Galaxy S3 Mini Release Confirmed; Samsung Unveils Handset in Germany
The Galaxy S3 Mini release has finally been confirmed by Samsung, who unveiled the device at a media event in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday.
"The Galaxy S3 introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world. We're now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence to the Galaxy S3 mini in a more compact form," said JK Shin, Samsung's President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications.
"We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs," he added.
The smaller version of the hit smartphone blasts out the gate running Android 4.1, JellyBean and features many of the same specs found on the original S3.
The device comes with a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, dual core 1GHz chipset, support for Wi-Fi, NFC (near-field-communications), Bluetooth 4.0, and 1,500mAh battery. It is also equipped with a 5-megapixel VGA front-facing camera with LED flash, 720p video recording and playback, 8GB RAM, and MicroSD up to 32GB.
The Galaxy S3 Mini with JellyBean packs some of the same features as the original, including the Siri-like S Voice feature that allows users to perform tasks by speaking commands into the device.
It also features Smart Stay, which uses the handset's cameras to track the eyes of the user and keeps the screen lit as long as they are looking at it.
Content Sharing also seems promising on the Mini, as it features S Beam that employs the NFC chip to instantly transfer pictures and video from handset to handset.
Samsung did not announce any information on pricing and release date, but the Galaxy S3 Mini should arrive in some areas of the world before 2013.
