Samsung Galaxy S III Mini with NFC to launch by end of January

There's a new version of the Samsung Galaxy S III mini incoming, and no, we're not talking about a model with a fancier paint job. The smartphone will be granted NFC skills really soon, and the U.K. is bound to be among the first markets to get the upgraded variant. 

But what could the feature be used for? Well, one of its possible applications is to transfer files between compatible smartphones using S Beam. When tapped together, the NFC-enabled Samsung Galaxy S III mini and the other handset "shake hands" over NFC, after which a Wi-Fi Direct link is established between them. The feature zooms data back and forth fast enough to allow music files, for example, to be sent in seconds. 

Other than that, no other hardware alterations have been done to the device. The Samsung Galaxy S III mini with NFC packs the same dual-core processor running at 1GHz and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display with WVGA resolution. You also get a 5-megapixel camera that can shoot 720p video and a front-facing cam for video chats. Android 4.1 comes pre-loaded on the device.

The NFC Samsung Galaxy S III mini will be available in the U.K. by the end of January, but its price has not been yet disclosed. Presumably, the smartphone will cost slightly more than its NFC-lacking variant, which retails for about $430 contract-free on the local market.

source: SlashGear