First look at the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. Samsung Galaxy S3 mini - Specifications Samsung s3 mini technical specifications
It became the most successful Samsung smartphone during the entire presence of the Korean company in the telecommunications market. The Galaxy brand has become well recognized among users, but the presence of the letter S in the name followed by a number adds even more attractiveness to the model.
Samsung's desire to exploit the Galaxy S III brand is understandable. Just think - the word mini appeared. The main thing is that the potential buyer sees the same flagship, only more compact and cheaper. Is this really a full-fledged modification of the older model with a minimum number of changes, or is it still a mid-level device with a set of functions familiar to such devices?
In Galaxy S review III mini compare a smartphone with a full-fledged one "troika" and find out whether the differences between the two models are so great.
Appearance
The design of the Galaxy S III and its mini version is identical - this cannot be taken away from the new product. The same glossy plastic, the same imitation of roughly processed metal at the ends, the same smooth curves. The differences are minimal, and those that exist are not functionally justified. For some reason, the designers wanted to place the sensors and front camera not on the right, but on the left of the grille conversational dynamics. Button "Home" became a little wider and longer. The flash moved under the camera eye, and the design of the speaker changed. All these are cosmetic changes; they didn’t make the device more ergonomic, but they didn’t spoil it either.
All three hardware keys of the smartphone are pressed clearly and do not dangle, like in some Chinese craft. In terms of ease of use, the controls are no different from those in other Samsung smartphones.
Among the frankly unsuccessful decisions, it is worth noting the strange location of the memory card slot. Many Korean devices (including Galaxy S III) offer "hot" replacement external drives, in this case such a number will not work. To get to the slot, you will have to not only remove the cover, but also remove the battery. So it’s better to immediately stock up on a capacious flash drive - the built-in 8 GB (or 16 GB in the older model) will not be enough at one point, and you’ll get tired of quickly changing 2 GB cards.
I really liked the ergonomics of the device. Even the large Galaxy S III fit well in the hand, and the Galaxy S III mini even more so feels very natural in the palm. True, in the case of the flagship, we have to thank for this the very thin profile of the smartphone - the thickness of the device is only 8.6 mm. The new product is almost 1.5 mm thicker, but due to the reduced length and width it has a good grip. Due to the convex rear panel, the smartphone is extremely pleasant to hold during a conversation. Light weight of approximately 110 g (the model is 20 g lighter than its older brother) adds a few points to the "karma" devices.
The Galaxy S III mini has become even more convenient "progenitor", although even that could not be blamed for discomfort during work. A significant drawback is the memory card slot hidden under the battery. Apparently, completely constructively repeat Galaxy features S III failed due to the more compact dimensions of the new product.
Display
The screen is the most controversial part of the Galaxy S III mini when comparing the smartphone with the older device. The device has a 4″ Super AMOLED matrix, the resolution of which is 480×800 pixels (233 ppi). Compare: the display resolution of the Galaxy S III reaches 720x1280 pixels, which with a 4.8″ diagonal gives a pixel density per inch of 306.
There can be no complaints about the size of the matrix. After all, the new product is positioned as a version of the Galaxy S III with a relatively small screen. This model will be deliberately chosen by those who, for one reason or another, do not need or are not suitable for a giant display.
Another thing is resolution. Here a lot depends on personal perception. If you have little experience with HD screens or do not expect the “printing” quality of the Galaxy S III matrix from the device, then the mini display will not disappoint. On the other hand, since the smartphone was named after flagship model, then you initially expect similar characteristics from it. When compared to the Galaxy S III, the mini's pixelation, which you usually don't notice, is clearly visible. PenTile technology, of course, is here to stay. Put the flagship away, don't look closely at the small details on it with your nose buried in the screen, and the Galaxy S III mini will look tolerable.
According to subjective impressions, the new product uses the same matrix as the Galaxy S Advance, which, in turn, inherited the screen from the founder of the series - the first Galaxy S. In fact, we are dealing with a display that a couple of years ago was installed in the top models of the Korean company, but today has dropped into the segment of mid-price range devices.
Camera
The situation is similar with a 5 megapixel camera. In terms of image quality, the mini photo module is reminiscent of the Galaxy S Advance. Here, too, they want to mask the noise with unnecessary "cloudedness", resulting in poor detail and clarity in photos. At the same time, noise in low light conditions does not disappear anywhere. As a result, some shots are not only "cloudy", but also noisy.
Of course, the photo module of the smartphone we are considering today does not reach the quality of the Galaxy S III. The usual matrix, which is installed in many mid-level phones, is not surprising and offers what you expect from it.
The camera can shoot HD video, an example of which can be seen below.
Interface
The smartphone works under Android control 4.1 with proprietary TouchWiz shell. The device's interface is very similar to that of the Galaxy S III. Many "chips" the older model migrated to the younger one. For example, it also features eye tracking to prevent screen locking. It is possible to change the image scale by tilting the smartphone, you can pause the track playback by placing your hand on the screen, etc.
There are few built-in applications, the most useful of them is Chrome browser. This web browser is much more convenient to work with than the standard Android browser. Work with tabs and page navigation is organized more logically, and there is the possibility of synchronization with the desktop application.
There is nothing new in the software functionality of the Galaxy S III mini. The main thing is the fact that the smartphone initially runs Jelly Bean, while many competitors will have to wait a long time for an official update. The system interface works noticeably faster, without annoying slowdowns typical for previous versions Android.
Productivity and time battery life
Deja vu again: Galaxy S III mini is built on the NovaThor U8420 platform with a 2-core gigahertz processor, Mali-400MP graphics and 1 GB of RAM. We saw something similar during the preparation of the Galaxy S Advance review. There was also a NovaThor chip, albeit labeled U8500. The differences between the two models are minimal, except that the new product has more RAM. Judging by the tests, the U8420, despite the lower numerical index, is slightly superior in performance "colleague". The difference, however, is minimal.
The interface of the Galaxy S III mini is noticeably faster than that of the Advance, but this is due to the more recent version of the OS, and not "gland". Demanding games surprisingly feel great too.
And again we remember the Galaxy S Advance, which is equipped with a 1500 mAh battery. Our test subject today has the same battery. The battery life of the two devices is almost identical. The Galaxy S III mini smartphone in Full HD video playback mode with communications turned off lasted for 7 hours and 20 minutes of battery life. The Advance model, we recall, lasted 10 minutes longer. In daily use mode, both devices last for a day and a half.
conclusions
As you can see, as the review progressed, we gradually moved away from mini comparisons with Galaxy S III. In fact, the “new” smartphone is the familiar Galaxy S Advance, only in the Galaxy S III body and with Android 4.1 "from the box".
When the first rumors about the Galaxy S III mini appeared online, many thought that it was a smaller version of the flagship with similar specifications. Everything turned out to be even simpler. This is a regular mid-range model with the design of its older brother. Apart from trademark And appearance, the two devices have nothing in common anymore. Why did Samsung need to give the smartphone the name of a top model? The Korean manufacturer’s calculation is clear and simple: the power of marketing and a well-known brand will help not only sell outdated components, but also make good money on it.
The cost of the Galaxy S III mini in Belarus is still unknown. Recently, sales of the smartphone began in Europe, where the device can be purchased for approximately $450, which is about $50 more expensive than the Advance. For this money the buyer receives new version Bluetooth (4.0 instead of 3.0), different body and Android 4.1 "from the box". That's all the differences. Whether they are worth the extra $50 is up to buyers to decide. It is possible that in Belarus the price difference will be even greater.
A source of information:
In mid-October, it announced a new smartphone Galaxy S III mini, indexed i-8190. This model outwardly it is a smaller copy of the flagship Galaxy S III - the same design, case materials, location of control keys. But this is where the similarities end; the characteristics of smartphones differ radically.
Samsung Galaxy The S III mini measures 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm, which is similar to the dimensions of the original Galaxy S. As we already mentioned, new model will have a design similar to the Galaxy S III. Thus, the South Korean company decided that the consumers of this gadget will be those who need more compact sizes and a lower price.
As in the flagship model, almost the entire front surface of the device is occupied by the display, above which there are front-camera, light and proximity sensors, speaker and company logo, and below it is a control key. On back cover you can see the main camera with LED flash. Slots for speaker and logo.
The assembly of the device is very high quality: there are no creaks or backlashes during operation.
Galaxy S III mini weighs 111.5 g.
Performance and Software
Samsung Galaxy S III mini is based on a 2-core ST-Ericsson NovaThor ModAp processor of the U8500/U8520 family with clock frequency 1 GHz, Mali-400MP graphics accelerator and 1 GB of RAM.
These specifications are, of course, worse than those of the original Galaxy S III, but still provide good performance and help reduce the cost. Below we present several tests that will help you evaluate the capabilities of the new smartphone.
The Benchmark Pi test allows you to determine CPU performance (the lower the score, the better), here the gadget is ahead of such smartphones as Xperia go, Sony Xperia sola and Samsung Galaxy S Duos.
In other benchmarks Vellamo, NenaMark 2, AnTuTu and Quadrant, the new device also showed average results.
The Samsung Galaxy S III mini has 16 GB of permanent memory, which can be expanded using cards.
Straight out of the box, the smartphone will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, which, of course, is a big plus.
The Galaxy S3 mini has the following pre-installed applications: browser, audio player, video player, Play Market, integration with , navigation software, mail client, other programs and games.
The gadget supports Wi-Fi work(hotspot+Direct), GPS/A-GPS and , Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, and 3G networks.
Screen
The pixel density is 233 ppi, but since this generation uses a PenTile matrix, you will be able to detect the familiar pinpointing. Although it's not a big deal, it's one of those things that you just notice once and it won't leave your mind. The Samsung Galaxy S 3 mini uses a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with resolution of 800x480 pixels and color rendering of 16 million shades. It is identical to the screen used in Galaxy smartphones S and Galaxy S Advance, so the image quality is the same.
Taking all this into account, we can say that the display has more than decent image quality for a mid-range device. Colors are rich, blacks are as deep as other AMOLED screens, and viewing angles are very wide.
Camera
Galaxy S III mini is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. The new product allows you to take pictures with a maximum resolution of 2592x1944 pixels.
The photos look quite good, especially considering that this device is not camera-oriented.
You can see examples of photos below.
The camera allows you to record HD video at 30 frames per second, which makes playback movements quite smooth.
Example of a video shot on Samsung camera Galaxy S3 mini.
The smartphone also has a 0.3 megapixel front camera for video calling.
Battery
The device has lithium-ion battery 1500 mAh capacity, which is enough for 6-7 hours of intensive use (games, Wi-Fi and 3G networks, videos, music and conversations).
Price
Samsung Galaxy S III mini video review:
This model, everything about it was great except the price. Small copy flagship smartphone They called it simply - Samsung Galaxy S III mini, and hung a price tag of 4299 hryvnia. And it would be nice if the S III mini was really a smaller copy of the Samsung i9300, but it’s not. The characteristics were significantly inferior to the top model; only the design and interface were common. We decided to find out what impressions the younger S III leaves behind and whether it is worthy of being valued at an amount commensurate with the original.
Considering the fact that with each new device Samsung is increasingly blurring the line separating one model from another, the Samsung Galaxy S III mini could also be called the Samsung Galaxy S Duos. It is also similar to the S III, and you can distinguish the S III mini and S Duos only by the presence of an inscription on the upper part of the latter’s body. If you look at the device from all sides, you really find a lot in common. This includes the design of the sidewalls, the shape of the rim around the main camera lens, the location of the recess for removing the back panel, the Micro-USB connector, the shape of the hardware key and the speaker grille, and, in fact, the materials used. Among the differences: a different arrangement of proximity sensors, lighting, front camera, flash and multimedia speaker, and, of course, dimensions. If the original has a display with a diagonal of 4.8”, then the smaller copy is some 4”. Another feature that unites the model, here we really need to make an amendment right away - this applies to the majority Samsung devices, is the build quality - it is at a good level. There are no creaks or play. The Gorilla Glass is coated with an oleophobic layer, which should prevent fingerprints. The rear removable panel is made in the same style as in, that is, made of glossy plastic. Scratches and greasy stains from fingers appear on it quite quickly. Looking under the removable panel, you can find a battery with a modest capacity of 1500 mAh, under which is hidden a slot for memory cards, a slot for SIM cards of the usual mini format, and that’s all.
Due to the small dimensions in the hand, the smartphone lies comfortably. The power button is located on the right sidewall, while on the opposite side there is a dual volume rocker. The frame on the sides of the display is much smaller than devices with a similar diagonal, but here, as in the latest models of LG smartphones in white, they used a trick - between the edge of the frame and the display there is short distance, which is invisible when the display backlight is off.
Interface and software
Samsung Galaxy S III mini is one of the few devices running the Android 4.1.1 operating system out of the box. Paired with the current (except for Android 4.2, which is currently only available on Nexus devices) operating system, the smartphone has latest version proprietary shell - Nature UX - the same as in the Samsung Galaxy S III. Taking this into account, the smartphone user actually receives a smaller copy of the original interface.
The only thing that seemed to us not quite convenient is the keyboard. Perhaps the whole point is that we are accustomed to devices with a larger diagonal display. Considering that the smartphone is designed for young people and women, this drawback cannot be considered serious. In addition, no complaints were received from the girl walking with the smartphone for several days. There were no complaints about the quality of communication. The speaker and ringing speakers are loud, but with musical abilities, not everything is so simple. The sound produced is only slightly “simpler” than what we heard in HTC Desire SV, but in terms of volume they have parity. In both cases, its level is not sufficient to enjoy music in the subway without extraneous noise from outside, even taking into account the presence of good headphones.
Hardware platform
Even before the official information appeared, there were rumors that the smartphone would have a quad-core processor, a capacious battery and other amenities that could arouse interest not only among young people, but also among those users for whom performance is important. The reality turned out to be somewhat different. The Samsung Galaxy S III mini uses a NovaThor U8500 system-on-chip with a dual-core 1 GHz processor, Mali-400 MP graphics chip and 1 GB of RAM. All this allows the smartphone to demonstrate good results in performance tests.
The most important thing is that with a 1500 mAh battery, the smartphone showed excellent operating time results, scoring 810 points in Antutu Tester, thereby climbing to second place in the rating. The operating time at maximum load was 4.5 hours. The user can count on 8 hours of video viewing or two to three days of work with a less intense load, including several tens of minutes of calls per day, an hour of listening to music and working on a 3G network.
Display and camera
As good as Super AMOLED displays can be, they can also be bad. The smartphone has a Super AMOLED matrix with all the ensuing consequences, including reference black color, rich shades, good viewing angles and PenTile. You don't need a microscope to notice the latter. A person with good vision sees it from a familiar distance. I was somewhat surprised by the lack of automatic brightness adjustment, because physically, judging by the number of holes on the case, there is a light sensor.
The camera quality is comparable to the first generation of the Galaxy S family, and the camera capabilities are exactly the same. The maximum resolution of pictures is 5 MP, the maximum resolution of recorded video is 1280x720 pixels. The same characteristics are found in the flagship of bada smartphones – Samsung Wave III. Interestingly, these three devices not only use a similar camera module, but also the type of display, including diagonal and resolution. Probably, thus, Samsung decided to give another life to the “oldies” by collecting the stale components and placing them all in a new case.
You can evaluate the quality of the camera using the following examples.
Example of 5 MP photos taken with a Samsung Galaxy S III mini smartphone
Results
Despite all the advantages, a close acquaintance with the Samsung Galaxy S III mini did not reveal to us the secret of such a high price. Maybe, Samsung company It already feels so good on the world market that now all that remains is to increase the perception of its brand as a manufacturer of expensive but high-quality equipment. The smartphone is doing well with this. It is well assembled, has good characteristics and is ready to please the owner with a relatively considerable operating time. The camera will not disappoint either, if you do not expect results comparable to the original. The most important thing is that all this together leaves behind a good impression and it is likely that as soon as the price for it comes down to earth, its popularity is simply guaranteed.
Notify when on sale
Even before the official announcement of the Galaxy S3 Mini, information about it appeared on the Internet, and the general impression of this device was that it was prohibitively expensive, its specifications were not amazing, and there was no room for it in the presence of flagships from the previous season. These statements are quite fair and have a basis, but with one caveat. If we are talking about those who follow the market mobile phones and understands it at least approximately, and not about those who do not follow the market, but research it before purchasing a device and choose the best options.
In the past, a lot of devices appeared on the market that were not optimal in terms of price/quality ratio, for example, the Galaxy Ace, which at the time of release was noticeably more expensive than models from previous seasons. But this device, even with such a noticeable markup, became a bestseller in a very short time. Why? The answer lies in who bought it - people who were far from understanding the market and who chose not technical specifications, but a phone for a certain amount. This is the most standard story in stores selling phones - a person comes with the idea that he wants a phone for such and such an amount, perhaps of such and such a brand and with approximately these characteristics (by characteristics we mean not the number of cores in the processor, but the quality of the camera , music and the like). This is the most grateful buyer, since he is not interested comparative analysis, but chooses what is recommended to him or can be sold. These people are guided by whether they like the device or not, and whether they are satisfied with its cost or not. In the case of Galaxy Ace, it is possible that the success was due to some similarity of the device with Apple iPhone, outwardly they are easily distinguishable, but there is something similar in their appearance.
In 2012, in the field of design, Samsung follows the line first introduced in the Galaxy S3; the devices look similar, but differ in size. The company's flagship has unprecedentedly high sales, and each price reduction increases its sales volume. This is a flagship in every sense, it gives the company maximum profit. By copying this device in terms of design, Samsung hopes that at a lower price it will be chosen by those who value small size. In fact, we are not talking about a flagship at all, but about one of the passing products, which will become popular only after the price is reduced and, apparently, after 8-9 months from the start of sales. We observed similar things for a number of other Samsung products.
The prefix “Mini” fully describes the size of the phone; it is really small, especially compared to its older brother.
Unfortunately, its characteristics are not amazing - a regular TFT screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and a diagonal of 4 inches. The built-in memory is not 16 GB, but about 5 GB plus a memory card. The camera is only 5 megapixels. But the platform from ST Ericsson has a dual-core processor with a maximum frequency of each core of 1 GHz. Budget, but quite productive solution. These characteristics can be found in many models that are already on the market and cost 10-12 thousand rubles. For example, the Galaxy S2 and its various clones from Samsung have best characteristics and a price comparable to the Galaxy S3 Mini. And they have not disappeared from the market. From the point of view of common sense, there is no point in buying the S3 Mini. Especially if you have a cheap Galaxy S3 (the difference is not so great in price, but in the quality of products and functionality it is huge).
Sample photos:
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In my opinion, it’s worth saying that the S3 Mini is a niche solution that is intended to expand the line, and nothing more. This product will not be able to compete with the original S3, even taking into account the lower price. Find more on the market functional models won't be difficult. This product is designed for those who know about S3, but for some reason do not buy it (most likely, it does not fit into the price, but wants the latest phone). We, as those who know the cost of different models, their functionality, can mutter and predict a resounding failure for this device, but this will not happen. The majority who buy phones simply do not care about our opinion and choose according to the scenario described above, this must be understood. And therefore, quite significant sales of the Galaxy S3 Mini are guaranteed. But they only became possible thanks to the success of the Galaxy S3.
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P.S. I admit that I don’t see the point in writing in detail about this model yet; closer to the start of sales, you can read a full review and comparison with other models.
Eldar Murtazin ()
- Description Characteristics
- Test Reviews Articles
First look at the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini smartphone: a flagship for midgets?
It can be called “mini” in relation to its parent device – the Galaxy SIII itself. Because SIII is a “shovel”, and his “Mini-Us” are really much smaller in size.
Earlier
Until now, the prefix “mini” on smartphones has really lived up to its grammatical meaning: usually “mini” smartphones, although there are few of them, have a screen size of 3.0-3.5 inches, low resolution and low power. They were bought by people who did not want to bother with large and sophisticated gadgets, that is, they had their own audience and still have it.
Now
If we take more prosaic reasons, then it is probably clear to anyone that the release is primarily related to the marketing component. "Big Brother" is one of the most expensive smartphones on the market (it is clear that it is the most powerful) and not everyone can afford it, or even need it. Such high power (for comparison, let’s just say that in AnTuTu Benchmark the SIII, as we remember, had about 15,000 points) is simply not needed by most and is in demand primarily by gamers and developers (and even then not by all).
Therefore, the release of a less powerful, but looking almost the same smartphone for Samsung was, presumably, a matter of time. They could call it anything, but the allusion to the most powerful pocket device clearly plays into the hands of the Korean company.
Mini display
It is clear that he is not mini at all. It can’t reach the three-inch “old mini” ones, since the screen diagonal of the new product is a healthy four inches diagonally. The display type is, of course, Super AMOLED, but the resolution is WVGA, that is, 800x480 pixels. And this is quite sad, because such diagonals are already being mass-produced with a qHD resolution (960x540 pixels) - 800x480 is somehow not enough, this resolution remains for budget models and smartphones with smaller diagonals. And WVGA in the SIII mini is accompanied by a not very high pixel density: only 233 ppi. Of course, Super AMOLED saves the situation, but not much. Above the display you can see light and proximity sensors. And inside, according to our sources, there is an accelerometer, a digital compass and a gyroscope. In general, the set is not small at all, and this is a plus of the new gadget.
Display resolution Samsung Galaxy SIII mini is quite low
Mini processor
NVidia Tegra 3 or Samsung Exynos 4412 did not become the heart of the younger brother of the flagship of the 2012 line. Instead, Samsung recently announced that the Galaxy S III mini is equipped mobile platform NovaThor ModAp of the U8420 family named STE. The processor consists of two cores ARM Cortex A9, operating at 1 GHz, Mali 400 graphics coprocessor, DDR2 memory, HSPA+ Release 7 module, a new, improved audio codec and proprietary energy-saving technologies.
In general, even despite the fact that one of the most powerful processors did not become a full participant in the mini-project, the non-standard processor at least arouses interest. Game lovers will also be pleased, since Mali 400 is designed specifically for them. The frequency is not the highest, as you can see, but overclocking fans will probably also find a use for their abilities.
All this newness is accompanied by 1 GB of RAM and 8 or 16 GB of internal memory. The manufacturer does not say how much specifically is allocated for applications. Additionally, you can load up to 32 GB of data on a microSD card if you buy it separately.
Mini cameras
Compared to megapixel numbers and number additional features, which have the cameras of smartphones in 2012, the Galaxy SIII mini is truly “mini”. Firstly, its rear camera is only five megapixels without any additional functions (in which, by the way, competitor HTC succeeded - just look at the impressive list of additional “goodies” at least in latest model HTC One X+), secondly, the front camera, although present, will not produce more than 0.3 MP even if desired. Only in interpolated form.
Samsung Galaxy SIII mini is smaller than its “big brother”, but not so small in itself
And even the fact that the rear camera shoots HD video doesn't save it. As well as the presence of a digital stabilizer and all other useful little things by default (like geo-tagging or a smile detector - all this is already available almost everywhere). And, of course, an LED flash, which is usually not of much use.
In general, in the cameras of this device we see a reflection of 2010 and partly 2011, no later - it was then that such a pair of cameras (5 MP + 0.3 MP) was popular among smartphones in the mid- and high-price range. Of course, the SIII mini should not be as expensive a model as the SIII, but such savings on camera modules are a little disappointing.
Mini trivia
What about wireless protocols?
We see a full set of WiFi protocols IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, extended WiFi protocol HT40, aGPS/GLONASS chip for navigation, protocol wireless transmission DLNA multimedia data; as well as NFC modules (with software support for S Beam for instant data exchange with others Samsung phones) And Bluetooth version 4.0 (LE).
Decreases Samsung Galaxy SIII mini touched not only the size, but also the camera resolution
And pay attention special attention on Bluetooth: the abbreviation LE in this case does not mean “light edition” (“light version”), as one might think, but Low Energy– that is, a module with ultra-low peak power consumption. This is also one of the latest technologies that we see in this device. Well, we have already written about HSPA+ support in 3G. In general, from this point of view, the Korean new product can be praised in the best words.
But the battery capacity, alas, is small and is only 1500 mAh. It is quite possible that soon after the device enters the market, the battery can be replaced with a more capacious model from a third-party manufacturer, but for now we have to admit that the smartphone will last about the same amount of time on a single charge as others - that is, no more than a day.
But the space it takes up is not mini at all. Galaxy Dimensions The SIII mini measures 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm and weighs 111.5 g. Although, by the way, the weight can be considered small compared to its competitors.
Mini programs
A serious advantage of the new product is the operating Android system version 4.1. Despite the fact that this version was announced back in the summer, its implementation in gadgets is proceeding at a very slow pace and therefore new devices in which this operating system is immediately installed are attracting attention. After all, if you remember from our review article about Jelly Bean (codename Android 4.1), in it the user receives several very convenient and tangible updates. Well, since the new device came from the pen of Samsung, the new owners of the smartphone will have at their disposal all the inherent “goodies”, such as the proprietary TouchWiz UX interface and a proprietary set of applications, including one of the new products - Kies app 2.5.0 for synchronization with PC and Mac with the maximum possible number of synchronization options. In addition, the new device contains those innovative technologies that we have already seen in the “big brother” Galaxy SIII. For example, gesture recognition, which provides a lot of possibilities with appropriate software support. For example, the Smart Stay function, quoting a press release, “uses the phone’s front camera to record eye movements and keeps the screen backlight on as long as the user is looking at the screen.”
Samsung Galaxy SIII mini is a faithful assistant to the older model in establishing market dominance
And if you are reading an SMS and want to call its owner, the Direct Call function will come to your aid: it allows you to dial the number automatically by simply holding your smartphone to your ear. The Smart Alert feature is not as innovative, but nevertheless, it warns about missed calls or messages as soon as the user picks up the phone. As well as another proprietary technology, S Voice, which allows you to unlock your phone with your voice and voice control.
In general, the smartphone's software support is impressive.
Mini design
Externally, which is quite logical, the design of the SIII mini almost completely copies the design of the SIII in a smaller form factor. True, now the smartphone has become similar to an ordinary “point-and-shoot” thanks to its rounded shape. This is especially noticeable in the rear part, since plastic is everywhere and there are no design delights.
Maxi-outputs
According to preliminary data, the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini will occupy the shelves in November, and its price will be about 16 thousand rubles. Considering Samsung's traditional quality and abundance of software capabilities, this price seems adequate. You can also take into account the fact that this is the cost of the smartphone when it appears, and closer to the New Year or after it, it should quite expectedly decrease.
Of course, competition in this segment is high - Samsung's new product will be opposed by devices from HTC, Huawei and Sony with better technical characteristics and comparable software support. Therefore, the emphasis in sales, as we see it, will be with an eye on the older brother Galaxy SIII.
Case color options Samsung Galaxy SIII mini repeats the older model
And this - strong point new items, since the “younger brother” borrowed a lot from the “elder”. The downsides, of course, are the irrelevant screen resolution and average battery. However, we still don’t know the behavior of the new processor with its mysterious energy-saving technologies (and Bluetooth, by the way), so perhaps everything won’t be so bad. And here software part– this is exactly what makes the SIII mini strong, standing out among others. But serious competition is expected - Samsung will not be the only player in this field, since the price segment of smartphones “about 15 thousand rubles” is one of the most popular.
Best sellers: smartphones January - February 2013
January is traditionally a month of surprises. Two mobile technology exhibitions in a row, at which gadgets are announced that set the tone for the entire industry throughout the year. But - this is at exhibitions. And in stores they buy devices that were either released at the end of last year, or have already been tested and proven.
The statistical data was transferred to Zoom.CNews for analysis by the MediaMarkt chain of stores, and today we will divide the devices not into three groups, as was previously the case, but into four. The first group traditionally includes budget smartphones with an average price of up to 12 thousand rubles. The second group consists of gadgets priced from 12 to 15 thousand rubles: this is the middle segment, and it can be considered the most widespread.
Which smartphones are selling like hot cakes?
The third group of smartphones represents the premium segment with an average price of 15 to 20 thousand rubles. And we will call the last segment “uncompromising” - that is, the highest, luxury and even “elite”. In fact, in this segment there is virtually no upper ceiling (the lower limit is 20 thousand rubles), since this is where the most innovative models with the most advanced technical characteristics are located. But, nevertheless, everyone already knows very well that any innovative devices will cost much more when they appear.
Budget models
Inexpensive smartphones today are completely different from, say, six months or one year ago. Today in the “up to 12 thousand rubles” category you can find very advanced gadgets that would previously have been in the premium segment. This is due, first of all, to the massive expansion Chinese smartphones into the world in general and MediaTek platforms (MT65xx) in particular. And, secondly, high-speed multi-core models have moved to more expensive categories, and by the end of last year a fairly decent number of them had already appeared. Less powerful single-core and dual-core even with the same gigabyte of RAM with good screen have already firmly established themselves in budget segment(for example, the new HTC Desire series smartphones), not to mention the average.
HTC Desire V
5th place
The smartphone closes the top five budget models and in terms of technical characteristics is very similar to most of the other participants, although in some ways it is inferior to them.
At a price of around 9 thousand rubles, we see a classic “point-and-shoot” from HTC on a single-core Qualcomm MSM7227A platform with a gigahertz core (by the way, the platform is almost the same as the first “Ace”), Adreno 200 graphics coprocessor and 512 MB of RAM . Of course, the 4 GB of permanent memory and a slot for microSD cards.
But the screen, at first glance, is still average: it’s the same 480x800 pixels at four inches diagonally, but the type of matrix is Super LCD, and the ppi number will be higher - as much as 233 units. The smartphone has one camera, 5 megapixels with autofocus, intelligent LED flash, F2.8 aperture and 34 mm lens. There is no front camera, but it does have the ability to work with two SIM cards in standby mode. Only one of the SIM cards works with 3G networks; there are also standard ones even for inexpensive smartphone Bluetooth 4.0 protocols with Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n.
operating system HTC's brainchild is not so bad - it's Android 4.0 with the proprietary HTC Sense 4 shell. Actually, in the next category, the first two devices can also boast the same thing. Least.
Samsung Galaxy Ace
4th place
We will continue our budget table, according to good tradition, with devices from the Samsung Galaxy Ace family. This truly unsinkable (in a figurative sense) smartphone has been at the top of the charts of budget gadgets from various sellers for many months. Moreover, we are not just talking about one model: Galaxy Ace ranks in our chart inexpensive models four lines out of five, and all these are different modifications. The middle line is occupied by the second incarnation of this gadget.
Ace, in general, is nothing particularly interesting. This is a very budget Android smartphone, and Android version it can only be updated to 2.3.6 maximum. You won't see any Ice Cream Sandwich in it.
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
And it is very inexpensive for a smartphone on Android based(if we generally assume that the version of this OS with index 2.2, used in the Galaxy Ace by default, is in principle viable today). “Ace” has a rather frail screen with a diagonal of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 320x480, and the pixels per inch is 165 ppi. The platform used is Qualcomm Snapdragon with a single-core MSM7227T processor operating at a frequency of 800 MHz and a built-in Adreno 200 video accelerator. The device has 384 MB of RAM and 180 MB of permanent memory. As you can see, these figures are very, very modest. But at least the consolation is that the user has the ability to install microSD cards up to 32 GB, and in models with the “i” index (as, for example, in La Fleur), the processor is overclocked to 832 MHz (and overclocking even to 902 MHz is possible!).
Samsung Galaxy Ace La Fluer
However, even despite such a weak configuration, Ace can boast of support for most 3G HSxPA standards, a five-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+A2DP (although this is not something to boast about) , as well as aGPS and DLNA.
3 - 1 places
In third place, as mentioned earlier, is the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2. That is, the successor to the Galaxy Ace that insidiously surrounded it in the Mediamarkt table. And it actually has quite a lot of differences.
“Ace” has become larger: now its screen diagonal is 3.8 inches, the WVGA screen resolution is 480x800 pixels, and the ppi indicator is 248 pixels, which is very good. The platform has also grown significantly: it now uses a dual-core ST Ericsson U8500 with a frequency of 800 MHz per core and a Mali-400 MP gaming video accelerator. For budget smartphone this is a very decent indicator.
Samsung Galaxy Ace DUOS
The smartphone now has 768 MB of RAM, 4 GB of permanent memory, and there is no support for microSD cards up to 32 GB. Support for wireless interfaces remains at the same level, only Bluetooth is now the third version, and in addition to GPS, GLONASS support has appeared.
Top sellers in the group of budget models
| Rank, model |
Screen size, permission |
Processor used |
Memory |
Platform/OS | Price |
| 1 | Qualcomm QCT MSM7227 | Android 2.2 |
7 300 | ||
| 2
|
Qualcomm QCT MSM7227 | Android 2.2 | 7 300 | ||
| 3 | NovaThor U8500 | Android 2.3 |
8 900 | ||
| 4
Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos |
Broadcom BCM21553 832 MHz |
RAM 512 MB 4096 MB |
Android 2.3 | 6 500 | |
| 5 | 1000 MHz |
Android 4.0 | 9 500 |
website
Among the positive differences, we should also note the appearance of a front VGA camera in addition to the rear five-megapixel one (which can now shoot HD video), and the opportunity to buy a Galaxy Ace with an NFC chip.
Middle segment
5th place
Fifth place went to the only representative of the Finnish concern Nokia on our list with its Lumia 800 model. It can also be noted that this is the only device on the platform discussed in this article Windows Phone. What’s even more interesting is that none of the devices from the family Nokia Lumia on the new Windows Phone 8 OS it was not included in the list of bestsellers at all.
Nokia Lumia 800
So, an AMOLED display is fitted into a very stylish black case, but its resolution is only 480x800, because it’s no longer possible (but at least 252 ppi). The processor is single-core (not allowed anymore), Qualcomm MSM8255 with a frequency of 1400 MHz, built-in memory – 16 GB, no slot for micro-SD cards.
The smartphone has only 512 MB of RAM, and not because more is not possible, but because there is no special meaning in it: Windows Phone has its own RAM management system with intelligent unloading of little-used and simply unnecessary applications. The Lumia 800 has a 1450 mAh battery, which should last for a couple of days.
There is no front camera, like all new WP smartphones.
4th place
The fate of the next test subject, standing in fourth place, is to be, although an average smartphone, but with support for two SIM cards in active mode.
Samsung Galaxy S DUOS
The processor in this device is Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A with a frequency of 1 GHz and an Adreno 200 graphics accelerator. This smartphone will not have enough RAM - only 512 MB, but in combination with a low-power processor everything turns out quite harmoniously. Internal memory - 4 GB, it can be expanded with cards microSD memory(up to 32 GB).
Its display is also quite simple; don’t expect Super AMOLED: it’s a 4-inch TFT LCD with a WVGA 480x800 resolution. Samsung Galaxy S DUOS comes with optimized Android 4.0 ICS OS.
The situation with cameras is also good: the smartphone has a rear five-megapixel photo and video camera with LED flash, and a front camera with VGA resolution will be used for video calls. It is worth noting that, according to the manufacturer, the rear camera can shoot video not only in a resolution of 480x800 (WVGA), but also in 480x854 (FWVGA) with thirty frames per second.
HTC Desire X
Wireless interfaces are represented by modern protocols Bluetooth 3.0, 3G (up to HSDPA 7.2 Mb/s), aGPS and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz. In general, everything a modest average smartphone needs.
Samsung's strength Galaxy Duos can be called the presence of a proprietary interface Samsung TouchWiz, which is a wrapper for the OC Google Android 4.0 ICS, and will be the same for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean when this gadget receives it.
The dimensions of the new product are 121.5 x 63.1 x 10.5 mm, weight – 120 grams. These are also completely average indicators, and the smartphone does not present any surprises here. Accumulator battery offers an average capacity of 1500 mAh.
3 - 1 places
Our presentation is closed by two models from HTC in three variations - and. The first of them is in the top, and the second takes not only second, but also third place - the latter went to this model for White color housings.
HTC Desire X
HTC Desire X is one of the most modest smartphones on our list, in all respects. And it’s impossible to say whether this is good or bad, since all people need different things from smartphones - some people need the Internet, some people need to play with toys, and some people use them purely as a work tool.
The HTC Desire X uses a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with gigahertz cores, 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory.
Its screen is four-inch, but already Super LCD and with an average WVGA resolution of 480x800 pixels. Wireless technologies are also supported at the modern level: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, DLNA and 3G HSxPA.
There is no front camera, there is only a rear five-megapixel camera with F2.0 aperture, autofocus and LED flash, geotagging and several proprietary services are supported.
There is also Beats Audio stereo panorama expansion technology and a 1650 mAh battery. The operating system installed is the usual one today - Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4.
HTC Desire SV
But the HTC Desire SV, which is in first place, snatched some elements from the models of the previous segment. Although the platform is the same as the Desire X, the new dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with gigahertz cores and 768 MB of RAM. Volume internal memory standard is 4 GB, and up to 32 GB can be obtained using a microSD card. The screen of the smartphone is simple, 4.3 inches diagonal and 480x800 resolution, which is where its advantages end. Although we can also mention large viewing angles, this statement remains on the conscience of the manufacturer. The set of wireless interfaces is the same as in other smartphones and includes modern Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n.
The gadget has only a rear camera; it has 8 MP with autofocus and a backlight sensor for better shooting in poor lighting, F2.2 aperture, 28mm wide-angle lens and intelligent flash that automatically selects one of five power levels.
Like the latest device in the previous price segment, Desire SV offers two microSIM cards that work in standby mode. Plus free 25 GB of Dropbox online storage for two years.
Top sellers in the mid-range model group
| Rank, model |
Screen size, permission |
Processor used |
Memory |
Platform/OS | Price |
| 1 | Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon | RAM 768 MB | Android 4.0 |
12 000 | |
| 2
(black)
|
1000 MHz | RAM 768 MB | Android 4.0 | 10 900
|
|
| 3 (white) | 1000 MHz | RAM 768 MB | Android 4.0 |
10 900
|
|
| 4 | Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon 1000 MHz |
RAM 768 MB 4096 MB |
Android 4.0 |
11 000 | |
| 5 | Qualcomm MSM8255 1400 MHz |
MS Windows Phone 7.5 | 12 500 |
website
Premium segment
5th place
The “latest” in this category is a newcomer to the market. But the fact that it has already become a bestseller indicates that the market was waiting for it, preparing for it and selling it out almost immediately. By the way, the Galaxy Ace 2 is a direct competitor to the model in question, since even despite the premium segment, the technical characteristics of the S III Mini are very budget-friendly.
Samsung Galaxy S III mini
Let's say the platform is a modest dual-core NovaThor processor with a frequency of 1 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and Maili-400 gaming graphics. 8 GB of internal memory are installed (about 5 GB are available to the user), there is also a slot for microSD cards (up to 64 GB). The average in AnTuTu Benchmark is about 6500 units, which is quite acceptable for a smartphone of this type.
Of course, there is more of a brand influence here: the Galaxy S III mini is greatly overpriced. Although it also has its advantages: for example, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, 3G HSPA networks are supported, and the display is Super AMOLED. Albeit a four-inch one with a resolution of 480x800. The smartphone also has a VGA front camera and a 5 MP rear camera with LED flash.
Well, in terms of design, it’s a pure Galaxy S III, only small.
4th place
The fourth place is occupied by the first “shovel” in recent history, which has moved from luxury to premium devices (a smartphone with a large screen, also known as a “phablet”, also known as a “plafond”, also known as a “shovel”). Moreover, unlike these iPhones of yours and the Galaxy S III, which captured all the lines of the latest price segment, the Note turned out to be black, not white. Why is this interesting? Well, at least because this device was originally produced in pure white.
Samsung Galaxy Note I
Why the world unexpectedly fell in love with him in December 2011 was his giant screen. Samsung gave this Android smartphone a Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 5.3 inches with an HD resolution of 1280x800 (and ppi - 285. Next - powerful processor, dual-core, Samsung Exynos 4210 clocked at 1400 MHz, based on Cortex-A9 with Mali-400 MP gaming graphics co-processor. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, internal memory is 16 or 32 GB, and it can be expanded with microSDHC cards up to 32 GB. Of course, all this must be powered by a very serious battery, and its capacity is 2500 mAh, although, however, due to the large and bright screen it does not last very long. But, by the way, batteries with an increased capacity, more than 5000 mAh, have been on sale for a long time.
Note also has two cameras: a rear 8 MP and a front 2 MP. Among other things, the main feature of the “shovel” is its own stylus, which allows you to draw on the screen. And this is generally a distinctive feature of Note family devices.
One can even conclude that this smartphone has become legendary and has given rise to a new fashion for smartphones - now releasing a phablet is considered good form.
3rd place
Third place goes to another product from the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC called . It is already slightly outdated morally (considering that it appeared more than a year ago), since it was once one of the top ones, but from a technical point of view it is still more than modern. For example, its Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of qHD (960x540 pixels) has a diagonal of 4.3 inches, covered protective glass Gorilla Glass and placed in slim body 7.8 mm unibody type. The platform used is good, Qualcomm MSM8260A with a dual-core processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz per core. The device has 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of permanent memory, plus the buyer is given 25 GB in Dropbox for 2 years.
HTC One S
One of the advantages of this smartphone is a very fast eight-megapixel camera that starts up in FullHD mode in less than a second, and video shooting is activated simultaneously with video recording. And, of course, the beats audio stereo panorama expansion system has not gone away.
1 - 2 places: Best-selling smartphone in Russia according to Media Markt
And our first two places are occupied by two modifications of a very popular smartphone in Russia (their difference is only in color: black in first place, white in second). Interestingly, its more “advanced brother” of this device, the iPhone 4S, also ranks first in the next segment, and we will also mention it.
Apple iPhone 4
In general, there is not much that can be said about the “four,” mainly because there is nothing to compare it with. For example, we can say that it has a previous generation processor, Apple A4 on ARM Cortex 8 with a PowerVR SGX 535 graphics coprocessor, 512 MB of RAM and from 8 to 32 GB of internal memory. And, by the way, it is not expandable in any way - just like on Windows Phone devices. And all this will not say anything. The screen of the fourth iPhone is 3.5-inch with a resolution of 960x640, a pixel density of 326 ppi and a contrast ratio of 800:1. The performance is very good, and it’s not for nothing that buyers love this device so much. The rear camera is five megapixel and allows you to shoot HD video, while the front camera is only VGA, but also allows you to shoot 480p video at up to 30 frames per second. HTC One S Samsung Galaxy S III. It offers quad core Samsung processor Exynos 4412 with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz per core and a Mali MP-400 graphics accelerator, 1 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of internal memory (plus micro-SDXC cards up to 64 GB). The screen of the gadget is made using Super AMOLED HD technology with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels (at a density of 306 pixels per inch), 4.8" diagonal and with protective glass of the new generation Gorilla Glass 2. The resolution, it should be noted, is no longer the most cutting-edge, but for last year it can be called actually the best on the market.
Samsung Galaxy S III
Galaxy S III has two cameras: a rear 8 MP and a front 2 MP, and the rear one can also record FullHD video. Of course, all are supported existing standards 3G up to HSPA+, dual-band Wi-Fi according to 802.11 a/b/g/n standards, Bluetooth version 3.0 and aGPS/GLONASS satellite receivers. In general, this device has everything and even more: for example, voice control of a smartphone using a natural speech recognition system (which even answers questions), gesture recognition technology, a dual microphone, unusual colors (blue and white), AllShare Cast technology for connecting to “smart TVs” and so on. By the way, this is one of those smartphones that are literally on the border of two segments - a small price reduction occurred not long ago, and only due to mass demand for the Galaxy S III.
As with the iPhone, Desire X, and Samsung Galaxy Ace, the difference in placement on the Galaxy S III is due to the color of the case. Fifth place is occupied by a cheaper blue device, fourth – which indicates its greater popularity – is a white “shovel”.
Samsung Galaxy S III
The third and first lines are occupied by a small modification of the iPhone 4 called iPhone 4S, which everyone predicted to be called iPhone 5, but in the end it turned out to be what we see now. It has an updated iOS6 system, an 800 MHz Apple A5 hybrid processor inherited from the iPad, 512 MB of RAM, from 16 to 64 GB of internal memory (there is no possibility of using micro-SD cards) and a new Retina display with a resolution of 960x640.
The rear camera of the iPhone 4 is five megapixel and allows you to shoot FullHD video, and the front camera is only VGA, but it can also shoot video with a resolution of 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second. This is where the differences end, and this difference in the positions of the list is due only to the color of the case. In first place, naturally, is the black model, in third place is the white one.
Apple iPhone 4S
Well, in honorable second place - who would you think - Apple iPhone 5. The new generation of the iPhone family is based on the Apple A6 platform on two ARMv7 cores operating at a frequency of 1.3 GHz, with a PowerVR SGX543MP3 graphics coprocessor. RAM – 1 GB (which is called “finally”), and internal memory – from 16 to 64.
Apple iPhone 4S
Apple iPhone 5 already has a rather small Retina screen by the standards of the end of the year with a diagonal of 4 inches and an aspect ratio of 16:9. It has a non-standard resolution of 1136x640 pixels with an excellent pixel density per inch of 326 ppi, a contrast ratio of 800:1 and a brightness of 500 nits. There are two cameras: a rear one with 8 megapixels (with support for shooting FullHD video) and a front one with 1.2 megapixels.
Apple iPhone 5
WITH wireless interfaces everything is fine: there is dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth version 4.0, GPS receivers and GLONASS, and networks fourth generation LTE is also supported along with all third party protocols.
Top sellers in the luxury model group
website
The battery in the iPhone 5 has a capacity of only 1440 mAh. But the dimensions and weight are very impressive: 123.8x58.6x7.6 mm (pay attention to the thickness!) and only 112 grams, respectively. Operating system – iOS 6.