FollowMuch to the dismay of Samsung fans waiting to buy the Galaxy S4 Mini, Russian website Hi-Tech Mail revealed an expensive price tag for the miniature version of Samsung’s 2013 flagship. Russian pricing for the S4 Mini is 19,990 rubles which converts to about $630.
In Russia, smartphone costs are relatively higher than other parts of the world. The cost of the flagship Galaxy S4 is about 29,990 rubles, substantially higher – about two-thirds more – than the cost of S4 Mini. A dual-SIM version of S4 Mini will hit Russian shelves in June.
Meanwhile, UK retailer Handtec has announced that it is taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S4 Mini. Handtec is offering the device for £389.99 – both the black and white variants – but has not mentioned the release date yet. The device will be offered via EE, Three and Carphone Warehouse. UK carrier Three revealed a video of the S4 Mini, perhaps as a convincing evidence that it is offering the device.
Details revealed so far have not mentioned about on-contract pricing and availability. Samsung’s official announcement of the S4 Mini also failed to mention about pricing or availability. However, the available details give an idea of the S4 Mini pricing, so consumers can calculate the approximate price in their region.
Recalling the features of S4 Mini, the handset has a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, dual-core 1.7GHz processor, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera, 1,900mAh battery, and 8GB onboard storage. The device supports HSDPA and 4G connectivity.
Going by general standards, the pricing of S4 Mini is rather expensive. Google Nexus 4’s 8GB version, for instance, costs $299, a cheaper price tag despite its top-end features. Well, Samsung has yet to confirm the price of S4 Mini, but for now it seems like the device is ruled out of the budget smartphone market.
