Smaller, more reasonably sized smartphones are a trend we’d like to see take off, and Samsung — the top proliferator of oversized handsets — may actually help the cause. On Wednesday, the Korean news website iNews24 reported that JK Shin, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, said the company would unveil a “mini” Galaxy S III in Germany on Thursday.

The device will reportedly sport a 4-inch display, a size that is in high demand in Europe, Shin told iNews24, according to a translation. That also happens to be the screen size of Apple’s new iPhone 5.

Aside from size, Shin didn’t share any specs, although the German website Mobile Geeks is reporting that the mini’s internals will fail to live up to the device’s flagship branding, with a disappointingly low 800 x 480 resolution screen and a 1GHz dual-core CPU, instead of the 1.5GHz dual-core chip found in the U.S. version of the S III or the quad-core chip found in the S III’s European and Asian variants.

Maybe they are copying apple again with the iPhone 5 screen size?


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OK, I'll bite.

You do realise that Android handsets had 4"+ screens long, long before Apple announced the iPhone 5, right? The original Samsung Galaxy S, released in 2010, had a 4" screen.

I don't have any evidence to back this up but... in the last 6 months or so I have lost count of the number of people who have told me that they are sick of the iPhones, (and Blackberries) and want to switch to Android. One of the things that I am constantly being told about my phone, (Galaxy Note) is that the screen is superb, with the main comment being "I wish my iPhone had a screen like that".

Going back to a 4" screen would, in my opinion, not be a big seller, except maybe for the Apple defectors?

I'm not so sure. The main reason I didn't upgrade to a HTC one X this year was because the screen/phone were physically too big. A 4" screen would be perfect for me.

The iPhone 5's 4" screen is perfect for me. It means the phone is not too big and can be held in one hand without problems. It all down to personal preference. Apple picked their handset size carefully to minimise problems holding for people. Samsung are now realising that issue.

OK, I'll bite.
You do realise that Android handsets had 4"+ screens long, long before Apple announced the iPhone 5, right? The original Samsung Galaxy S, released in 2010, had a 4" screen.

The issue isn't whether Samsung have made a 4" screen before, it's why they've decided to make one now.

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I am not going to criticise Samsung as it is a comfortable size so I can fully understand why they have revisited the 4" version. It might simply have been that they wanted to go big to start with because there have been rumours/wish-lists of a bigger iPhone, just like there are wish-lists for a smaller iPad.