We tested the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

After the success of its flagship, Samsung has followed the same strategy as last year and opted for the launch of a reduced version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 . The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini promises the same user experience as its older brother, but boasting a much more compact chassis and not so advanced features. 4.3 inch, processor dual core or chamber eight megapixels are some performance most prominent; as are the smart functions it equips. We have tested the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, this is what we found.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

screen

4.3 inches is a more than acceptable size for a mid-range smartphone. Its surface is large enough to view content clearly and without feeling the claustrophobic effect of smaller screens, but at the same time it is very comfortable to operate with one hand. The screen of the little one from Samsung looks very good, the Super AMOLED technology does not disappoint and offers us very sharp and colorful images, perhaps a little saturated as we are used to. The resolution is qHD -that is, 960 x 540 pixels-, more than enough for the dimensions of the panel.

Samsung has included the system known as Adapt Display and adjusts, not only the brightness, but also the hue or saturation according to the light conditions that it detects through the front sensor and the task we are doing. Thanks to this system it looks pretty good when we are in full sunlight and the same happens when we look at it from the side.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Design and handling

Samsung has literally traced the design of its flagship but in a more compact chassis, almost as if it had been reduced. The first impression is that it is smaller than expected, especially for users who come from much larger smartphones. However, the effect of the size is also due to the fact that the screen is very close to the edges, so it seems smaller. The feeling when holding it in the hand is very good, the terminal is light , thinand can be operated seamlessly with one hand. Likewise, we hardly notice when we carry it in our pocket and sometimes it is a bit difficult to find it in our bag if we have not been careful to store it in a compartment.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Samsung continues to bet on a polycarbonate chassis with this model, a very resistant and light type of plastic. The front part is covered in resistant glass and maintains the same button configuration as all the Galaxy series terminals: the home button in the center (in this case it is finished with a silver border) and the two capacitive keys to open menus and back to the sides. At the top, to the right of the Samsung logo, are the proximity and ambient light sensors, next to it is the front camera. The volume buttons are on the left side and on the right is the power and sleep key. The back is finished with a woven effectwhich gives it a certain resemblance to carbon fiber. As always , the housing is detachable from the inside can remove the battery and insert the SIM or memory card MicroSD .

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Photo and video camera

The results obtained by the camera of the  Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini are very good, much better than in other terminals of the same range, but above all we liked the many options offered by the Camera application. We remember that the rear sensor of the terminal has eight megapixels and allows recording FullHD videos . The images obtained in bright light, eg at noon on sunny day, are crisp , colors are accurate and range of light and shadow is very varied(In the images we see that there are no very black areas or other very burned areas) The night mode also works well in moments when light is scarce , after capturing the image it processes it and eliminates the noise , the result is that the image appears much smoother, the bad thing is that it desaturates the colors a bit but it does not fade either. can ask for more. The videos are also very crisp and colorful, image stabilization minimizes shaking, but as long as they are not very violent.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

As we said, we have been pleasantly surprised by the functions of the camera. The modes are very varied and we find from the classic automatic , the aforementioned night mode, sports mode for moving objects, panoramic and HDR . Within this section we can also choose other more complex shooting modes such as Best face that allows us to shoot five photos to then choose the best faces, Best Photo that chooses the best of a series of eight, Beauty Face applies a filter to soften the skin and also continuous shooting that shoots a burst of20 images in a row.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Power and autonomy

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini mounts inside a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor at 1.7 gigahertz clock speed, and is also supported by 1.5 Gb of RAM. The general operation is very fluid and all the animations are reproduced smoothly and without the annoying jumps of less powerful mobiles, quite the opposite. The compact version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is also up to the task in this regard and ensures a smooth running of all its applications. In general, the terminal responds very well in situations in which we demand more resources, for example when opening several applications at the same timeWe did not notice any type of slowdown -not so much in temperature, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini heats up when we use it for a long time , but nothing alarming.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has a 1,900 milliamp battery , a capacity that in principle is enough to withstand a couple of days without going through the plug, but that if we give a moderate use to the terminal and we are connected to WiFi networks . If we give a more intensive use downloading applications, using mobile networks and other more complex tasks (for example the GPS) the load reaches quite low levels at the end of the day. In our case, we charged the battery in the morning and, after a day using the mobile connection, at night we already had to use the charger.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Operating system and functions

Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is the version with which Samsung has vitaminized its mini-flagship, one of the most current deliveries of the moment and which ensures us to be up to date with all the news. As always, Samsung adorns the system with its Touchwiz interface , which is also practically identical to that of its older brother. We see that it has the same animations when unlocking the screen and that its Settings menu is organized by tabs and not in a list as in previous versions. The appearance of the interface is the same as always and it has the brand's own widgets , which can also be placed on the lock screen.

Smart functions are the standard of Samsung mobiles and the  Galaxy S4 Mini also includes some of them such as Smart Stay, a system that detects when we are looking at the screen and keeps it on. It also allows you to accept calls by bringing the phone to your ear or controlling the terminal with the palm of your hand. It also has other lifestyle-focused features like S Travel that recommends destinations around the world, the Story Album photo album, the S Translator translator and the S Voice voice assistant .

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Feedback

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini delivers on its promise and manages to emulate its older brother's user experience quite well. Both the design and the user interface are traced and the handling is practically the same. The chassis is more compact than expected , but it is not a negative since the screen is quite generous and everything is clear. We are facing a very balanced device that bets on more advanced components than other similar mobiles, something that is reflected in the final price. The camera and the screenThey are the two most satisfactory points of its entire technical profile, but the rest of the data is not far behind. In short, it is the perfect smartphone for users who are looking for the latest functions but do not want a device that is too broad.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini reviews

Data sheet

StandardGSM / GPRS / EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

3G (HSPAï¼ ‹42Mbps): 850/900/1900/2100 MHz

4G (LTE Cat 3 100 / 50Mbps): up to 6 different band sets

Weight and measurements124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94 millimeters and 107 grams

Dual SIM version 108 grams

Memory8 GB of internal memory (5Gb available)

Expandable up to 64GB with microSD cards

1.5 GB RAM

screen

Super AMOLED capacitive multi-touch

4.3 inches (540 x 960 pixels)

16 million colors

Samsung Adapt Display Technology

Camera8 megapixel sensor

Autofocus

LED flashes

Functions: Sound & Shot, night mode, Best Photo, Best Face, Beauty Face, HDR, Panorama. sports mode, continuous shooting, geo-tagging, face detector.

Video recording in FullHD 1080p at 30 fps

Secondary front camera 1.9 megapixels

MultimediaPlay music, video and photos

Supported formats: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, VC-1, VP8, WMV7 / 8, Sorenson Spark, MP3, AMR-NB / WB, AAC / AACï¼ ‹/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis (OGG), FLAC , apt-X

Group Play: share music, photos, m documents and games.

Samsung Adapt Sound Technology

Controls and connectionsAndroid 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system

Samsung TouchWiz Nature

1.7 GHz dual-core processor

Mobile Internet: 3G / LTE (depending on markets)

Wifi

GPS + Glonass

Bluetooth 4.0

NFC (LTE version only)

Infrared port

MicroUSB

Headphone minijack

Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, Compass Functions: Story Album, S Translator, S Travel, S Health, S Voice, Samsung KNOX, Google services.

Autonomy1,900 mAh battery
Price400 euros (approx.)
+ infoSamsung

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