want a small form factor phone for my wife. My daughter is very happy with her iPhone 5se but my wife uses a S3 mini and I think that for her keeping the software paradigm of the Samsung interface is the way to go. I will seriously consider the S 6 mini


  • 1
    יהב כנפו Jul 12, 2015 Link to comment

    Wish his price will be the same.


  • 1
    Zamroni Jun 9, 2015 Link to comment

    My Z1 Compact is dead. I might be considering S6 mini if it is available before Z3+ compact.


  • 1
    Peter Gilbert May 4, 2015 Link to comment

    The mini line up is a great odea. I know people who seem to have a phobia of ditching there small buffering old phone and think of being overwhelmed by a what they think of too huge phone. Make a smaller version of a flagship and it will probably fly off the shelfs. I am fine with a bigger phone and by the way I am typing on my Galaxy Note 4 showing no fear, but on the other hand my dad has a small iPhone 4s and wants to upgrade to an Android with the fear of size and this would be the deciding factor.


  • 2
    vbx Apr 13, 2015 Link to comment

    yeah, I sold my Galaxy A3 due to the poor specs. Its an awesome phone size wise and all metal construction. I the sold my Z1 compact picked up a Galaxy A7.

    It's a decent phone, but it's huuuge. Plus it doesn't have the heartrate monitor or fingerprint sensor.

    I will probably pickup a Galaxy S6 edge mini when it comes out.

    Harry Slabbers


    • 2
      Matt Markham Apr 15, 2015 Link to comment

      I doubt very much that there will BE an S6 Edge Mini.


    • 2
      Harry Slabbers May 24, 2015 Link to comment

      Those are also my thoughts. GoodLuck and cant waite till its release


  • 1
    jedics Apr 13, 2015 Link to comment

    While the z3c is a great phone it suffers from low sound out put. Low screen brightness and worst of all a poor camera. But seeing there are so few other companies who see the market for a smaller but fully speced phone it has no competition, which is un fortunate and proves matt's point.


  • 1
    jedics Apr 8, 2015 Link to comment

    +1 to what Mark says. Sammy makes so many phones, to many and to many of them are junk imo. As 'smart' as phones have become, they are still phones that need to be held and used in one hand regularly so all these 5inch and up phones are just stupidly impractical to me but then so is buying a new phone with 2nd tier specs just because I want something of practical size.

    I got a new s4 because it was the best value (and sammy refuse to make a real mini), after 3 weeks with it and having to move it around in my hand to get to things Im really over it, two handed fine, one handed frustrating to the extreme.


  • 2
    Matt Markham Apr 6, 2015 Link to comment

    > "Samsung finally seemed to get things right with the Galaxy S5 Mini, which was a solid mid-range phone."

    How exactly is a mid-range phone "getting things right"? People who want smaller phones don't want them because they're less expensive; they want them because they just want smaller phones. They want flagship specs in a compact size. Samsung won't "get things right" until they realize this and release a Galaxy S6 Mini with the same processor, RAM, storage options, camera, and build quality as the full sized Galasy S6. The ONLY differences should be size(4.3" display instead of 5.1"), display resolution(1080p instead of QHD), and battery size(slightly smaller).

    Tulio Schutz


    • 2
      vbx Apr 13, 2015 Link to comment

      theres always the z3 compact


      • 2
        Matt Markham Apr 13, 2015 Link to comment

        I have one. It's a pretty good phone. Good enough for now, but not without its annoyances.

        But the point of Android is choice, and what other choice do we have for a flagship with a sub-4.7" screen?


      • 1
        Ralph Jun 5, 2015 Link to comment

        I would really avoid the Z3 compact. I has huge problems with glass back panel. Just google z3 cracked back.


    • Tulio Schutz 10
      Tulio Schutz May 28, 2015 Link to comment

      É exatamente isso que você falou, Matt Markham Eu tenho o S5 Mini, é o tamanho máximo. Não consigo usar aparelhos enormes.

      Steven F.


    • Tulio Schutz 10
      Tulio Schutz May 28, 2015 Link to comment

      That's exactly what you said, Matt Markham I have the S5 Mini, it is the maximum size. I can not use huge machines.

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