Updates on 9th July 2013

Samsung has official launched the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini in India at a press event in Mumbai at a price of  Rs. 27,990. The phone goes on sale in India in July 2013. It has been launched in two colours- White Frost and Black Mist. More details on the S4 Mini below. You can buy Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini from Flipkart here.

Updated on 30th May 2013

Its not even a day since reports started pouring in about the specifications of the Galaxy S4 mini and so soon the smartphone has been launched in London without much fanfare. Well, global smartphone leader Samsung has announced Galaxy S4 mini, a powerful and compact version of Galaxy S4.

Galaxy S4 mini is claimed to offer superior performance and intuitive user experience, while its sleek design makes it highly portable and compact, thereby making the smartphone an ideal companion for the daily life.

Commenting at the launch, JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communication, Samsung Electronics stated, “We appreciate such unprecedented demands for the GALAXY S4 that we aimed to provide users with life companion for a fuller, richer and simpler life. And now, we want to give people more choices with GALAXY S4 mini, similar look & feel of GALAXY S4 for more compact and practical usages. The new GALAXY S4 mini provides consumers with a new way to enjoy the flagship GALAXY S4 experience.”

Specifications

Coming to the specifications, the Galaxy S4 mini measures only 107 grams in weight, hence it is lightweight and compact and is comfortable to operate with one hand. However, being compact the smartphone does not compromise on performance as it is equipped with superior specifications as mentioned below.

• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 960×540 pixels
• 1.7GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS
• 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.9-megapixel front camera
• Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, IR, NFC
• 8GB internal storage of which 5GB is user accessible, micro SD card up to 64GB, 1.5GB RAM
• 1,900 mAh battery

Availability

There are different variants of Galaxy S4 mini according to the company statement – 4G or 3G or 3G and dual SIM and these are market dependent. Likewise, Galaxy S4, the S4 mini will also come in two color options – Black Mist and White Frost. As of now, there is information on the price or the exact release date of the Galaxy S4 mini.

Moreover, the press release adds some value to the earlier rumored June 20 event in London claiming that the tech media will be invited to experience the Galaxy S4 mini at the Samsung Premiere 2013 event.

Camera Features

Galaxy S4 mini allows users to capture important moments with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.9-megapixel HD front camera. The camera comes with special features such as Sound & Shot, which can record 9 seconds of sound or voice while capturing a still image, S Travel, which provides trip information, local guides and resources and Story Album, with which users can create albums of daily events, keep special moments in one place using a timeline and publish digital albums.

Stay Connected

Galaxy S4 mini allows users to share and build true connections. Users can simultaneously listen to the same music and play the games together with friends using Group Play feature. Also, they can chat with friends, add animations, voice and video recordings to messages using ChatON.

Life Companion

With Galaxy S4 mini, life can be made simple and easy with the features like S Translator, which provides instant text or voice translation, email, text message or ChatON messages. Further, Samsung Hub provides a single entry for Samsung contents and services and users can browse through music, video, books, games and learning content as well as purchase and manage contents easily using a Samsung Account. Also, the users can control their TV, set top box and more using the WatchON IR remote control feature. Samsung Link also enables users to share content across multiple Samsung digital devices, but is available only in selected countries.

Health and Well Being

Galaxy S4 mini empowers users by keeping them up-to-date with personal health and well-being details. The S Health app can be downloaded to enable users to monitor caloric balance and health condition. Also, there are special S Health accessories that help users to calculate daily steps, monitor sleeping patterns, calculate weight and get real-time heart monitoring. Further, Adapt Display provides an optimal viewing      experience customized for each type of application and Adapt Sound offers an optimal level and type of sound, personalized for each user.

The rumors mills have been abuzz in the last month or so with images and videos leaking of an alleged rugged version of the Galaxy S4, called the Galaxy S4 Active. Today, Samsung has announced a new variant of its Galaxy S4 – Galaxy S4 Active more suited to the great outdoors.

The smartphone has a high degree of dust and water protection (IP67), allowing it to be submerged in water up to a meter deep for up to 30 minutes. Inside, it has the same 1.9GHz quad-core processor and 2,600mAh battery, nestled behind the same 5.0-inch 1080p LCD screen as its less robust cousin.

Speaking of specifications, Galaxy S4 Active flaunts a 5-inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and 443 ppi pixel density. Also, it features the Samsung’s Glove Touch technology, which allows one to use the display even when wearing gloves.

Galaxy S4 Active is powered by a 1.9GHz quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and includes features like an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 2-megapixel secondary camera, 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB using a microSD card and a 2,600mAh battery.

Connectivity-wise, the device supports 3G and includes features like Wi-Fi, IrDA, NFC, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 4.0. On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean topped with Touch-Wiz Nature UX interface and comes pre-loaded with Samsung unique software seen on the Galaxy S4 like S Travel, S Translator, Group Play, Samsung Smart Pause, Air View and Air Gesture among others.

The USP of Galaxy S4 Active is ruggedness and to help it survive in the wild, the device is water and dust resistant and the camera also has an Aqua mode which helps in clicking enhanced underwater photos.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Specs

• 5-inch full HD TFT LCD display
• 1.9GHz quad-core processor
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 8MP rear camera with LED flash
• 2MP front-facing camera
• Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory (11.25GB user memory), expandable memory up to 64GB
• IR LED, 4G /3G, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n ac, WiFi Direct, GPS, NFC
• 2,600 mAh battery

The Galaxy S4 Active comes in Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare and would go on sale this summer starting from U.S. and Sweden. It would be showcased at the Samsung Premier 2013 event in London on June 20, 2013 alongside Galaxy S4 mini.