Apple finally relented to the masses and increased their smartphone’s screen to 4-inches with the iPhone 5. This change came just as the market was starting to get saturated with devices that had huge four to five inch displays, a movement spearheaded by Android and the many Samsung Galaxy phones. But now, it looks like the South Korean electronics company is taking a step back from their “bigger is better” philosophy by releasing a smaller version of one of their flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.
Rumors about a miniaturized version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 have been floating around the internet for a while now. Those rumors got a bit more traction when last week, an invite for a Samsung invite promising that “something small will be really big” on October 11 started circulating. Today, we can confirm that the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini is indeed on the way.
Samsung Mobile’s JK Shin spoke with the Korean press earlier today and revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini was conceived in response to a high demand for such a device in the European market. Shin also revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini would not be an entry-level or mid-range device but would still fall in the premium category. It would have all of the features and capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the only difference being a smaller 4-inch display on the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini:
“We’ll be launching a 4-inch Galaxy S III on the 11th in Germany. There’s a lot of demand for a 4-inch screen device in Europe. Some call it an entry-level device, but we call it ‘mini.’”
Shin did not provide any additional details about the device. But based on his statement, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini will be primarily targeted at European consumers. Still, if the device ends up selling well, there’s no doubt that it will see release in other territories eventually.
Does a 4-inch Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini sound appealing to you? Would you choose this device over the iPhone 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below!