Back in 2012, Samsung decided to put a new smartphone on the market, which it called the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. The new entry borrowed that year’s flagship phone’s moniker, and also made use of the same design language, creating an illusion of a premium device, at a lower price (reflecting the less-powerful hardware specifications).
The Korean tech giant followed up with a sequel last year, shortly after it released the Samsung Galaxy S4. The SGS4 Mini used the same formula as before: meaning that it looked like a more compact SGS4, but with the internals toned-down for the sake of affordability.
Needless to say, the series appears to have been quite successful, and it ushered in a new market segment. Numerous other companies have decided to build their own “Mini” spin-offs, including HTC and Sony.
This year, Samsung is expected to release a third entry in the series, and as you’ve already probably guessed, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini will draw its inspiration from the fully-fledged and recently launched SGS5. But how will the upcoming model compare with the Galaxy S4 Mini? What improvements will it bring to the table?
Fortunately, we pretty much have the answer to these questions already. The S5 Mini has been the subject of numerous leaks and rumors, and we already have a pretty rough idea what it will have to offer. As such, it shouldn’t be too difficult to compare it with last year’s model, so let’s take a look and see how the upcoming device might differ from its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini vs Galaxy S4 Mini
To make a quick recap, last year’s Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini features a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 540 x 960, resulting in a somewhat underwhelming pixel density of 256 ppi. The device features a Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, an Adreno 306 graphics chip, and 1.5 GB of RAM.
Storage-wise, the S4 Mini features 8 GB of built-in memory, of which 5 GB is user available. Unsurprisingly, the handset comes with a microSD card slot which can read cards of up to 64 GB.
As far as the media features go, the Galaxy S4 Mini packs an 8 MP main camera complemented by an LED flash, and featuring HDR capabilities, autofocus, touch focus, face detection, panorama, and 1080p@30fps video recording capabilities. On the front panel resides a 1.9 MP sensor.
The entire package draws its energy from a 1,900 mAh battery, and on the software side of things the S4 Mini has been released with Android 4.4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. However, an update to version 4.3 is available, and the handset is planned for Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
Moving on to the upcoming Mini, numerous leaks and rumors have suggested that it will boast a slightly larger display, measuring 4.5 inches in diagonal. In addition, the Super AMOLED panel’s resolution has been increased to 720 x 1280, resulting in a pixel density of 326 ppi.
Underneath beats the heart of a Snapdragon 400 processor (this time featuring four cores), mated with 1.5 GB of RAM. As far as storage goes, the SGS5 Mini promises double the amount, for a total of 16 GB. Evidently, a microSD card slot will also be present, giving the user the possibility to expand by up to an additional 64 GB.
The upcoming Mini seems to feature a very similar main camera when compared to its predecessor. It has 8 MP, an LED flash, HDR capabilities, panorama mode, touch focus, face detection, autofocus and once again, it’s capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 frames per second. On the front panel, the 1.9 MP secondary sensor seems to have been replaced by a 2 MP unit.
The handset will supposedly be powered by a 2,100 mAh battery, and rumors have it that the SGS5 Mini will feature Android 4.4.2 out of the box, with the newest TouchWiz user interface on top. This will probably give users access to features such as Ultra Power Saving Mode.
The good thing about the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is that it seems to borrow a bit more from its larger sibling, aside from the moniker and the overall design cues. Samsung New Zealand has recently published the warranty information for the device, and within the document it’s hinted that the smartphone will be dust and waterproof.
In the end, the upcoming model seems to bring a handful of vital improvements over the previous one, and some of these changes (such as the display) should make a noticeable difference. However, there are plenty of areas where the older S4 Mini and the newer model seem to be identical, and with the S4 Mini most likely going through a price drop once the successor hits the shelves, the SGS5 Mini could have a hard time on the market.
Would any of The Diplomat’s readers be interested in buying the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini? Do you consider the above-mentioned changes to be enough in order to justify the “sequel” term? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments section below.
Vlad Andrici is editor for gforgames.com and writes about technology issues. Follow Vlad on Google Plus.