The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been selling by the millions and is currently one of the hottest smartphones this side of the universe. It is pretty, powerful, and loaded with exclusive features that can be found only on Samsung devices. However, the company's flagship isn't exactly the smallest smartphone around. In fact, with its 5-inch screen, it is among the larger smartphones out there, which might be a dealbreaker for a number of potential buyers.
These are the people that the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is made for. The smartphone packs a number of features found on the S4, but tucked inside a smaller, more portable package. In particular, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini comes with a 4.3-inch display and it is big enough to be operated with a single hand. But with the smaller size come the inferior specs. The processor of the Galaxy S4 mini is a dual-core, 1.7GHzchip of the Snapdragon variety, the screen's resolution has been brought down to just 540 by 960 pixels, and the main camera has been downgraded to 8 megapixels.
But overall, there's a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. Join us as we walk you through all you need to know about it!
In the box:
Wall charger
microUSB cable
Wired stereo earphones with in-line microphone and volume control
Design:
It's like the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been zapped with a shrink ray! We sure hope that the moon isn't about to get stolen. Jokes and movie references aside, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has adopted nearly all of the design features attributed to its bigger brother – from the glossy plastic construction and choice of colors to the super-slim screen bezel and the convenient placement of the physical buttons. The only thing missing is the RGB notification light, which the S4 has in its upper right-hand corner, but that's something we're pretty sure many can live without.
Unsurprisingly, the glossy plastic housing of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini feels just like it does on the S4 – not as premium as other fancy materials like glass or metal, but not terrible by any means. Actually, the phone looks very presentable for something made of plastic, although we wouldn't give it anything beyond the “okay” rating. However, we have to admit that we dig the diamond pattern that Samsung has applied as it gives a lot of character to the Galaxy S4 mini.
We are genuinely impressed by how light, thin, and extremely portable the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is considering the fact that it packs a 4.3-inch screen and a 1900mAh battery. (In fact, we dedicated a whole post to that.) The phone slips easily into any pocket and its presence in there can be barely felt. At the same time, we find it perfectly usable with a single hand as our thumb easily reaches even the furthest corners of its screen.
We have the typical for Samsung button arrangement, with a physical “home” key and capacitive “back” and “menu” keys situated below the screen. The volume rocker is on the left side while the on/off button is on the right. All of these buttons are responsive and well within reach.
Display:
The 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen that is outfitted on the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is just okay and nothing more. While it has a resolution of 540 by 960 pixels, which is perfectly acceptable, a 720p screen would have been a lot more suitable for a smartphone bearing "S4" in its title. Nevertheless, the dispay gets the job done in any every-day scenario we can think of. Its capable of delivering a sufficient level of detail with its 256ppi pixel density and non-PenTile sub-pixel arrangement.
Its color reproduction, however, could have been better. Even after setting the display mode to the most natural-looking setting (called Professional Photo), colors are still a tad exaggerated. Most users won't find that annoying at all, although perfectionists are likely to notice the slight color oversaturation.
The brightness output of the screen may be average at best, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is still usable outdoors to some extent. That's not only because the display reflects only a fraction of the sunlight that hits it, but also because it has a low tendency of collecting fingerprints.
With Android 4.2.2 out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is right on top of its game. That's the most recent version of Android, offering all of the platform's newest features, but in addition to that, Samsung has thrown in a whole bunch of goodies, which come included with the custom TouchWiz user interface. Among them are Group Play for sharing content between multiple Samsung smartphones, WatchON that turns the smartphone into a TV remote control with the help of the built-in IR blaster, and the S Translator, which does just what the name implies.
At the same time, it is a bit disappointing to see that some of the features found on the Galaxy S4 are absent. For example, both Air View and Air Gesture aren't present, meaning that one can't operate the smartphone by waving their hand above its screen. Smart Pause and Smart Scroll have not been included either.
Our thumbs got used to the on-screen keyboard rather quickly. We find it very comfortable to type on, be it in portrait or landscape mode. The keyboard comes with word prediction and over 50 different input languages to pick from.
Processor and memory:
Don't be fooled by its small size as the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini packs quite a punch. Processing power is delivered by a Snapdragon 400 SoC with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 305 graphics, and 1.5GB RAM. That's enough muscle to handle even the most demanding of tasks with ease, which is why the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini stays responsive regardless of whether it is used for reading email or playing the latest 3D games. We find it strange, however, that the UI is sometimes choppy, especially when flicking through home screens loaded with widgets. Perhaps a little software optimization would have taken care of that.
Quadrant Standard
AnTuTu
GLBenchmark 2.5 (Egypt HD)
Vellamo (HTML5 / Metal)
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
6783
13341
3762 / 33fps
2088 / 685
Sony Xperia SP
7866
16413
4970 / 44 fps
2013 / 755
LG Optimus L7 II
2823
6674
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
3833
8228
2142
1558 / 425
As is often the case with Android smartphones, most of the internal storage available on the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is occupied by system files. That's why in reality, out of the 8GB that are being advertised there are only 3.68GB available to the user, which is barely acceptable. Having a microSD card is a must for users who intend on storing their photos, music, or video files onto the device.
Web browser and connectivity:
The stock internet browser on the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is fast, responsive, and perfectly suitable for casual web surfing. Even heavy web pages are loaded fast and scroll smoothly. But at the same time, we aren't presented with anything extraordinary in terms of features – just the usual set of tools is present, including Incognito mode, support for multiple windows, and playback of embedded YouTube videos.
While the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini unit that we're reviewing has a single SIM card slot only, there's a dual SIM variant of the device as well. Samsung will also release a 4G LTE-capable model in select markets. Connectivity features available on the smartphone include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and FM radio with RDS support.
Camera:
Upon launching the camera app on the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini we're presented with an interface that's cleaner and simpler than what we're used to seeing on Samsung smartphones. That doesn't mean we have less knobs and dials to flip, however. The UI comes with built-in filters and shooting modes, including Night shot, HDR, Beauty Face, Burst mode at a rate of three images per second, and more, all of which may come in handy. Besides, panoramic photos, composed of multiple images, are stitched very well.
The smartphone's main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels and an LED flash is present to assist in low-light situations. Outdoor photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini look okay overall. They aren't going to blow anyone's socks off, but the images are still very pleasant to look at, with neutral color representation and sufficient amount of detail. Digital noise is present indeed, but it is within tolerable levels. Indoor shots are much noisier, of course, so they are of noticeably lower quality.
Videos can be captured at 1080p resolution with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and they look very good, as long as enough light is present. The sound captured, however, is of average quality.
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini Outdoor Sample Video:
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini Indoor Sample Video:
Multimedia:
Nothing new to see, folks! The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini comes with the same music player app found on the Galaxy S4 flagship. We find nothing wrong with that, of course, as the app is loaded with features like the mandatory home screen widget and lock screen controls. Besides, there's an equalizer with tons of presets, and if that's not enough, the Adapt Sound feature can adjust the phone's sound reproduction according to the user's hearing.
There is a single speaker located on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. It gets the job done, and while it doesn't crackle even at the highest volume setting, we still wish that its volume output was a bit louder.
Video playback runs smooth
The stock video player can play back smooth, detail-rich 1080p video in multiple file formats, with the exception of QuickTime (MOV) and DivX. With 4.3-inches of real estate, the screen on the Galaxy S4 mini is suitable for watching the occasional YouTube video and maybe even an episode or two of House. Samsung's Pop up Play feature is supported, meaning that videos can be played in a window hovering above the UI.
Call quality:
Phone calls made with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini are of above average quality. The earpiece, in particular, sounds nice and clear even when it isn't set at the maximum volume level. If needed, its volume output can be pumped up with the tap of a button, although doing so takes a toll on sound quality. Our voice sounds a tad artificial on the other side of the line, but it is still loud enough to be easily understood.
Battery life:
The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini packs a 1900mAh removable battery – a capacity that is above the average considering the smartphone's class. Its manufacturer has yet to reveal any specific ratings as to how long the phone should last on a single charge, but our testing shows that it has a very decent longevity. A day of average usage is guaranteed.
Conclusion:
The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is a remarkable mid-range smartphone that brings power and portability under one roof. It is fast, responsive, and surprisingly capable, but at the same time it is easy to operate and fits perfectly in pockets of any size. Sure, the smartphone may not be as feature-rich as its bigger brother – the Galaxy S4 – but when we take its petite proportions into account, we'd gladly take the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini as it is.
Drawbacks? Well, we were hoping to see a 720p screen on the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and not a qHD panel. Not that the display chosen by Samsung ins't usable, but we think that something better should have been picked for a smartphone that has “S4” in its title. Also, perhaps the low amount of on-board storage is worth noting. However, that's not too big of a deal since the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini offers a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
Overall, users who need an average-sized Android smartphone that doesn't skimp on specs and features would be extremely pleased with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. Those who are on the looks for a decent dual-SIM handset should go try it out as well.
Software version of the reviewed unit:
Android 4.2.2 Build number: JDQ39.I9195XXUAME1
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini Video Review:
Pros
Impressively light and portable
Built-in IR blaster
Easily runs even the latest 3D games
Model with dual-SIM support coming too
Cons
Less than 4GB user-available storage
720p screen would have been more fitting for such smartphone
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