It's safe to say that with the release Samsung Galaxy S3 attitude towards the Korean company has changed significantly, both on the part of users and on the part of other smartphone manufacturers. It was the first smartphone that at the same time had nothing to do with the iPhone and was distinguished by a very interesting and distinctive design. High-quality assembly, good materials, impressive speed, coupled with a powerful camera and an excellent display put the Galaxy S3 on a par with the "apple" smartphone, and the recent addition to the Galaxy family will only strengthen Samsung's position.
What is Samsung for Galaxy Mini?
The question is, of course, interesting, especially in an era when manufacturers are trying by hook or by crook to increase the displays of their gadgets. However, oddly enough, among users mobile devices there are enough people who, due to a conservative attitude or simply not understanding the constant race of screens, usually prefer more compact models with a smaller diagonal. In fact, for a comfortable Internet surfing, a screen of four inches is more than enough - if, of course, everything is in order with the resolution.
Of course, 800 * 480 - Samsung resolution The Galaxy S 3 Mini is pretty standard, but the display quality is acceptable. However, to be honest, the display does not stand up to any comparison with a screen that can really be called outstanding. Maybe it's PenTile technology, which is known to have as many haters as there are supporters, but the mediocre display is most likely due to the price of the phone - the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is aimed at the budget segment, which is another good and reasonable answer. to the question of why it was necessary to make a clone of the "senior" apparatus.
Why Samsung Galaxy S 3 Mini is good: The first and important advantage of the novelty is preinstalled Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the most current version of the operating system from Google. Also, an undoubted advantage can be called the design, which is almost completely copied from Samsung design Galaxy S 3. The only thing, the "younger brother" suddenly turned out to be a little thicker - almost a millimeter, but this is not at all striking.
It is also worth noting the good assembly - the phone is very pleasant to hold in the hand, it is quite light (115 grams), but at the same time it is pleasantly weighty, it gives the impression of a kind of small monolithic, perfectly assembled structure. Nothing creaks, no crunches, all gaps are in perfect condition - in a word, it is simply impossible to find fault with materials and assembly.
The pluses include the expansion for a memory card (up to 32 gigabytes), and this despite the fact that the phone has its own 8 or 16 gigabyte storage. The final volume can thus be increased to 48 gigabytes, and this is certainly an excellent figure for a device of this class.
Cons of Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini: There are not so many obvious disadvantages of the phone. Perhaps, the first of them can be called the price that Eurovest has already announced for PCT phones. It will be 16 thousand rubles. Considering that the Samsung Galaxy S 3 Mini was planned precisely as a budget device, and in many respects the calculation was carried out for people who do not want or cannot pay almost a thousand dollars for the older version. However, the price of 16 thousand has absolutely nothing to do with the budget segment and, perhaps, this will alienate many potential buyers. However, no one canceled gray phones - Internet shops, Russian and foreign, are full of smartphones from the USA and Europe, the price of which corresponds to reality.
Also, the disadvantages can still be attributed to the display, looking at which, you understand that AMOLED can be very different. Of course, this is far from the worst screen on the market, but everyone clearly expected something better from Samsung.
Specifications.
The heart of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is the ST-Eriscsson dual-core processor with clock frequency 1 gigahertz. In principle, this is quite enough for correct work systems, however, you will not have to dream of any super speeds. The same can be said for gigabytes. random access memory.
The 5-megapixel camera, in general, takes very good pictures, including in the dark - this, by the way, is a distinctive feature of Samsung phones. Korean smartphones have best cameras among all Android smartphones, and this time the manufacturer did not disappoint either. However, 5 megapixels are still lowered from heaven to earth - some high-quality pictures cannot be taken with such a phone, but it is quite possible to replenish your album with new photos from friendly gatherings or a trip abroad. In addition, this camera is capable of high-quality panorama shooting.
There is not much to say about a removable 1500 mAh battery, but it will most likely be enough for one day of intensive use, since Samsung would hardly equip a mid-range device with an advanced battery. If they have any new developments in this area, we will only see them on the flagship models.
Samsung Galaxy S 3 Mini meets all modern requirements - the presence of NFC, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b / g / n), A-GPS. In a word, the Korean company has turned out to be a kind of strong middle peasant.
Bottom line. Given the official price for Russian market The Samsung Galaxy S 3 Mini is a very controversial smartphone. However, comparing it with competitors in its price niche, you understand that the new product looks preferable - a bright design, latest version Android, decent camera and decent performance. Of course, this smartphone in no way can become a replacement for the Samsung Galaxy S 3 - apart from the appearance and the name they have, in fact, nothing in common - however, it is ideal for people who want to purchase a new and promising product at a reasonable price. After all, it is quite possible to actively use the Internet, listen to music, watch videos and play demanding games on the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.
Even before the official Galaxy announcement S3 Mini information about it appeared on the net, and the general impression of this device was that it costs prohibitively expensive, its specifications do not boggle the imagination, and in the presence of the flagships of the previous season, there is no room for it. These statements are quite fair and have a foundation, but with one caveat. If we are talking about those who follow the mobile phone market and understand it at least approximately, and not about those who do not follow the market, but research it before buying a device and choose the best options.
In the past, a lot of devices appeared on the market that were not optimal in terms of price / quality ratio, for example, the Galaxy Ace, which at the time of its release was significantly more expensive than the models of previous seasons. But this device, even with such a noticeable margin, became a bestseller in a very short time. Why? The answer lies in who bought it - people who are far from understanding the market and who have not chosen technical specifications, and the phone for a certain amount. This is the most standard story in stores selling phones - a person comes up with the idea that he wants a phone for such and such an amount, perhaps of such and such a brand, and with approximately the following characteristics (characteristics do not mean the number of cores in a processor, but the quality of the camera , music and the like). This is the most grateful buyer, since he is not interested in comparative analysis, but chooses what he is recommended or can sell. These people are guided by whether they like the device or not, and whether they are satisfied with its cost or not. In the case of the Galaxy Ace, it is possible that the success was due to a certain similarity of the device with Apple iPhone, outwardly they are easily distinguishable, but something like that is present in the appearance.
For 2012, Samsung is sticking to the design line first introduced with the Galaxy S3, and the phones look similar but differ in size. The flagship of the company has unprecedented high sales, and each decrease in price increases the volume of its sales. It is a flagship in every sense, it gives the company maximum profit. By copying this device in terms of design, Samsung hopes that at a lower price it will be chosen by those who value small size. In fact, we are not talking about the flagship at all, but about one of the passing products, which will become popular only after the price reduction and, apparently, after 8-9 months from the start of sales. We have seen this for a number of other Samsung products.
The prefix "Mini" fully describes the dimensions of the phone, it is really small, especially against the background of its older brother.
Unfortunately, its characteristics do not boggle the imagination - an ordinary TFT screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and a diagonal of 4 inches. The built-in memory is not 16 GB, but about 5 GB plus a memory card. The camera is only 5 megapixels. But the platform from ST Ericsson has a dual-core processor with maximum frequency each core at 1 GHz. Budgetary, but quite productive solution. These characteristics can be found in many models that are already on the market and cost 10-12 thousand rubles. For example, the Galaxy S2 and its various clones from Samsung have the best characteristics and a price comparable to the Galaxy S3 Mini. And they have not disappeared from the market anywhere. From the point of view of common sense, there is no point in buying the S3 Mini. Especially if you have a cheap Galaxy S3 (the difference is not so great in price, but in the quality of products and functionality it is huge).
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In my opinion, it is worth saying that the S3 Mini is a niche solution that is intended to expand the line, and nothing more. This product will not be able to compete with the original S3, even taking into account the lower price. Find in the market more more functional models will not be difficult. This product is designed for those who know about S3, but for some reason do not buy it (most likely, it does not fit into the price, but wants a phone from the last season). We are value conscious different models, their functionality can grumble and predict a loud failure for this device, but this will not happen. The majority who buy phones simply do not care about our opinion and choose according to the scenario described above, this must be understood. And therefore, quite tangible sales of the Galaxy S3 Mini are secured. But they only became possible thanks to the success of the Galaxy S3.
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P.S. I admit that I don't see any point in writing in detail about this model yet, closer to the start of sales you can read full overview and comparison with other models.
Eldar Murtazin ()
Samsung has decided to take full advantage of the Galaxy S III brand. In this regard, a large number of mobile phones with this name appear in store shelves. True, in technically they all have nothing to do with the original. Here is our test Samsung Galaxy S III mini from the same number. Why is it interesting and is it worth the attention of buyers?
Samsung Galaxy S III mini is presented to us as a smaller version of the popular smartphone 2012. In fact, apart from the design, the device has nothing to do with. In technical terms, we have a completely different apparatus. Processor, chip, memory - everything is much lower here.
Compensation for such a pseudo can only be the price, but the novelty is only 4,000 cheaper than the original.
Dimensions. Contents of delivery
id = "sub0">The dimensions of the Samsung GS III mini do not look excessive, and it cannot be called miniature either. They are rather optimal: 121.55x63.00x9.9 mm. Weight - 120 grams. The device fits well in the hand, it does not tend to fall out or slip out. You can easily carry your smartphone in a pocket of trousers, jeans, a shirt or a bag.
The delivery set includes:
- Samsung i8190 Galaxy S III mini phone
- Battery 1500 mAh, Li-Ion
- Charger (microUSB)
- Stereo headset with 3.5mm mini-jack
- Computer sync cable
- Instructions
Design, construction
id = "sub1">The appearance of the smartphone is fully consistent with the design. Here you can see the rounded corners of the case. The decor is minimalist. There is a lot of gloss on the front, as well as on the back. Back cover plastic. It can be easily removed.
Samsung i8190 comes in two flavors: sea pebbles and white marble.
Almost the entire front part of the device is occupied by a touchscreen display. Above it is a speaker hole. To the left is a camera for video calls and all kinds of sensors and sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, G-sensor.
Below the screen there is a menu button - in the center and two touch keys of the context menu and return one level. Everything is standard here. In terms of ease of use, the controls do not differ from those in other Samsung smartphones.
The back surface is made of plastic, stylized as brushed metal. Thanks to this, fingerprints, scuffs and cuts are not visible. It houses a 5 megapixel camera, an LED flash that can be used as a flashlight, and a speaker for external calls and music playback.
On the right side there is a power on / off and phone lock button, and on the left side there are volume keys. There are no camera buttons here, the camera application for shooting can only be launched from the menu.
At the top there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. A standard microUSB connector is on the bottom. There is also a microphone.
The lithium-ion battery is located under the battery cover. We also have a SIM card holder and a microSD card slot.
The build quality of the Samsung i8190 is good. During the test, no external defects were found. The impressions are extremely positive. Galaxy S III mini is assembled at a factory in South Korea.
Screen. Graphic capabilities
id = "sub2">Samsung Galaxy S III has an excellent Super AMOLED screen with a 4-inch diagonal and a resolution of 480x800 pixels (233 ppi). However, the device is harshly criticized for its relatively low resolution. However, the display is characterized by high contrast, brightness and color reproduction.
The available matrix provides viewing angles close to maximum. When exposed to direct sunlight, the screen fades a little, but remains easy to read.
The Samsung Galaxy S III mini display supports multi-touch.
In fact, we are dealing with a screen that was installed in the top models of the Korean company a couple of years ago, but today it has dropped into the segment of mid-range devices.
Keypad and information input
id = "sub3">Entering information, as well as writing texts and dialing numbers is done using the touch screen.
There are two options for typing texts in the Samsung Galaxy S III mini: a vertical and horizontal QWERTY keyboard. In the first version, the buttons are small, and therefore it is not very convenient to type text.
But in the horizontal orientation, the buttons are large and allow you to type text without problems. The language is changed by pressing the "space" key, only in the settings you must first select the main languages.
Menu. Interface and navigation
id = "sub4">Samsung Galaxy S III mini runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. The software can be updated over the Internet.
In standby mode, up to seven desktops are available to the user. In order to remove or add them, you need to press the context button and select the "Change" item. Then you can work with desktops. In addition, there are "live" wallpapers.
In turn, the user can add additional program shortcuts, bookmarks or widgets to any of the desktops. To do this, just click the context button and select the "Add" item. In the future, individual programs can be grouped by meaning, for example, photos, videos and YouTube in one screen, and calendar and notes in another. At the same time, the speed of access to these services increases several times.
A long continuous press on the top of the screen activates the notification panel. It displays the current date, operator name and other supporting information. Notification panel on Samsung Galaxy S III mini announces new voice messages, messages Email, Gmail, and more. There is also an opportunity to quickly enable such functions as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, sound, auto-rotate.
The menu can be accessed by clicking on the "Applications" item at the bottom right of the screen. The menu of the tested phone is represented by default with three screens that can be scrolled. These are all diverse applications. Long press on an application shortcut will move it to the desktop. To remove a shortcut from the desktop, you need to do the opposite. There is also a "Widgets" tab, from where you can add useful information directly to your smartphone desktop.
The lock screen in the Galaxy S III mini is implemented in the same way as in the SGS III. To unlock the device, you just need to slide your finger across the screen. In addition, there are intelligent control functions.
If you activate them, the device will not go into "sleep" mode as long as the user is looking at it. The front camera is used for face recognition. The manufacturer honestly warns that Smart Standby may not work in the dark. However, under normal conditions, the function also does not always work correctly. It seems that an eye icon appears on the notification panel (that is, the camera recognizes that they are looking at the screen at the moment), but sometimes the display backlight still turns off after a specified period of time.
Telephone functions
id = "sub5">First of all, these include "Phone", "Contacts", "Messages". They are all at the bottom of the main Galaxy screen S III mini.
The Contacts application stores detailed information about phone numbers and subscribers. A specific record can have two dozen fields, be it last name, first name, patronymic, mobile number, home phone number, email address, date of birth or personal ID, Skype, etc. The search in contacts occurs at once in all fields of the client, that is, you can dial the number, first name, last name, etc. The profile of each subscriber can now be linked to his social media accounts.
During incoming call the screen displays a photo and the number of the subscriber from the phone book, or, if the subscriber is not known, a picture of a green man.
Text and multimedia messages are grouped by subscriber. By clicking on a specific contact, you can view the history of correspondence with this person.
Internet and Google services
id = "sub6">The default browser uses updated Webkit and JavaScript. In addition, the browser supports Adobe flash and does everything a progressive browser should do.
The device is fully integrated with Google services such as Gmail, Picasa, Google Talk, Google maps, YouTube and of course google search... The user only has to indicate the data of his account Google and that's it.
Working tools include " Google calendar". It allows you to view events by date, time and action. The service is a high-quality planner-organizer, all in one. All events can be divided into groups with corresponding fields. All information is stored on a Google server.
Multimedia capabilities
id = "sub7">Item "Music" - music audio player. You can view and listen to audio tracks. The following file formats are supported: MP3, AMR, AAC, AAC +, e-AAC +. There is support for OMA DRM. There is a sorting by artist, album, genre, composer.
A regular headset is included in the package. Thanks to the 3.5 mm jack, you can pick up any headphones.
The "Video" item displays videos taken both by the camera of the device and downloaded from the Internet.
A kind of thematic browser of photo and video files is the item "Gallery". All files are divided into folders: photo and video clips, music.
For ease of management, the settings are divided into several sections: “ Wireless networks"(Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile network and data network), "Device" (setting up applications, power, personalization), "Personal data" (setting up social services and accounts), "System".
Camera. Photo and video capabilities
id = "sub8">The main camera allows you to take pictures with a resolution of up to 2592x1944 and record HD video at 30 frames per second.
The camera has a standard set of settings. Volume buttons are responsible for zooming in / out of the image. In comparison with the previous models, there are also improvements. They mainly touched on the color reproduction of images, as well as the ability to select the focus point on the screen with a touch.
Auto contrast allows you to get good picture quality on a bright sunny day. V manual mode ISO settings are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800. The following shooting modes are available: single shot, smile detection, continuous, panorama, vintage, portrait, landscape, night mode, sports, indoor, beach / snow, sunset, dawn , autumn colors, fireworks, text, dusk, against light.
The quality of the images is quite average. It loses much to SGS III.
The settings also have special shooting effects a la crooked mirror, which are applied directly in the process. That is, the picture is processed in real time, and the smartphone thereby demonstrates its computing power.
The phone supports video recording in mpeg4 format for maximum resolution, and in the settings you can specify whether the video will be recorded with or without sound. All settings are comparable to those for photos, but video resolutions are different, plus effects are supported. The camera can shoot videos with a resolution of 1280x720, 720x480 pixels (30 frames), or a resolution of 640x480 pixels (30 frames). Two additional resolutions - 320x240 and 176x144 pixels.
The video recorded is not bad. It looks adequate on a phone screen, and it looks more or less on a computer.
Photos and videos can be viewed from the Multimedia menu. Photos and videos are displayed in the form of thumbnails, the list opens very quickly, there are no delays even with a large number of pictures or images. In the gallery, you can flip through photos by tilting the phone in one direction or another. All this became thanks to the built-in accelerometer.
Memory and speed
id = "sub9">A version of the smartphone with 8 GB memory is still available in stores. This volume can be expanded by using microSD memory cards.
The performance of the Galaxy S III mini is quite comfortable. The device runs on the NovaThor U8420 platform with a 2-gigahertz processor, Mali-400MP graphics and 1 GB of RAM. There is enough RAM to ensure that no application feels left out. In addition, multitasking is supported for all applications.
Communication capabilities
id = "sub10">In addition to the standard connection to a computer via microUSB, the Galaxy S III mini has Bluetooth 3.0 support. Bluetooth provides wireless connection peripheral devices: for example, stereo A2DP / AVRCP headsets.
When connected to the USB port, there are several connection options: Media, Charge Only, Storage, Samsung Keis. In the Storage mode, the device is perfectly picked up without additional drivers, you can copy the necessary data.
As for Kies, this is an analogue of iTunes only very, very raw. The program is inconvenient, and most importantly, it often crashes due to errors, or simply refuses to perform this or that action. In general, Kies is something that you don't need to install on your computer.
returning to communication capabilities It is worth noting that it supports packet data transmission using GPRS and EDGE class 32 technologies, as well as third generation networks with HSPA + support. The phone can be used as a modem with up to 21 Mbps downstream traffic.
This model, everything about it was great except for the price. A reduced copy of the flagship smartphone was called plainly - Samsung Galaxy S III mini, and a price tag of 4299 hryvnia was hung. And okay, the S III mini was really reduced a copy of Samsung i9300, but it is not. The characteristics were significantly inferior to the top model, only the design and interface were common. We decided to find out what impressions the younger S III leaves behind and whether he is worthy of being evaluated in an amount commensurate with the original.
Design and ergonomics
Given the fact that with each new device Samsung more and more blurs the line that separates one model from another, the Samsung Galaxy S III mini could also be called the Samsung Galaxy S Duos. It is also similar to the S III, and the S III mini and S Duos can be distinguished only by the presence of the inscription on the upper part of the latter's case. If you still look at the device from all sides, you really find a lot in common. This is the design of the sides, the shape of the rim around the lens of the main camera, the location of the notch for removing the rear panel, the Micro-USB connector, the shape of the hardware key and the earpiece mesh and, in fact, the materials used. Among the differences: a different arrangement of proximity sensors, lighting, front camera, flash and multimedia speaker, and, of course, dimensions. If the original has a 4.8 "display, then the reduced copy is some 4". Another feature that unites the model, here the truth must be immediately made an amendment - this applies to the majority Samsung devices, is the build quality - it is on good level... There are no creaks or backlash. Gorilla Glass is coated with an oleophobic layer to prevent fingerprints. The rear removable panel is made in the same style as in, that is, from glossy plastic. Scratches and greasy stains from fingers quickly appear on it. Looking under the removable panel, you can find a battery of modest capacity of 1500 mAh, under which there is a slot for memory cards, a slot for SIM-cards of the usual mini format, and that's all.
Due to its small size, the smartphone fits comfortably in the hand. The power button is located on the right side, while the opposite is the volume rocker. The bezel on the sides of the display is much smaller than devices with a similar diagonal, but here, as in latest models LG smartphones in white color of the case, went to the trick - between the edge of the frame and the display there is short distance, which is invisible when the display backlight is off.
Interface and software
Samsung Galaxy S III mini - one of the few devices running on the operating room Android system 4.1.1 out of the box. Paired with the current one (except for Android 4.2, which so far is only on Nexus devices) operating system the smartphone has the latest version of the proprietary shell - Nature UX - the same as in the Samsung Galaxy S III. With this in mind, the smartphone user really gets a smaller copy of the original interface.
The only thing that didn't seem quite convenient to us was the keyboard. Perhaps the whole point is that we are accustomed to devices with a larger display. Given the fact that the smartphone is designed for young people and women, this drawback cannot be considered serious. In addition, there were no complaints from the girl who passed with the smartphone for several days. There were no complaints about the quality of the connection either. The speaking and call speakers are loud, but with musical abilities, not everything is so simple. The sound produced is only slightly "simpler" than what we heard in HTC Desire SV, but with loudness they have parity. And here and there, its level is insufficient to enjoy music in the subway without extraneous noise from the outside, even taking into account the presence of good earplugs.
Hardware platform
Even before the appearance of official information, there were rumors that the smartphone would have a quad-core processor, a capacious battery and other delights that could arouse interest not only from young people, but also those users for whom performance is important. The reality turned out to be somewhat different. The Samsung Galaxy S III mini uses a NovaThor U8500 system-on-a-chip with a 1GHz dual-core processor, Mali-400 MP graphics chip and 1GB of RAM. All this allows the smartphone to perform well in performance tests.
The most important thing is that with a 1500 mAh battery, the smartphone showed excellent results in operating time, gaining 810 points in Antutu Tester, thereby climbing to the second line of the rating. The operating time at maximum load was 4.5 hours. The user can count on 8 hours of video viewing or two or three days of work with a less intensive load, which includes several tens of minutes of calls a day, an hour of listening to music and work in a 3G network.
Display and camera
As good as Super AMOLED displays can be, they can be just as bad. The smartphone has a Super AMOLED matrix with all the ensuing consequences, including the reference black color, rich shades, good viewing angles and PenTile. You don't need a microscope to spot the latter. A person with good eyesight sees it from a familiar distance. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of automatic brightness control, because physically, judging by the number of holes on the case, the light sensor is present.
The quality of the camera is comparable to the first generation of the Galaxy S family, in fact, the capabilities of the camera are exactly the same. The maximum image resolution is 5 MP, the maximum resolution of the recorded video is 1280x720 pixels. The same characteristics are in the flagship of bada smartphones - Samsung Wave III. Interestingly, these three devices use not only a similar camera module, but also the type of display, including diagonal and resolution. Probably, in this way, Samsung decided to give another life to the "oldies", collecting stale components, placing them all in a new case.
You can evaluate the quality of the camera using the following examples.
An example of 5 MP photos taken smartphone Samsung Galaxy S III mini
Outcomes
Despite all the advantages, a close acquaintance with the Samsung Galaxy S III mini did not reveal to us the secret of such a high price. Probably, Samsung already feels so good in the global market that now the only thing left is to increase the perception of its brand as a manufacturer of expensive but high-quality equipment. With this, the smartphone is doing well. It is well assembled, has good characteristics and is ready to please the owner with a relatively considerable operating time. The camera will not disappoint, if you do not expect results comparable to the original from it. The most important thing is that all this together leaves good impressions and it is likely that as soon as the price for it falls from heaven to earth, popularity is simply guaranteed to it.
Liked
+ Compact dimensions
+ Design as original
+ The presence of a front camera
+ Speaker volume
+ Working time
Became the most successful Samsung smartphone for the entire time of the Korean company's presence in the telecommunications market. The Galaxy brand has become well recognized among users, but the presence of the letter S followed by a number in the name adds even more attractiveness to the model.
Samsung's desire to exploit the Galaxy S III brand is understandable. Just think - the word mini has appeared. The main thing is that a potential buyer sees the same flagship, only more compact and cheaper. Is it really a full-fledged modification of the older model with a minimum amount of changes, or is it still a mid-range device with a set of functions familiar to such devices?
In the Galaxy S III mini review, we compare the smartphone with a full "Troika" and find out if the differences between the two models are so great.
Appearance
The design of the Galaxy S III and its mini-version is identical - this cannot be taken away from the novelty. The same glossy plastic, the same imitation of roughly processed metal at the ends, the same smooth curves. The differences are minimal, and those that exist are not functionally justified. For some reason, the designers wanted to place sensors and front camera not to the right, but to the left of the speaker grille. Button "Home" became a little wider and longer. The flash has moved under the camera's peephole, the design of the speaker has changed. All these are cosmetic changes, they didn’t make the device more ergonomic, but they didn’t spoil it either.
All three hardware keys of the smartphone are pressed clearly and do not dangle, as in some Chinese handicraft. In terms of ease of use, the controls do not differ from those in other Samsung smartphones.
Of the frankly unsuccessful solutions, it is worth noting the strange location of the memory card slot. Many Korean devices (including the Galaxy S III) suggest "Hot" replacement of external drives, in this case, this number will not work. To get to the slot, you will not only have to remove the cover, but also take out the battery. So it's better to immediately stock up on a capacious flash drive - the built-in 8 GB (or 16 GB in the older model) will not be enough at one point, and you will get tired of quickly changing 2 GB cards.
I liked the ergonomics of the device very much. Even the large Galaxy S III fits well in the hand, and the Galaxy S III mini even feels very natural in the palm of your hand. True, in the case of the flagship, thanks for this is the very thin profile of the smartphone - the thickness of the device is only 8.6 mm. The novelty is almost 1.5 mm thicker, but due to the reduced length and width, it fits well. Due to the convex back panel, the smartphone is extremely pleasant to hold during a call. The light weight of about 110 g (the model is 20 g lighter than the older brother) adds a few points to "Karma" devices.
Galaxy S III mini just got better experience "Progenitor", although that one could not be blamed for the discomfort during work. A significant drawback is the memory card slot hidden under the battery. Apparently, it was not possible to completely constructively repeat the features of the Galaxy S III due to the more compact dimensions of the novelty.
Display
The screen is the most controversial part of the Galaxy S III mini when compared to the older device. The device got a 4 ″ Super AMOLED matrix, the resolution of which is 480 × 800 pixels (233 ppi). Compare: resolution Galaxy display The S III achieves 720 × 1280 pixels, which with a diagonal of 4.8 ″ gives a pixel density per inch of 306.
There can be no complaints about the size of the matrix. In the end, the novelty is just positioned as Galaxy versions S III with relatively small screen... Such a model will be deliberately chosen by those who, for one reason or another, do not need or do not need a giant display.
Resolution is another matter. Much depends on personal perception. If you have little experience with HD-screens or don't expect the "printing" quality of the Galaxy S III matrix from the device, then the mini display will not disappoint. On the other hand, since the smartphone was named after the flagship model, then you initially expect similar characteristics from it. When compared to the Galaxy S III, the mini's pixelation, which is usually overlooked, is clearly visible. The PenTile technology, of course, hasn't gone anywhere. Move the flagship away, do not peer, with your nose buried in the screen, at the small details on it, and the Galaxy S III mini will look passable.
According to subjective impressions, the new product uses the same matrix as the Galaxy S Advance, which, in turn, inherited the screen from the founder of the series - the very first Galaxy S. In fact, we are dealing with a display that was installed a couple of years ago in the top models of the Korean company, and today it has fallen into the segment of devices of the middle price range.
Camera
The situation is similar with the 5-megapixel camera. The photo module mini resembles the Galaxy S Advance in terms of image quality. Here, too, they want to disguise the noise as unnecessary. "Obscurity", as a result of which the detail and clarity of photographs suffer. At the same time, noise in low light conditions does not disappear anywhere. As a result, some frames are obtained not only "Cloudy" but also noisy.
Of course, the photomodule of the smartphone under review is not up to the quality of the Galaxy S III. The common matrix found in many mid-range phones is not surprising and offers what you expect from it.
The camera can shoot HD video, an example of which can be seen below.
Interface
The smartphone works under Android 4.1 s proprietary shell TouchWiz. The interface of the device is very similar to that of the Galaxy S III. Many "Chips" the older model migrated to the younger one. For example, it also has an eye tracking feature to prevent the screen from locking. It is possible to change the scale of the image by tilting the smartphone, you can pause the playback of the track by putting your hand on the screen, etc.
There are few built-in applications, the most useful of them is Chrome browser... This web browser is much more convenient to work with than the standard Android browser. The work with tabs, navigation on the page is more logical, it is possible to synchronize with the desktop application.
There is nothing new in the software functionality of the Galaxy S III mini. The main thing is the very fact that the smartphone initially runs Jelly Bean, while many competitors will have to wait a long time. official update... The system interface works noticeably faster, without the annoying slowdowns typical for previous versions Android.
Performance and time autonomous work
Déjà vu again: Galaxy S III mini is built on the NovaThor U8420 platform with a 2-gigahertz processor, Mali-400MP graphics and 1 GB of RAM. We saw something similar during preparation Galaxy review S Advance. There was also a NovaThor chip, albeit labeled U8500. The differences between the two models are minimal, except that the amount of RAM in the new item is larger. Judging by the tests, the U8420, despite the lower numeric index, slightly outperforms in performance "Colleague"... The difference, however, is minimal.
The Galaxy S III mini's interface is noticeably faster than Advance, but this is due to the more recent version of the OS, and not "gland"... Demanding games feel surprisingly great too.
And again, remember the Galaxy S Advance, which is equipped with a 1500 mAh battery. Our today's "experimental" has the same battery. The battery life of the two devices is almost identical. Galaxy Smartphone S III mini in Full HD video playback mode with switched off communications lasted for 7 hours and 20 minutes of battery life. The Advance model lasted 10 minutes longer. In daily use, both devices work for a day and a half.
conclusions
As you can see, throughout the review, we gradually moved away from comparing the mini to the Galaxy S III. In fact, the "new" smartphone is the well-known Galaxy S Advance, only in the case from Galaxy S III and with Android 4.1 "from the box".
When the first rumors about the Galaxy S III mini appeared on the web, many thought it was a smaller version of the flagship with similar specifications. Everything turned out to be even simpler. This is a regular mid-range model with older sibling design. In addition to the brand and appearance, more both devices do not have anything in common. Why did Samsung need to name the top model for the smartphone? The calculation of the Korean manufacturer is clear and simple: the power of marketing and a well-known brand will help not only sell outdated components, but also make good money on it.
The cost of the Galaxy S III mini in Belarus is still unknown. Recently, sales of the smartphone began in Europe, where the device can be purchased for about $ 450, which is about $ 50 more than Advance. For this money, the buyer receives new version Bluetooth (4.0 instead of 3.0), different body and Android 4.1 "from the box"... That's all the difference. Whether they are worth the extra $ 50 is up to buyers. It is possible that in Belarus the price difference will be even greater.
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