Samsung Galaxy S III Mini is official: an average device with Android 4.1

We wrote about it yesterday and like all good rumours, it came true. It’s always coming true, the more secret a device is the more everyone knows about it. So many of us knew about the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini and it’s as predicted, a mid-range device with 1Ghz CPU.

There’s 1GB RAM, NFC, Android 4.1, a 5MP camera on the rear with a VGA camera on the front. The screen is not even a patch on the Galaxy S3. The Mini has a 800×480 resolution packed into the cosy 4-inch Super AMOLED screen. Early reports state that the Mini is “not an awful phone“. Nothing overwhelmingly positive then.

Underwhelming

Wrapping things up, a 1500mAh battery, options for 8GB or 16GB Minis plus a microSD slot rounds out the device. The Samsung Galaxy S III Mini hits Europe first. The rest of us have to hang on for this little phone.

Personally, I feel it’s just another attempt to wring money out of the Samsung Galaxy logo.
From the specs I read, the Mini is no Galaxy S3. It’s barely an S2, which has a 1.2Ghz CPU.

So what is it then? If it’s priced for under US$250, it’s worth a purchase, maybe as a decent impulse buy. If it’s priced over US$250 it’s worthless to the smart shopper. I’d also love to see what market it appeals to.

As I said earlier, anything under US$250 and the Mini has a fighting chance as a mid-range smartphone that could possibly edge out the iPhone 4 as the new “not-crap” phone to have.
Which is, coincidentally, priced well under US$99 and is still an excellent device. Fight on Samsung.