All about galaxy s4 mini. Review of Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: what's in my name. Gestures and dual-SIM

So, in this article we will figure out how much worse or better the younger brother of the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone is.

The first thing to consider is the appearance of the device called Galaxy S4 Mini. As we already mentioned, it is practically no different from its larger version. The same materials were used in its production, the design contains lines characteristic of the Galaxy line. Except that its display has shrunk to 4.3 inches, the weight has become 107 grams, and the overall dimensions are: 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.9 mm. Thanks to this, it is much more comfortable to hold in your hand than the Galaxy S4, and it is more popular with users who prefer small smartphones to huge phones that sometimes don’t even fit into a pocket.

The Galaxy S4 Mini is made entirely of plastic, and there is still a physical Home button and touch-sensitive Back and Menu keys at the bottom of the device. Both the front panel and the back are painted black, plus diamonds are applied to the metal, which slightly dilute the boring design.

Also at the bottom you can find a microUSB port and a microphone. And at the top there is an infrared port, a second microphone and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Traditionally, on the left side we see the volume keys, and on the opposite side there is a power off/on key.

On the back panel, as usual, there is a camera, and immediately below it is a flash and an additional speaker for speakerphone.

As we already said, the Galaxy S4 Mini has a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. Its quality is slightly better than that of the Galaxy S3, which has a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The display of the mini-smartphone itself received a Super AMOLED matrix. Some say that such displays are worse, while others, on the contrary, only like these screens. The fact is that these screens display black colors very realistically, but white is the opposite, with an admixture of green or even purple. But all other colors are very bright and saturated.

However, the brighter the screen, the more battery it drains. The Galaxy S4 Mini has a 1900 mAh lithium-ion battery. It would seem why this battery has such a small volume, because it reduces the battery life of the device. In fact, it turned out that 1900 mAh provides sufficient operating time for the phone without additional charging.

Samsung assures that the Galaxy S4 Mini smartphone will last about 10 hours if you talk on the phone for 15 or 20 minutes a day, 3G Internet will last about 4-5 hours and Wi-Fi will last about the same. As for listening to music and watching videos, you should spend an hour on each.

In constant conversation mode, the Galaxy S4 Mini will last about 8 hours; if you listen to music on headphones at full volume and with maximum display brightness, the smartphone will last for 5 hours. If the brightness is minimal, then you can listen to music for 45 hours without recharging the device. Well, when you play, the smartphone will only last 3 hours of battery life.

In addition, the Galaxy S4 Mini supports 2G, 3G, HSDPA, LTE is present only in i9195 models, and, of course, there is also Bluetooth 4.0 HS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and a microUSB 2.0 port.

Let's move on to something more serious - this is a consideration of the RAM and internal memory of the smartphone, camera, processor, operating system, etc.

The mini-phone received 1.5GB of RAM from Samsung. In principle, this is quite enough for a not very powerful device - it will not slow down, and all programs and applications suitable for it will be able to work perfectly. 900MB of RAM remains for running applications, programs and games; the rest goes to running the processor and operating system.

The internal memory of the phone is 8GB, but only 4GB is allocated for storing applications and similar data. If desired, the user can expand the flash memory using removable media, namely a microSD memory card with a capacity of up to 64GB.

Galaxy S4 Mini received two cameras: a front camera with a resolution of 1.9 megapixels, and a rear view camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels and autofocus. The phone also has a single-section LED flash for shooting at night or in low light conditions. Photos can be produced with a maximum resolution of 3264 x 1836 pixels, and videos – 1920 x 1080 pixels. Video recording is possible at 30 frames per second.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini smartphone has a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with a clock frequency of 1.7 GHz and an Adreno 305 graphics processor. Although the processor is not the most powerful, it supports almost all modern games and programs.

So far, the smartphone runs on the Android 4.2.2 operating system. It implements all the usual functions characteristic of this firmware. Perhaps an update with the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system will appear soon.

The music is played by a standard player from Samsung, which is installed on many devices from this company. The sound quality is excellent, suitable for listening with or without headphones.

The speaker itself is not the loudest, and the sound from it comes out slightly bassy, ​​but clear.

It is noteworthy that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini supports FM radio, but the Galaxy S4 Active does not.

To watch videos, of course, there is a video player that reads the following codecs: H264, Xvid, DivX and video formats such as AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV. Well, if you prefer to watch movies in other formats, then it is better to download any video player suitable for you from the Google Play market.

The cost of this device is 16,000 rubles. A little expensive for such an average device. However, if you prefer small 4-inch displays and are happy with its power and design, then the Galaxy S4 Mini is worth a look.

We have added a new version of the popular “four” Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, a review that summarizes all the most interesting information about this model.

Externally, as promised by Samsung representatives, this phone completely copies the base model, with the exception of dimensions. The reduced “copy” has dimensions of 12.4X6.13X0.89cm and weighs 107g.

Performance and software

Tests conducted using specialized applications showed that in almost all the main parameters the mini version is inferior to the older S4 model.

Unlike the base model, it uses not an eight-core processor, but a dual-core processor and, moreover, with a clock frequency of 1.7 GHz less by a tenth. Manufacturers also found it necessary to reduce the RAM by 500MB and leave only 1.5GB. Similarly with the base memory - it is at the level of entry-level budget devices - 8GB. The device runs on the Android 4.2 operating system. The smartphone has a GLONASS GPS navigation module, a built-in geomagnetic compass, an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has the following touchscreen specifications:

Technology: Super AMOLED;

Pixels per inch: 256;

Diagonal: 4.3’.

The screen supports multitouch technology, which recognizes not only single touches on the screen, but also gestures of several fingers. The screen accepts up to eight simultaneous touches.

The presence of a proximity sensor allows you to block the sensor and dim the screen to save energy when the device approaches your head for a telephone conversation.

The screen is covered with protective glass with anti-reflective and oleophobic coating. Automatic brightness adjustment in a dark room reduces the brightness, and in the sun, on the contrary, increases it for user convenience.

Camera

Traditionally for smartphones, the S4 mini has two cameras - main and front. The main camera is more powerful and, thanks to the 8 megapixel camera, allows you to take pictures with a resolution of 3264X1836. The camera has good sharpness, and the image digitization algorithms used in the device allow you to take good photographs. The 1.9MP selfie camera has a default resolution of 1280X720. The main camera allows you to shoot video at 1080p resolution. The video is saved in MP4 format. In low light conditions, an LED flash is used. It can be activated automatically if the light sensor shows an extremely low level. The flash can also be activated and deactivated manually.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review would have been somewhat disappointing if it weren't for the battery of this smartphone. A 1900 mAh battery, modest by today's standards, with relatively low screen power consumption, allows you to watch videos for twelve and a half hours or enjoy 3D games for a little over four hours. In this regard, the phone outperforms even some flagship widescreen models.

Conclusion

Despite the proud index S4 in the name of the smartphone, it essentially has little in common with the base model; practically only one name remains. The characteristics eloquently tell us that this is a completely different smartphone model in terms of hardware and performance. Of course, marketers made every effort to ensure that the device was sold, even giving it a flagship name, but alas, not its capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy S4 has already made a kind of revolution in the market when sales of the handset reached 10 million units in the first month alone. But what are the chances of success in the mini version of this smartphone!? The version of the flagship with the mini prefix recently visited the editorial office, so we share our impressions.

Materials and build quality

As in the case of the “oldest” one, the case of the mini version of the flagship uses scratch-resistant plastic, in other words, polycarbonate. The front panel is covered with third-generation protective glass. The side edges, which at first glance appear to be metal, are actually also plastic. But it’s worth paying tribute to – the manufacturer’s metallic makeup was especially successful here.

Of course, the small dimensions (124.6x61.3x8.9 mm) of the case were made possible due to one simple factor - the smaller display diagonal - 4.3 versus the 5-inch panel of the original version of the smartphone. Yes, the “mini-flagship” is somewhat thicker than the “big one” - 8.9 mm versus 7.9 mm, but I would not say that this factor is very critical.

Regarding the fit of the body elements with each other, there are no complaints here - the seams and gaps are within acceptable standards. But the plastic itself creaks a little. But in fairness, I note that we had in our hands a fairly early engineering version of the device, for which such a state of affairs is quite acceptable.

The procedure for attaching the battery cover to the panel will take you no more than a second or two. The fixation is reliable - it does not slip off arbitrarily. It is also easy to remove. By the way, keep in mind that the lid is thin and bends easily. However, you shouldn’t worry - you won’t break it unintentionally.

Design

The appearance of the S4 Mini is not the same as that of other Samsung smartphones. Yes, on the one hand, the handset has some hereditary features of representatives of the Galaxy line. But, on the other hand, one cannot ignore the design in the style of a strict rectangle with elegantly rounded edges, a more “adult” edging (exactly the same as that of the S4) and other little things. In short, the recognizable features and style have been preserved, but at the same time, quite good cosmetics have been applied to the exterior of the device.

Ergonomics of functional elements

The front panel is occupied by a 4.3-inch display, two touch buttons and one hardware button, as well as a 1.9 MP front camera peephole plus light and proximity sensors.

A special feature of the front camera is the ability to shoot video at 720p resolution.

The touch buttons are designed according to exactly the same principle as in other Galaxy smartphones. While the user is working with the device, they are highlighted, and when he stops, the duration of their illumination depends on the definition of the timeout in the corresponding menu.

In the body of the rear panel there is a peephole for the main 8 MP camera, as well as an LED flash. In addition, there is also an engraved logo of the manufacturer and a speakerphone output.

On the right side there is a power on/off button for the smartphone. It is also used to block control. Not far from the last mentioned element there is a special gap so that the user can remove the battery pack cover.

A paired sound volume control button is available on the opposite panel.

At the top end there is a classic 3.5 mm jack, as well as one of the built-in microphone outputs plus an IR port peephole.

Another microphone output is on the bottom end. The Micro-port is also located here.

Brief technical specifications

Display

4.3-inch touch display based on Super matrix. For a smaller version of the flagship it looks quite reasonable. But on the resolution, it’s obvious that they tried to save money - only 960x540 pixels. But with the exception of the smallest details, this resolution does not affect the image quality much. However, frankly speaking, it’s depressing on a purely subconscious level, especially if you remember that the S4’s display is 1080p.

Density 256ppi.

The maximum brightness for the “Standard” mode is 289 cd/m2, and in the “Film” mode - 277 cd/m2.

Viewing angles are good.

Supports touch control using eight fingers simultaneously. The display sensitivity is high – there are no complaints in this regard.

From the settings submenu, the user has the opportunity to work with a standard list (timeout, screen saver, etc.), select the font style and size, configure the display of charge as a percentage, and much more.

Memory

From the officially declared 8 GB of built-in user memory, in practice a little less than 5 GB is available. There is no information yet about whether modifications with a different volume will appear over time.

The possibility of expansion is also provided. Slot under the battery. The maximum memory card capacity is up to 64 GB inclusive.

Battery

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini received a battery with a capacity of 1900 mAh (in the original version 2600 mAh). Taking into account the simpler filling, as well as the smaller display, which also features an energy-efficient matrix, the device shows quite good autonomy. For example, a video with a resolution at maximum display backlight and turned on played for just over 10 hours. But don’t forget, we are talking about a test version of the device, and therefore the autonomy in a commercial device will be optimized even more. However, even this figure looks quite good. For a day or a little more, moderate loads are enough, as they say, head on.

I’ll also add that in the S4 Mini settings menu there is a sub-item “Energy Saving”. How it is designed and what it gives to the user, see the illustrations below.

Speakers

Two separate speakers - communication and speakerphone.

With the first, in my opinion, there are no problems - sufficient power even for places with high noise levels. Cleanliness also does not fail.

There were also no complaints about the sound volume of the speakerphone. But I would like better cleanliness. However, perhaps this is a drawback of our version of the tube.

It was not possible to evaluate the quality of the headphones, since only the smartphone itself arrived to us.

Equipment and shell

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini runs on Android 4.2.2 operating system. It’s still too early to talk about updating the release, due to the lack of one as such. But, in my opinion, in the future updating this device to version 4.3 is quite acceptable.

The “heart” of the system is the Snapdragon 400 processor, clocked at 1.7 GHz, as well as Adreno 305 graphics. The RAM capacity is 1.5 GB.

The proprietary Nature UX shell is installed on top of the axle. We also saw it in the S4 review. A few illustrations for reminders and a link to the review of the flagship.

Performance and wireless interfaces

The system performance is at a good level, as proven by the test results.

Support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n module is declared. Features include quick setup using the WPS button, entering a WPS PIN code, notifying the user about the presence of an open access point, and much more. Wi-Fi Direct, by the way, is also available.

Pre-installed applications

Among these I would like to mention Samsung Link, WatchON, S Translator, S Memo, as well as Group Play. By the way, and no less interesting, the mini version of the S4 also included an FM receiver, which in turn is not present in the original version of the smartphone.

Camera

The main 8 MP camera has received a significant number of settings and shooting modes, can shoot video with a resolution of 1080p and has an LED flash. Below are the settings.

test video

indoors

test photo

on the street

indoors

Gestures and dual-SIM

From the “Movement and Gestures” submenu, motion and palm control are available.

Smart Shutdown feature! Everything is simple here. Enabling it allows the screen to remain on at all times, but only as long as the user is looking at it.

And finally, the last feature is “Voice Control”. I’m sure there’s no need to comment on its features. Look at the illustrations below.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini smartphone will be available on the market in variations with a slot for a single SIM card, as well as with support for dual-SIM mode. Depending on whether it has one SIM card or two, the handsets will receive the corresponding index - I9192 - dual-SIM and I9190 - version with one SIM card. We had a dual-SIM version of a smartphone. What was especially memorable was the so-called “Active Mode”. Everything is simple here - by using it, calls can be received on both SIM cards even during a conversation. In my opinion, this is a plus, because many solutions with support for dual-SIM mode cannot boast of this.

Conclusions

While official sales have not begun in Ukraine, the price tag can only be judged based on the tags for pre-orders in Europe (which are often similar to Ukrainian ones) - 440-460 euros, depending on the seller. Taking into account the fact that S4 can already be bought today for 5100-5300 hryvnia, the cost of the “little four”, subjectively speaking, looks somewhat overpriced. I recommend waiting a little - a couple of months and the price will drop to the ideal 3700-3900 hryvnia.

The device itself is good. It has excellent ergonomics, it is comfortable for the hand and pocket, and the capabilities “under the hood” are by no means the worst. In short, if you need a compact and productive smartphone with interesting features and applications, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is quite an interesting candidate to get acquainted with.

Pros

Cons

Approximate price: 440-460 euros (for Europe)
Product provided by Samsung press service in Ukraine
Sergey Reshodko

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini- this is a logical continuation of the “Galaxy” line, which is distinguished by a large number of relatively cheap, but very functional smartphone models. In terms of functionality, the smartphone is fundamentally different from its Samsung “brothers”; the difference is noticeable only in the size of the body and display. Closest competitors Samsung Galaxy S4 mini are the LG G2 Mini, Asus PadFone mini and some others that are on the same price level.

Smartphone characteristics

Galaxy S4 mini equipped with a full screen with a diagonal of 4.27 inches. By modern standards, the display size is average, but this has a positive effect on the size of the smartphone - it fits easily in a pocket, unlike many modern “shovels” with 5-6-inch displays. The display has a protective glass that protects it from scratches. The dual-core Krait processor clocked at 1.7 GHz delivers superb performance. On a smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 Almost all modern 3D games for Android run smoothly.

The smartphone supports communication using GSM and 3G standards. There is support for the latest Wi-Fi standards, as well as Bluetooth and USB. Nowadays it sounds strange, but in Galaxy S4 mini There is an infrared port - a relic of the past. The gadget can work as a satellite navigator - it supports both the American GPS navigation system and the Russian GLONASS network.

A high-quality camera is one of the most significant advantages of this device. Photography resolution is 8 Mpx, video is HD quality 1080p, 30 frames/sec. The camera has automatic focusing. The camera resolution for video calls is 1.9 MP. There are graphic camera effects as well as a built-in image editor.

The device will please fans of multimedia functions. Firstly, a large screen that allows you to comfortably view HD video. Secondly - a multifunctional music player. Subtle sound correction will appeal to music lovers. There are built-in sound effects and a graphic equalizer. There is an FM receiver. The volume of the built-in speaker is quite high, but the sound quality is at a basic level. There can be no complaints about the sound quality in the headphones.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is an affordable mid-size phone for those who find the full-size Samsung Galaxy S4 too big and expensive. Do they really offer the same level of quality in a smaller package? Let's take a closer look.

Design and sizes

As you might expect from the name, the Galaxy S4 Mini is an exact replica of the Galaxy S4. The minis are smaller and lighter, but their designs are almost identical. For comparison, the dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 are 136.6? 69.8? 7.9 mm, and Mini 124.6? 61.3? 8.94 mm, a millimeter thicker. This fact is not particularly striking. The thickening is due to the fact that practically the same equipment needs to be placed in a smaller area. The mini is also 20 grams lighter, which can be felt with prolonged use.

Display

Galaxy S4 – has a 5-inch Super AMOLED, with a resolution of 1080p. Galaxy S4 Mini - 4.3-inch Super AMOLED, QHD resolution (960 x 540). Many people will think that 4.3 inches is a more reasonable size because 5 inches is simply too much.

*Note: although the general trend towards larger diagonals is supported by users, the demand for such devices is growing, and almost every manufacturer has released such a device. For example Samsugn and

We see that the S4 has a much more advanced screen than the S4 Mini. They use the same technology - Super AMOLED, but the resolution is lower, and therefore the pixel density. 255 versus 440. As a result, the Galaxy S4's full-size display is much, much sharper. And given that Samsung uses a PenTile arrangement of subpixels, this leads to more problems for the Mini screen. In other words, the S4 Mini's screen is not just a step back in size, but also a downgrade in quality.

Internal memory

The Galaxy S4 Mini has 8GB of internal memory and is not available in other versions. Both phones have a MicroSD slot, which minimizes the negative impact of limited memory. But you can't get rid of it completely. The issue is that most applications can only be installed in the internal memory, and not on a memory card. However, the 5GB or so that will be available in the S4 mini is more than enough for most people.

Processor and software

The mini S4 has a Snapdragon 400 (dual cores, 1.7 GHz and 1.5 GB of RAM). Much less efficient equipment than the classic version.

What can I say - we are dealing with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The real difference can be seen, not in the OS, but in the amount of Samsung software. There is no place for Smart Scroll or Dual Shot in the mini, the reason is the less powerful processor. However, other very useful functions remain, such as translator, WatchON, etc.

Verdict

Like the Mini S3, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini isn't actually a smaller version of the S4. Not only is its screen smaller, it's inferior, its processor is slower, it has less memory and a weaker camera. However, it can easily be classified as middle class, at the price, which is where it belongs.