Seoul – Samsung unveiled a scaled-down version of its flagship Galaxy S4 but didn’t announce when the new device would be available or in which countries.
JK Shin, president/CEO of Samsung’s of IT & Mobile Communication Division, said the device offers a “similar look and feel of Galaxy S4 for more compact and practical usages.”
The new Androd 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) model will be available in a version with 4G HSPA+42 and 4G LTE technology, with HSPA+42 operating in the U.S. 850/1900MHz bands and foreign 900/2100MHz bands. LTE will be available in any of six LTE bands depending on the market. A version without LTE will also be available.
Compared to the full-size S4, the Mini features 4.3-inch qHD display instead of 5-inch full-HD display, 3.77-ounce weight instead of 4.6-ounce weight, 1.7GHz dual-core processor instead of 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM versus 2GB, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n but without Wi-Fi ac, 8- and 1.9-megapixel cameras instead of 13- and 2-megapixel cameras, and 1900mAh battery instead of 2600mAh.
The new model will come with 8GB embedded memory and 64GB MicroSD Card slot.
The S4 mini lacks some key S4 features such as Smart Pause, which pauses video playback when your eyes move away from the screen, and Smart Scroll, which enable users to control scrolling via wrist movements.
Key features carried over include S Translator, which provides instant text or voice language translation of email, text messages or ChatON video chats, Group Play to enable simultaneous playback of the same song among a group of users, and ability of ChatON to add add animations, voice and video recordings to messages.
