Samsung seems to be following a similar path with its Galaxy S4 as it did with its Galaxy S3. Samsung Galaxy S3 was released in May, 2012 and topped the smartphone sales chart last year. A few months post launch of Samsung Galaxy S3, a smaller version of it was released, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.
The latter was much more affordable, smaller and possessed fewer specs. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 in March. However, due to its increased demand after spectacular performance of its predecessor, the beast observed a delay with its release in the U.S. It was supposed to release in the first half of April, but had to compensate with its increasing demand and pre-order rates and thus, was launched late in April.
Galaxy S4 Mini Carriers – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular
AT&T launched it at stores and online on 27th April and Sprint followed the same, T-Mobile released it online on 29th April and in stores on 8th and 15th May. US Cellular released it online first and then in stores on 30th April, whereas Verizon was the last to make it available at stores on 30th May. Samsung did not make any official announcement at the launch ceremony of Samsung Galaxy S4 on its smaller version, the S4 mini, but considering Samsung’s approach with Galaxy S3, rumors surrounding the S4 Mini have already hit the tech-forums. Here, we are going to take a look at some of the fantastic features of the already-launched Samsung Galaxy S4 and compare it with those of the rumored-to-release Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Release Date
The Samsung Galaxy S4 was released in April and the S4 Mini is rumored to make its release later this summer, between 15th to 21st July. Obviously the tinnier version will be similar to its larger flagship, but possess fewer specs and would be priced less. However, Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini managed to impress consumers last year just like its larger flagship device, Galaxy S3 did. So, it’s worth organizing a competition between Samsung Galaxy S4 and the S4 Mini this year.
Outlook and Design
Samsung Galaxy S4 is quite similar in its design with its predecessor. However, Samsung has twisted some of its external specs in order to make it more attractive and eye-catching than its antecedent. A metal-like band wraps the S4, which enhances its outlook. The Galaxy S4 is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor weighing only 4.59 oz. Samsung Galaxy S4 inherits the typical home button from S3 for faster navigation and its top middle portion features a speaker grille. Obviously, the Galaxy S4 Mini will be smaller than its larger flagship. However, it is predicted that the eye-catching metal-like coat will not be present in the tinnier version and the Mini will also feature a pushback and menu button.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a capacitive touchscreen Super AMOLED, 16 M colors display and the S4 Mini will possess a similar sort of display. Galaxy S4 comes with a 5.0 inches display (1080*1920 pixels) with a pixel density of 441 ppi. The S4 Mini is rumored to possess a 4.3 inches display (540*960 pixels) with a pixel density of 256 ppi. As other Samsung smartphones of the Galaxy series, both S4 and S4 Mini will be powered by multitouch capacity. The Galaxy S4 is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, whereas the protection factor in S4 Mini is still unconfirmed.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S4 possesses a 13 MP camera with a resolution of 4128*3096 pixels. This boastful camera is capacitated with LED flash and autofocus. The S4 Mini will possess an 8MP camera of 3264*2448 pixel resolution. Galaxy S3 featured an 8MP camera of the same resolution that is rumored to be inherited by the Galaxy S4 Mini. S3 Mini possessed a 5MP camera of 2592*1944 pixels resolution. S4 Mini’s camera specs will be limited to geo-tagging and touch focus but the S4’s camera will be powered by simultaneous High Definition image and video recording capacity, image stabilization, smile and face detection and HDR alongside touch focus and geo-tagging.
Memory
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will possess a microSD card slot capacitated with up to 64 GB memory, whereas the microSD card slot in S4 Mini will feature a storage capacity of up to 32 GB. The larger S4 will be powered by 2 GB internal storage capacity and its tinnier versions’ internal memory storage capacity will be subtracted by 1GB, similar to the difference between their respective predecessors, the S3 and S3 Mini. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in 64/32/16 GB models, whereas, the Mini will arrive in three different models of 32/16/8 GB.
OS and CPU
The Samsung Galaxy S4 runs on Android Jelly Bean v4.2.2 and of course, the S4 Mini will be functioning on the same OS. The larger flagship smartphone will be powered by 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Cortex A-15 and 1.2 GHz Quad Core Cortex A-7 processor. The Galaxy S4 Mini is rumored to possess a 1.6 GHz dual core processor. The S4 comes with an A-GPS support and GLONASS and the S4 Mini is assumed to possess the same. The S4 Mini is also being rumored to support JAVA through MIDP emulator just like its larger version.
Colors
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is available in shades of white mist and black frost, whereas the S4 Mini is supposed to be available in shades of blue, white and titan gray.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is being priced differently by various carriers in the U.S. But its predecessor had a fixed on-contract price of $199.99. The 16 GB model of Galaxy S4 has been priced at $199.99 by US Cellular and AT&T. AT&T has priced the 32 GB S4 model at $250, but Verizon and Sprint will be pricing it at the same rate off-contract. A tiny mail-in rebate will let Verizon bring down the price by $50 and Sprint will knock down the price to $199.99 for individuals fetching in a new line. The price of Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is certainly unconfirmed but obviously would be lower in cost than its larger flagship device. The Galaxy S3 Mini was launched at an on-contract price of $80 and S4 Mini’s price is assumed to be somehow similar to that.
Now, it solely depends on you, whether you will purchase the Samsung Galaxy S4 or wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to arrive.