Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: Best Android Phone Mini 2014? [All Specs & Price]

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: Best Android Phone Mini 2014? [All Specs & Price]

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Samsung has taken its well-liked flagship S4 and

scaled back the features and dimension to make a good mid range phone. Though it is not as large or powerful as the S4, the Galaxy S4 Mini is the perfect little phone for lots of users who don't require all the fluff and extras that S4 takes so very far. Here are the details on this solid little performer.

Display & Design

The S4 Mini is similar to an iPhone 5, although the screen on the Mini is larger, measuring 4.3 inches. The overall design is identical to its galaxy S4, the S4, but in a smaller package. Outside features include power and volume buttons, a charging port, a headphone jack, and an infrared blaster. Like the other Samsungs, this device has a user removable battery as well as a microSD slot. The display is a 960 x 540 pixel resolution AMOLED screen, which is reasonably bright and clear.

Operating System & Processor

The S4 Mini runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, and the processor is the 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. On board storage is either 8 GB or 16 GB. The TouchWiz user interface gives us all we've come to expect from the newer Galaxy devices, including S Memo, S Voice, Group Play, and Smart Stay. You can also use the infrared blaster to change channels on your television, a fun little extra that keeps you from remote hunting.

Camera

While the S4 carries a full 13 megapixel camera on board, the S4 Mini's 8 megapixels are still nothing to sneeze at, especially for a midrange phone. Video can be captured in 1080p, making it very good as well. The flash is good, and you will be able to take decent pictures with this camera even in low light situations. This as well as the editing features earn the Mini's camera two thumbs up.

Battery

The battery of the Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 1,900 mAh battery and boasts a talk time of 12 hours, which is really not too bad for most users. If you decide to do a lot of clicking and searching, you may find that the battery drains more quickly than you would like, though

Price Points

While full price is $ 398.80, Sprint users will enjoy the S4 Mini for free with a two year contract. Verizon customers will pay only $ 49.99 for the phone with a similar plan, or about $ 16 for the Verizon Edge payment plan.

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great little phone with a few extras that will keep budget users happy without sacrificing too much quality or performance. It is certainly not comparable to the flagship phones from Verizon or other companies, but then again, it isn't designed to be. While nothing to write home about, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini remains a solid contender in the midrange market which is able to keep up with the other minis on the market.