Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, thoroughly

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is the new addition to the catalog of the Korean firm Samsung . With the presentation of this phone, the Korean company expands its family of devices with a smartphone of the basic range , but equipped with all the technical characteristics and functions that we would ask of a smart mobile phone of today. Its appearance, as you will see, is very similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S3 that was already presented a few months ago and that has become the maximum exponent in technology within Samsung and probably also in the sector. Not surprisingly, the South Korean company has become the undisputed leader of the mobile telephony market in generaland smart telephony, in particular.

Its appearance, compact and ergonomic, is offered as an elegant but economical proposal, within the great assortment of Android devices . In fact, those who do not have the slightest intention of spending all their savings on a Samsung Galaxy S3 , but who are interested in taking Samsung's technology into their pocket , will be able to buy it . Its four-inch screen and its dual-core processor are clear indicators that we are facing a prepared and interesting phone for a very important sector of users. Next, we offer you an in-depth analysis with photos and opinions that will help you in the final choice of your new terminal. Will it be a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini? Let's go there!

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini has dimensions significantly smaller than its big brother, the Samsung Galaxy S3 : 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm . The most notable difference, however, is in weight. 115.5 grams is aimed against the 133 that the current Korean flagship has, with the battery included. But let's go to the rest of the important questions. The design, as you may have seen, is closely linked to Samsung's new philosophy , since its shapes and external architecture are very similar to that of the latest devices presented since the Samsung Galaxy S3inaugurated this new trend. We also refer, of course, to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that was presented a few days ago and that follows the steps of the aforementioned terminal. It is presented in a unique color, white , although it would not be strange if in the next few days we would see a new piece in black or even blue .

It has a four-inch screen (diagonally) that has much smaller dimensions than that of the upper terminals. In any case, this is a panel that works with the Super AMOLED technology and boasts a WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels . It has a density of 233 pixels per inch and a depth of 16 million colors , the most common in these cases. For the occasion, it seems that Samsung has not mounted on the glass any layer of protection that can help us save scratches, scratches and accidental bumps. It should not be forgotten, in any case, that the materials used bySamsung are already of high quality , which does not make us fear at all for the integrity of the device in any unintentional fall.

Connectivity

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is a phone ready for connectivity. To begin with, we have to say that it operates on HSPA 14.5 / 5.76 900/1900/2100 and EDGE / GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 networks . In principle, connectivity to 3G networks with transfer rates HSDPA 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps is guaranteed . It also incorporates connectivity through Wi - Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n technology , which will allow users to access any wireless network available at their workstation, at home or in any space with Wi-Fi enabled .

Additionally, users of this phone will be able to enjoy Wifi Direct and Wifi Hotspot , indispensable tools for data transfer, as well as compatibility with Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR . How could it be otherwise, Samsung wanted to equip this Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini with an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip that will allow its customers to start enjoying this short-range communications technology. In the field of navigation, users can rest easy: the phone has GPS with aGPS and GLONASS support , useful for geolocation services and of course, to generate routes and use the phone as a navigator on our routes by car.

In the section on physical connections, the user must have a MicroUSB 2.0 input that will come in handy for file synchronization or even battery charging, with a 3.5 mm output for headphones and with a card slot microSD . This last feature helps us to expand the memory of the device in the event that we do not have enough with the proposed user memory.

Photographic and multimedia camera

The camera fulfills what we would ask of a basic range smartphone. It does not exceed eight megapixels of the Samsung Galaxy S3 , but it stays at five, which is not bad at all. Absolutely. Users can capture quality snapshots at a maximum resolution of 2,592 x 1,944 pixels , enhanced with some interesting additions such as the geotagging , the autofocus , the face detection or LED flash , useful as it is getting dark or at the moment when we find ourselves in too dark settings. In addition, we will have the opportunity to record videos in high definition, even if it is not Full HD , at720p @ 30fps , which is not bad at all. A secondary VGA camera will reinforce our experience. It is located in the front and more than to take photos, it will be great for making video calls, if we are regulars of this communication modality.

As a good smartphone today, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is also perfectly suitable for playing multimedia content. Specifically of music, video and photos in the main supported formats. As indicated in its official data sheet, they are the following:  H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, SorensonSpark, WMV7, WMV8, MP3, AMR-NB, AAC / AAC + / eAAC +, WMA, OGG (Vorbis), FLAC . On the other hand, lovers of this type of content will have the opportunity to distribute their photos, videos, games, videos and books through different Hubs , specially enabled for this purpose. Finally, it should be noted that the phone has FM Radio with RDS , JAVA support and for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, languages ​​on which a multitude of applications and video games for mobile phones work.

Processor, memory and operating system

And we are going for one of the most important parts of the analysis: the heart of the terminal . On this occasion, Samsung has not wanted to provide its offspring with a processor as powerful as the four-core Exynos that the Samsung Galaxy S3 carries . The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini incorporates a processor with a two-core architecture, a NovaThor U8420 that operates with a clock frequency of 1 GHz . The performance of this piece is combined with a 1 GB RAM , large enough to offer a good experience on board this terminal, both when running applications as to carry out the main tasks of the operating system.

And speaking of operating system. As it could not be otherwise, the Samsung company has selected Android and has done so in the latest version that is known and that is already being installed in the devices that have been presented recently. This is the 4.1 Jelly Bean edition , although it is likely that in the coming months users will be able to enjoy higher versions . In this case, everything has to be said, the system comes with the TouchWiz interface , a classic among Samsung products that will make the user feel much more familiar with the environment.

Logically, users of this Android phone will have direct access to all Google services , including the application store, from which they can download dozens and dozens of applications designed to expand and improve the functions of the terminal. The standard applications available will be : Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads .

Finally, it must be said that the phone is presented in two different versions: one of 8 GB and another of 16 GB that the user can choose depending on their specific needs. In any case, and as long as there is not enough space available , we will have the opportunity to expand it with microSD memory cards of up to 32 GB .

Autonomy and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is presented to the market with a lithium-ion battery, with a capacity of 1,500 milliamps . It is a discreet amount, but enough - according to Samsung's criteria - to offer a sufficiently solvent performance to the terminal. However, keep in mind that such important factors as connectivity, geolocation services, the network status and own use made by users of the device can seriously affect the battery life of the device. As always, if you do not want to lose energy in vain you will have to deactivate all those servicesthat you do not use and pay attention to all the functions that may remain active and that are not of vital importance. Obviously, there are external solutions such as spare batteries , car chargers and USB cables to save the battery of our terminal in any moment of trouble.

Everything suggests that the phone will be made available to Spanish customers very soon. It is expected that within a few weeks we will have it in the catalog - and in the store - of Samsung to acquire it in free format, but also subsidized or through the offers that operators normally offer to their most loyal customers. Everything will be seen. For now we can say that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini will have an approximate price of 400 euros free. We will be attentive to communicate any details about their official launch, exact dates, prices and availability with the different operators in the country.

Data sheet