More recently, in public and on the forums you could see caricatures of one of the models of the Samsung concern - Samsung Galaxy S4. And this is not a matter of technical characteristics, but of the unimaginably large size of the device. Indeed, a smart phone should be convenient for work. And how to use a device that does not even fit in your hand ... The problem goes out. Many users were delighted with this model. The only thing that bothered was size. And in order to fully please their customers, the Samsung engineering team has designed a similar but smaller model of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. Customer reviews immediately made it clear to company management: it was a great move. To launch a model on the market that fully satisfies many of the customers ’requirements - this is the manufacturer’s dream! What disadvantages were identified after using the device? What is improved in the new Samsung Galaxy S4 mini? Instruction, price and much more - all of these and various other points are covered in this article.
General information
On May 31, 2013, a presentation of a new model of a cell phone produced by a famous Korean concern was held. A small copy of its progenitor Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, equipped with one SIM card, and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos, but with two working SIM card slots, have quite competitive characteristics compared to their analogs. At the same time, a rational price inspires positive. All the features of this mobile phone, including size, are a quality reduced copy of the current Korean flagship. A dual-core processor instead of four, lower screen resolution, operational memory is reduced by 500 MB - these features distinguish the small Samsung Galaxy S4 mini from the “great” Samsung Galaxy S4. We begin the review of the model with a complete set.
What is included in the price
The new smartphone is delivered to the consumer in a small box. It is engraved with the inscription “Samsung Galaxy S4 mini”. Instructions, battery, headphones with various covers, a charger with an adapter, a cable for connecting to a laptop and computer - all this is also in the box. It is noteworthy that the Korean concern has long been practicing the use of accessories other than the color of the phone shades. So, in the package with a black smartphone, you can find white headphones. And vice versa. All components are ideally suited to the device and convenient to use. In addition, the price is attractive: “Samsung Galaxy S4 mini” can be purchased from 13 thousand rubles. The option with two slots will cost several hundred more.
Appearance and characteristic of the case
In this model, there are no special differences from any other smartphones of this company at first glance. The appearance design is not unique. There are no bright colors, contrasting details. The back panel of polycarbonate smoothly flows into the edging of the same material, but painted in the color of metal. The front side of the model with the display is smooth, glossy. It is because of the latter characteristic that any touch on the device leaves a mark. To protect the screen, you can use ScreenGuard - a thin film that prevents unwanted scratches. Also, the improved Gorilla Glass V2 glass helps to save the display. In general, the phone case is single: no chips, no dents, or any gaps. As already mentioned, the size of this model is much smaller than its ancestor. But they are not so "mini": 12.46 cm in length, 6.13 cm in width, 0.89 cm in thickness. The weight of the device is 107 g. In terms of its size, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini phone will compete with the notorious iPhone 5 device.
Key and Button Layout
On the case of the model various controls are placed. These include the earpiece, front and rear cameras, the on / off button, it is also locks, the flash / flashlight connector , a charger connector, a headphone jack, a volume control sensor that also adjusts contrast and lighting, and some other functions. Like all Samsung smartphones, this “smart” device has a traditional Home key under the screen, which is adjacent to the touch buttons “Back” and “Menu”. In principle, the appearance of the device is pretty nice. The manufacturer offers several options for coloring the case: black, purple, white, brown, blue, orange, red, pink and yellow.
Display and communication with the progenitor
A screen with a diagonal of 10.9 cm (which equals 4.3 inches) and a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels - approximately 256 ppi - is equipped with the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. Owner reviews about this feature of the model are twofold: some are satisfied with the size. Others are not happy with the low resolution. Unlike the flagship Samsung Galaxy S4, the screen of this option is slightly elongated. The number of colors in both models is the same and is 16 million shades. Another common characteristic of the two variants of Korean production is noteworthy: the SuperAMOLED display. Brightness, saturation, contrast of colors can be adjusted in the menu.
Battery and its characteristic
The back panel "grows together" with the phone due to sixteen mounts. Underneath is a battery. A small Li-ion with a capacity of 1900 mAh - these are the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini smartphone battery. Customer reviews on the capacity and duration of the battery are by and large positive. Of course, Android users have long been accustomed that recharge is necessary for a phone with the Internet turned on and continuous calls throughout the day. Those who first encounter a device on such a platform, slightly blame on a weak battery. The talk time is 12 hours (according to the manufacturer). If you switch to the “Standby / Airplane” function, the device remains on for twelve days more.
System platform, memory and other "internals"
Under the battery are slots for a SIM card (depending on the model, there may be two) and a memory card. Inside the small copy of S4 is a dual-core processor called Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, whose clock frequency is overclocked to 1700 MHz. RAM 1.5 GB may seem insufficient for the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. User reviews about this feature also emphasize the latter fact. However, it is convenient to transfer data and programs from system memory to additional gigabytes of storage. A graphics accelerator called Adreno 305 is responsible for image quality. An 8 GB drive is located inside the device. You can increase the amount of memory by installing an additional Micro SD card. The device works under the guidance of the current version of Android 4.2.2, equipped with a shell developed by TouchWiz.
We shoot a video and take a photo
Of course, many users are interested in the camera “Samsung Galaxy S4 mini”. Photos and videos can be taken using both the front and rear-mounted devices. In this case, the last number of matrix points is 8 megapixels, and the first - 1.9 megapixels. When shooting video, the frame capture speed is 30 pictures per second. The maximum resolution for the resulting film is 1920 x 1080 pixels, and for the photo - 3264 x 2448 pixels. At the same time, in conditions of night shooting, you can use a flash that works on LEDs.
Setting ringtones and other features
Some users note that the ringtone is too quiet. In addition, the negative points, according to a small part of users, include vibration: being in a noisy place, it is difficult to feel a working phone. It is noteworthy that in the model with two SIM cards, it became possible to configure ringtones for each operator separately. Data can be transmitted through digital technology such as EDGE, high-speed packet data exchange HSPA and its advanced version of HSPA +. An integral attribute of a modern smartphone is the presence of such wireless means of transmitting and receiving information as Bluetooth, infrared interface (infrared port) and Wi-Fi. All this is in the model under consideration. It is noteworthy that through the infrared port you can control the TV. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is equipped with the latest versions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. There is also an audio output Jack 3.5 mm.
New advanced features
It is noteworthy that in this smartphone settings are divided into categories. Now, instead of the list, you can select the desired parameters from the tabs in the submenu. It should be noted that the “Samsung Galaxy S4 mini” has some inherited functions from the “Samsung Galaxy S4”. For example, “tracking mode”: the device’s display will not go out while your eyes are pointing at it. In addition, after reading the received message, there is no need to press the call key to connect to the sender: now just bring the device to your ear and the device itself will perform the necessary operation.
Some users note that in the new reduced model it is not very convenient to type messages using the keyboard. There is an excellent solution for this problem: an application from GooglePlay called TouchPal X. This program implements Swipe-a technology. Which means "sliding alphabetically." Now there is no need to enter terms through T9 or spell - just swipe the keyboard from the first to the last element of the word and the program itself will tell you the right concept.
In the end
As a conclusion, I would like to say that the smartphone in question is quite convenient. It has well-developed functionality. The phone is easy to set up. One of the main disadvantages of users is a low-power battery. However, I would like to note that almost all mobile phones on the Android platform “suffer” this problem. The second disadvantage for many potential consumers is the price. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a bit expensive compared to similar models. Although, in accordance with the declared functions, the cost is very justified. Everything is decided by the matter of taste and, of course, the wallet. A variety of colors, good technical support of service centers, the availability of all possible functions, ease of use, application support and the ability to install two SIM cards at the same time make the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos phones a desirable acquisition for many.