Mini version of the flagship model: not only reduced, but also cut
The family of the top line of mobile devices samsung galaxy S is expanding. In addition to the main smartphone, which itself, as you know, has two varieties based on different hardware platforms, the Korean company also releases a smaller version called Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, and a protected version of Galaxy S4 Active for people leading an active lifestyle. , and even the “clean” Google phone Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition is a variant of the same smartphone, only now with modified software. By the way, the Koreans are not unique in this: the Taiwanese HTC is also going to release its “mini” and “maxi” soon. In previous reviews, we have already reviewed almost all of the listed variations on the Galaxy S theme, and even managed to test a 6.3-inch "monster" that has grown in size called Galaxy Mega. Now it's down to a smaller version of the company's top smartphone.
That's right: according to the proprietary nomenclature, the model under consideration today not only officially belongs to the Galaxy S line, but is also a smaller version of the specific Galaxy S4 model, as all brand designations and even the name itself eloquently testify to. However, users looking for a modern smartphone with powerful flagship hardware, but with a small (normal) screen size, will be disappointed: the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is not only reduced in size, but also greatly reduced in functions and capabilities, completely different , a standalone model. So, as before, such people have no alternative so far (at least if we take the products of large manufacturers) Apple iPhone with its miniature, by today's standards, dimensions and top-end stuffing - well, or look at the "Chinese", like Xiaomi Mi2S . As for the hero of today's review, the level of its filling turned out to be an order of magnitude lower than that of the company's flagship. Here is a different SoC, a stripped-down set of proprietary user interface features, a smaller battery, a simpler camera, and so on. Thus, the buyer should not be deceived: we are not facing a reduced Samsung Galaxy S4, but a completely different model in all respects, which only for marketing reasons (read: to increase sales) received from the creators a “foreign” name that it wears , in general, not at the right time.
Pictured: Samsung Galaxy Mega, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
By the way, this is not the first attempt of this kind among the Koreans: during the triumphant march around the planet of the previous flagship model, the Galaxy S3, Samsung made exactly the same attempt to satisfy versatile user tastes by releasing a reduced Galaxy version S3 - S3 mini. The model was not in great demand on the market, which is understandable: those who were looking for top-end hardware stuffing in a standard, rather than a spade-shaped case, having learned that there was a completely different, weaker platform inside, lost interest and turned away, and those who, in general - something, all the same, of course, they chose according to the principle "the more, the better." There are fears that the successor of this strange tradition, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, will suffer the same fate, because nothing has changed in the behavior of the manufacturer this time either: the soul of the big S4 does not glimmer in the small body of the S4 mini, and that says it all.
But our task is not market forecasts, but a scrupulous description of any device that got into our test lab, which we will do. Let's make a reservation right away: we had a model in our hands that works with only one SIM-card and does not have support for fourth-generation networks (LTE). There are other modifications (for example, the model number that supports LTE is GT-I9195, but it will not be presented on the Russian market); in our case, the model number is designated as GT-I9190, and it is about it that our story will go today.
Key Features of Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (GT-I9190)
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.7 GHz, 2 Krait 300 cores
- GPU Adreno 305
- operating room android system 4.2.2 Jelly Beans
- Touchscreen S-AMOLED, 4.3″, 960×540, 256 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 1.5 GB, internal memory 8 GB
- Support for microSD cards (up to 64 GB)
- Data transfer (3G) HSPA+ up to 42/5.7 Mbps (download and upload)
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 + 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
- DLNA, infrared
- GPS/Glonass
- Accelerometer, geomagnetic sensor, gyroscope, light sensor, proximity sensor
- Camera 8 MP, autofocus, LED flash
- Camera 1.9 MP (front)
- Battery 1900 mAh
- Dimensions 124.6×61.3×8.94mm
- Weight 107 g
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini | Samsung Galaxy S4 | Samsung Galaxy Mega | Sony Xperia V | |
Screen | 4.3″ S-AMOLED | 4.99″ S-AMOLED | 6.3″, pls | 4.3″ VA |
Permission | 960×540, 256 ppi | 1920×1080, 441ppi | 1280×720, 233 ppi | 1280×720, 342 ppi |
SoC | Exynos [email protected].8 GHz (8 cores) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 @1.7GHz (2 cores, Krait 300) | Qualcomm MSM8960 @1.5GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait) | |
GPU | Adreno 305 | PowerVR SGX544MP3 | Adreno 305 | Adreno 225 |
RAM | 1.5 GB | 2 GB | 1.5 GB | 1 GB |
Flash memory | 8 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB |
Memory card support | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
operating system | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.2 | Google Android 4.0 |
SIM format* | Micro SIM | Micro SIM | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
Battery | removable, 1900 mAh | removable, 2600 mAh | removable, 3200 mAh | removable, 1700 mAh |
cameras | rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP) | rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.9 MP) | rear (12 MP; video - 1080p), front (0.3 MP) | |
Dimensions | 125×61×8.9mm, 107g | 137×70×7.9mm, 130g | 168×88×8 mm, 199 g | 129×65×10.7mm, 120g |
* The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate article.
Appearance and usability
Both Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy Mega are outwardly exact copies of the “standard” Galaxy S4, only with changed dimensions. Apart from the size, in details, even in the smallest, all new models of the series are absolutely identical in their own way. appearance and arrangement of buildings. The same plastic back covers, metal-like bezels around the side perimeter, a single front panel with a recognizable mechanical hardware middle key, and even the shape and location of the speaker grilles, buttons, camera windows, flashes and logos - everything matches perfectly.
And once again, the developers from Samsung once again simply issued a clone of their own previous product, only changing its dimensions and inserting another board inside.
As for the dimensions, the smartphone has become noticeably smaller and lighter than the regular Samsung Galaxy S4, however, in terms of such a parameter as thickness, it even surpasses the original.
- Samsung Galaxy S4 mini - 124.6x61.3x8.94mm, 107g
- Samsung Galaxy S4 - 137x70x7.9mm, 130g
- Samsung Galaxy Mega - 168x88x8mm, 199g
- Sony Xperia V - 129x65x10.7mm, 120g
The body materials of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini are only plastic, there is no metal here. The metal-looking bezel that runs along the entire side perimeter of the device is also made not of metal, but of plastic that mimics metal. The material is soft, it easily leaves dents after any impact, we saw such dents on the rims of both the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S4, and now the Galaxy S4 mini.
For obvious reasons, a smartphone of such small dimensions by today's standards fits snugly in the palm of any size, even a woman's, and holds well there. It looks nice and stylish enough, the side bezel and the speaker grille gleam with chrome, in general the smartphone looks quite neat, although inexpensive and discreet.
Back cover smooth, glossy, reflects in the sun and instantly picks up fingerprints. The spots instantly cover the entire back wall, so you have to wipe it all the time on your knee, since the area is small here. On a smooth surface, a network of small scratches quickly forms, so that the clean ones will have to think about purchasing a cover from the very first minutes.
Case Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is made in the classic monoblock form factor. The back cover here is removable and is standardly mounted on several plastic latches. The battery compartment is hidden under this thin cover: the battery is also removable, and only by removing it, you can get to the memory card and SIM card slots. The structure and arrangement of these slots here differs from that of both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mega: in the first, the connectors are laid out above the battery, and in the second, they are assembled one under the other. In the mini version of the smartphone, under the cover, none of the slots is visible at all - both of them are hidden even deeper, under the battery, so there can be no talk of any hot swap. Even to get a memory card, you will have to remove the battery, which is not very convenient, but this arrangement is due to lack of space due to the small size of the device and a fairly large battery in its dimensions, which occupies most of the internal space of the smartphone.
Both slots are simple in design, not equipped with spring-loaded gripping mechanisms, so inserting and removing both cards requires an uncomfortable pull in the "up and on" style. However, it is the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini connectors that have special open spaces, so that a stuck card can always be pushed with something sharp from the other side. The SIM card is used here in the Micro-SIM format, the memory card can expand the built-in memory by 64 GB.
The front panel is completely covered with protective glass, under which not only the display is hidden, but also the front camera window, and sensor eyes. The ear speaker is covered with a chrome grille. There are three hardware buttons in a row under the screen: two touch buttons on the sides and one mechanical button in the middle. All buttons are sensitive to touch and pressing - there are no problems with this. The touch buttons have a white soft backlight, the duration of which can be adjusted at the discretion of the owner in the corresponding settings section.
The remaining elements and connectors are habitually scattered along the narrow edges of the device. Both connectors - 3.5 mm audio output to the headset and Micro-USB - are located on the top and bottom, respectively. The outputs and connectors are not equipped with plugs - the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini model is not protected from dust and moisture. The Micro-USB connector here, unfortunately, does not support the mode of connecting external devices using a USB host (OTG), so neither a flash drive nor a keyboard with a mouse can be connected to the smartphone. All other members of the Galaxy S family, up to the Galaxy Mega, had excellent OTG support, and it’s strange why the Galaxy S4 mini was left out - this is just one of those noticeable and significant differences between the mini version and the normal, full-fledged top flagship. Similarly, there is no way to display the image on a monitor or TV via MHL.
It's good that they left an infrared port - it is cut into the upper end of the device and serves, first of all, to work with household appliances as a remote control. Among software The smartphone has a convenient program called WatchOn - it recognizes almost any, even fairly old equipment, easily managing, for example, a domestic Beeline TV set-top box or a ten-year-old Phillips TV. All settings are already included in the program, there is no need to teach it, so even if the remote control has been lost for a long time, any smartphone from the Galaxy S family equipped with an infrared port will be able to return to its former comfort.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini also has mechanical keys on the sides of the device: on the left is the volume rocker, on the right is the power/lock button. The keys are made in the same style with the rim of the body - it looks like a matte, roughly sanded metal. The keys are small, but have a fairly soft stroke and are easy to touch.
The device enters the market in two color versions, each of which is traditionally given a romantic name: in this case it is White Frost and Black Mist. In our “black” version, the coating of the smartphone is actually not so black - it is rather a metallic silver with a black fine mesh applied to it. The front of the case under the glass is also not black, but dark gray, and it also has a barely noticeable dotted texture that ennobles the overall appearance of the device. The same applies to the white version of the coloring of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini.
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is equipped with a Super AMOLED touch screen. In numbers, the physical parameters of the smartphone screen are as follows: screen dimensions - 53 × 95 mm, diagonal - 109 mm (4.3 inches), resolution - qHD (960 × 540 pixels), pixel density is 256 ppi.
The brightness of the display has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to eight touches - at least as many as we were able to intend with the AnTuTu Tester program. The first five are easily identified, and more simultaneous touches cause screen difficulties and delays in perception. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.
A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The screen of the smartphone is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, it has a very effective anti-glare filter. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (in this case, very effective), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 240 cd/m², the minimum was 12 cd/m². Despite not the highest brightness value, even in bright daylight, the smartphone can be used, as it helps out less reflection of OLED screens from dark areas compared to a typical LCD screen. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. The low brightness mode allows you to use your smartphone without any problems even in total darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker). You can adjust the operation of this function by moving the adjustment slider from -5 to +5 units. Next, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for three values of this setting — at −5, 0, and +5. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 12, 20 and 30 cd / m², respectively, in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 85, 140 and 225 cd / m², in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to outdoor daylight, but without direct sunlight) - rises to 290 cd/m² for all three correction values. In principle, the result of this function is as expected. When the brightness is lowered, modulation appears at a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows the brightness versus time for a brightness setting value of 50% (blue curve) and an average brightness at 100% (red straight line):
It can be seen that the modulation has a large amplitude, so at medium brightness values, flicker can be seen - hardly just looking at the screen, but with rapid eye movement or in typical tests for the presence of a stroboscopic effect, flicker is visible to the naked eye. How this affects the comfort of work depends on the individual characteristics of the user.
This smartphone uses a sAMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red, green and blue in equal amounts, which is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:
The screen has very good viewing angles - the white color noticeably changes its hue only when deviated at large angles, the black color remains just black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast parameter is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is very good. Switching the state of the matrix elements is actually performed instantly, so the response time can be equated to 0. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal any blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is from 2.27 to 2.33 in depending on the selected profile, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2:
On a separate page in the screen settings section, you can select one of four color correction profiles: Dynamic, Standard, professional photography And Movie. In addition to this, there is an “Optimize display” mode, in which manual profile selection is disabled, and the phone apparently chooses a profile by itself, analyzing the current image. In the case of a profile Dynamic the gamma curve has a slightly S-shaped character; for the three remaining profiles, it practically does not deviate from the power dependence. Note that the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for light images as a whole and increases for dark ones. When choosing a profile Dynamic this effect is expressed a little more, and when you turn on the mode Auto config. screen brightness the dependence of brightness on the lightness of the image becomes even stronger. For example, let's compare the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) during the transition between shades of 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) with off (green graph) and on (red graph) Auto config. screen brightness:
It can be seen that the brightness of the dark shade (25% or (64, 64, 64) in the 8-bit RGB representation) practically does not change, while the brightness of the light shade decreases noticeably when this mode is turned on. As a result, the dependences of brightness on hue obtained by us (gamma curves) may not correspond to the gamma curves of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential grayscale output on the entire screen.
Color gamut in case of profiles Dynamic And Standard very wide:
When choosing a profile professional photography(to the uninitiated sounds more solid than Adobe RGB in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4) the coverage is slightly compressed (here the black line is the coverage of the Adobe RGB space, the white line is the measured coverage):
When choosing a profile Movie coverage is compressed even more, but still remains wider than sRGB:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In the case of a profile Movie with the maximum correction, the color components already mix a little with each other:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, the colors of normal images optimized for sRGB devices look unnaturally saturated. However, a visual assessment showed that when choosing a profile Movie saturation is noticeably reduced, and colors become close to natural. Without correction, in profiles Dynamic And Standard the colors are unnatural - for example, the faces of white-skinned people have a pronounced carrot tint.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. Color temperature in profiles Dynamic And Standard significantly higher than 6500 K, in the remaining two - closer to 6500 K, while in the area of the gray scale from white to dark gray, this parameter does not change very much. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance is not of great importance there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.) The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (delta E), despite the pandemonium of values, remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device:
In total, we have the best screen in its class, the quality of which has no complaints.
Sound
We liked the sound of both speakers of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. Surprisingly, such a little one turned out to be equipped with very high-quality speakers that produce a loud, clear and even sound throughout the entire range - however, high frequencies still prevail. However, why be surprised here: after all, the dimensions of this “mini” are almost similar to the dimensions of a “normal” iPhone, and everything is fine with the sound. “Baby” now has to be called a device that is quite normal in size only in comparison with the now fashionable “shovels” - we hope readers will forgive us for this.
As for the auditory dynamics, the timbre and intonations in the voice of a familiar interlocutor are quite recognizable, the sound is pleasant to the ear and saturated with the entire frequency spectrum. Simply put, making phone calls using the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini smartphone is comfortable, and nothing causes irritation.
All sound effects when playing tunes with a regular player are combined by a technology called SoundAlive - however, some of them, such as expanding the virtual stereo base, are available only with headphones connected. The same applies to the sound optimization function.
The external speaker grill on the back of the smartphone has one twig that curves outward to raise the body off the ground, but the sound is still half muted when the phone is placed face up on a table.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is equipped, like most modern smartphones, with two digital camera modules. The front camera here has a 1.9-megapixel matrix, shoots by default with a resolution of 1280 × 720. The quality of the resulting photos can be judged by the test shot below.
The main, rear camera is equipped with a sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels, like the Galaxy Mega. By default, the camera shoots in widescreen mode, and the maximum resolution that can be set is 6 megapixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9, then the photos are 3264 × 1836 in size. Such pictures will be taken by users of Samsung Galaxy S4 mini with out of the box settings. Below are some test shots taken in various conditions with factory settings.
Sharpness is decent. Sharp work on wires and poles is noticeable. |
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Good sharpness at a fairly long distance. |
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The backgrounds are quite sharp, the trees are worked out well. |
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Under artificial lighting, the camera shows a good result. |
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Imitation of insufficient lighting and flash operation. |
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Same conditions, but flash disabled. It can be seen that the flash performs its task quite well. |
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In very low light, the flash also copes so far. Yes, and she straightens the color rendition very well. |
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For shooting in the almost complete absence of light, the camera is unsuitable. |
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Under the same conditions, the flash significantly improves the result. |
Despite its 8 megapixels, the camera is quite sharp. It copes quite well with noise. The camera performs software processing very moderately and competently, although sometimes you can notice its traces. Judging by the test shots taken (although they may not be enough), there is, perhaps, almost nothing to complain about. The only unpleasant moment was shooting a test stand in the dark. Here, of course, the question arises before the manufacturers, how best to spoil the picture in such a situation: noise or severe underexposure. The second one is probably better, but as you can see from the test shot, in almost complete darkness the camera can't even properly focus. It looks like the camera is set to ISO 1000 software limit, and I think this makes some sense. Although such restrictions are not always necessary at all.
In general, the camera is quite good. Sharpness combined with reasonable software processing gives a very decent result for 8 megapixels.
The camera can shoot video, by default it does it in the maximum resolution for it - 1080p. Below are a couple of test videos, shot stationary and on the move. The clips are saved to the MP4 container (video - AVC [email protected], sound - AAC LC, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz, 2 channels).
- Movie #1 (31.7 MB, 1920×1080)
- Movie #2 (44.5 MB, 1920×1080)
A set of camera control settings is standard for modern Samsung smartphones. There are a lot of them, all of them are divided into three columns: for photography, for video shooting and general. The icons are drawn clearly and large, in the bright sun they are quite distinguishable. Various options for preset values in the settings are combined into ready-made shooting modes that should be used in a given situation.
In general settings, it is possible to control the volume button during shooting: it can work out zooming, releasing the camera shutter, or controlling video. That is, if you wish, you can control the shooting without touching the screen, if you set all the necessary settings in advance and use the hardware volume button. It is also worth noting the possibility of taking a photo while recording a video.
Software
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini runs on the Google Android software platform version 4.2.2. On top of the standard OS interface, the company installed its own user interface, called TouchWiz 5.0 (Nature UX). Everything here is arranged in exactly the same way as in the older models of the family, with the exception of some of the functions - the “Smart Screen” section, for example. From the list of features included in the "Smart Screen" set of the original Galaxy S4 (smart standby, smart turn, smart pause, smart scroll), only one is left here - smart waiting. True, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, for some reason, this function was even given a different name - “Smart Shutdown”. Although the meaning is the same: the screen remains on while you look at it (your eye movements are tracked by the front camera). The "multi-window" has also disappeared - in this smartphone you cannot simultaneously use two applications on the same screen. But the set of control capabilities using movements and gestures (for example, calling the current number is carried out automatically when the device is brought to the ear) remained practically untouched: most of the “big brother” functions were preserved in the mini version.
The notification panel traditionally has a navigation bar at the top that instantly jumps to the most requested functions. The icon strip can be customized to the user's taste. In general, the implementation of the menu in the notification panel from Samsung is one of the best on the market: what is the brightness slider alone placed here, with which you can quickly and smoothly adjust the brightness to the changed environment, without getting into the depths of the main settings.
There are a lot of additional applications pre-installed. Most of Samsung's own proprietary applications are bundled with a separate account from Google services, so to use them, you will also have to create an account with the company's services. The S Travel (Trip Advisor) app provides the user with information about the locality in which he is located and recommendations designed to help the smartphone owner get an even better experience while on the road. S Translator app provides voice translation of text emails and SMS messages. Samsung ChatOn messenger allows multiple users to chat and send media files to each other. Samsung function Link also allows you to share files between different Samsung devices. The Group Play application has been implemented, which allows you to play one track on multiple mobile devices or play multiplayer games. The program is available on a range of Samsung smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S4, S4 mini, Galaxy Mega 6.3 and 5.8. The handy WatchOn program mentioned above is now also included in the standard set of all Galaxy smartphones equipped with an infrared port.
Telephone part and communications
The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, the Wi-Fi 5 GHz band is supported, but for some reason the use of NFC technology is not provided here. There is also no support for fourth-generation LTE networks - recall that this is a limitation of a specific modification of the GT-I9190 that we had on tests. The radio part of the tested smartphone is stable, there were no spontaneous signal losses and dropouts from the network of the telecom operator. The virtual keyboard interface is, of course, small compared to models with larger screens - you will have to get used to typing. There is also no additional upper digital row, which is now present by default in the virtual keyboard of Samsung's top devices - it allows you not to switch on the Samsung Galaxy S4 to get to the number keys.
There were no freezes or spontaneous reboots / shutdowns during testing. You can restart your smartphone on your own by holding the power button for a long time and selecting the appropriate item from the pop-up menu. When brought to the ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The ambient light sensor controls the brightness level of the screen automatically. But for some reason, some kind of light sensor for incoming events was not provided for in the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini model - it's a pity.
Performance
The hardware platform of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is based on a single-chip system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. The central processor here has two Krait 300 cores operating at a frequency of 1.7 GHz. It is assisted in graphics processing by the Adreno 305 video processor - everything is exactly the same as that of the Galaxy Mega, only it has a larger screen and a different resolution. The device has 1.5 GB of RAM, and the storage available to the user for uploading their own files is initially approximately 5 GB out of a nominally designated 8 GB internal memory. There is also the possibility of expanding memory through microSD cards, but connecting external devices via OTG (USB host) is not provided here.
To get an idea of the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini platform, let's move on to the benchmarks. To begin with, here are the comparative results obtained using the AnTuTu database itself. The performance was almost two times lower than that of the company's own flagship - that's the difference between the regular Galaxy S4 and its mini version. Even one of last season's oversized favorites of the public - Google Nexus 4 - easily outperformed the novelty in terms of performance.
A noticeable lag behind the top models of the market can be traced not only in the AnTuTu benchmark, but also in other tests. This result is absolutely expected, because while flagships have long been based on 4-core processors, in the mini-flagship we have 2-core (albeit with very fast cores). It is logical that in terms of performance, the hardware system of the novelty turned out to be closest to the already forgotten hero of the past - the once popular Sony Xperia V device (since it is also based on a dual-core processor). For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini smartphone in popular tests in tables, the details are below.
What is curious: all the results turned out to be almost identical to the results of the Samsung Galaxy Mega - another model of the family, built on exactly the same platform, but with a completely different screen (in size, resolution, and even production technology).
As for testing the graphics subsystem in the 3DMark cross-platform test, the subject also showed a not very high result in it - 5726 points.
In the Epic Citadel gaming test, the results of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini graphics subsystem are very good - the power of the Adreno video core, coupled with a small screen resolution, affects. However, the results here do not reach the flagship of the S4 family.
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) |
Samsung Galaxy S4 (Exynos 5410 Octa) |
Samsung Galaxy Mega (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) |
Sony Xperia V (Qualcomm MSM8960) |
Google Nexus 4 (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
LG Optimus G (Qualcomm APQ8064) |
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Epic Citadel (more is better) |
55.2 fps | 59.9 fps | 58.1 fps | 47.7 fps | 54.8 fps | 56.7 fps |
Epic Citadel | 53.1 fps | 59.3 fps | 56.9 fps | 43.5 fps | 52.9 fps | 56.3 fps |
Epic Citadel Ultra High Quality | 49.0 fps | 46.5 fps | 33.3 fps | 28.4 fps | 37.4 fps | 50.6 fps |
As for the benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which the tests are run, so the comparison can only be truly accurate on the same OS and browsers, and this is not always possible. In the case of devices running on operating system latest versions Android, we always try to use Google Chrome, although the results of the same tests in a standard browser (if the manufacturer leaves it in the firmware) often turn out to be better than in Chrome. In browser tests, the results of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, by the way, are very good - almost twice as good as last year's Google Nexus 4.
On the screenshots: test results in a standard browser
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.
According to the results Samsung testing The Galaxy S4 mini, unlike its top-end cousins the Galaxy S4 or Galaxy S4 Active, was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case audio decoders, which are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it will also have to first change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones), only then will the sound appear. All results are summarized in a single table.
Format | container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Regular video player |
DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3 | Hardware+ | |
BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with decoder Hardware+ | Video plays fine, no sound¹ |
BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with decoder Hardware+ | Video plays fine, no sound¹ |
¹ Audio in MX Video Player only played after switching to software decoding or new mode Hardware+; The regular player does not have such a setting.
We did not find an MHL interface in this smartphone (in fact, the MHL adapter in the version for Samsung could not even be connected to this smartphone due to the incompatibility of the connectors), so we had to limit ourselves to testing video output to the device’s own screen using the standard player. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see Methodology for Testing Video Signal Playback and Display Devices. Version 1). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output frames of video files with various parameters: resolution (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps) varied. With). The results of this test are summarized in the table:
File | Uniformity | Passes |
Screen | ||
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4 | not playable | |
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4 | Badly | a lot of |
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4 | Fine | few |
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4 | Fine | few |
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4 | Great | No |
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4 | Fine | No |
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4 | Great | No |
Note: if both columns "Uniformity" and "Gap" are set to "green", this means that when watching movies, most likely, either artifacts caused by uneven interleaving and dropping frames will not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
In terms of frame output, the playback quality of video files is very good, with the exception of "heavy" Full HD files with 50 and 60 fps. However, in any case, uniform frame interleaving is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct interleaving of intervals between frames and even to skipping single frames. The range of brightness displayed on the screen is slightly different from the original: in the shadows, a couple of shades of gray are indistinguishable from black, but in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed (for video in the range of 16-235). In general, if anyone wants to watch videos on such a small screen, he can do it without any problems.
Battery life
The capacity of the battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is small by today's standards of 1900 mAh. But you should, of course, take into account the relatively small size and resolution of the screen, as well as the size of the case itself, in which it would be difficult to fit a larger battery. As a result, the smartphone showed a very good duration battery life in popular usage modes such as reading books, watching YouTube videos and playing 3D video games.
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for 16 hours 35 minutes, and for continuous viewing of YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same level of brightness through the home Wi-Fi network, the device spent 12 hours and 30 minutes - excellent indicators of a true long-liver. To a large extent, this, for sure, contributed to the small screen size compared to modern "shovels". In gaming mode, the smartphone lasted a decent 4 hours and 25 minutes.
Outcome
Smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 mini occupied an unusual and rather narrow niche in the mobile device market. On the one hand, he is overwhelmed by the responsibility for belonging to the highest, top family of the popular Korean brand. Yes, and the abbreviation S4 in its name, so to speak, obliges ... On the other hand, given its modest performance and a lot of restrictive differences from a really top model (lack of OTG, MHL, indicator light, stripped down software, etc.), and besides but not too outstanding external data, you can easily find dozens of less famous devices on the mobile market with similar performance, more attractive appearance and rich functionality, but at a much lower price.
At the moment, the official price for the Galaxy S4 mini has been set at 19,990 rubles – at least that’s how much they are now asking in Svyaznoy stores for a model with support for two SIM cards. The "single-symbol" version of the smartphone, which we reviewed in today's review, is not yet officially sold, and it can only be found from "gray", uncertified deliveries. However, the purchase price in this version will not be much lower: for the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (GT-I9190) model, they are now asking about 17 thousand rubles. It is possible that the official price of the model with support for one SIM-card will drop a little when the device passes certification and officially reaches our market. But still it will be a price in the region of 15 thousand - no less. Is this device worth the price? Of course, this is a very high price. And 15 thousand is a bit too much for a device with such characteristics, and I don’t even want to seriously think about 20. For that kind of money, a “mini” model can only be bought by an ardent fan of this brand, and even then looking for something unusual. It looks like Samsung's price appetite is growing faster than the popularity of its products. This evokes sad thoughts that not everyone, but only wealthy segments of the population, can increasingly consider purchasing products from this company for themselves. Did we think a couple of years ago that we would soon talk like this about Samsung products?
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini appeared in the spring of 2013, immediately after the announcement of the older brother - I9500, rumors spread, but the device was announced only in the second quarter. The device is a smaller copy of the flagship with a much simpler filling and screen, while retaining all the charms of the design and the name of the top smartphone. Of course, the price category here is much more affordable.
Appearance
As mentioned above, the smartphone largely repeats the Galaxy S IV, the case has no less high-quality plastic. At the start of sales, there will most likely be 3 colors: white, blue and titanium gray. The smartphone weighs 107 grams and measures 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94 mm.
Video: Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
Characteristics
The smartphone has a simpler display and less powerful processor, which is typical for this category of devices. Volume random access memory is 1.5 GB, and built-in from 8 to 32 GB. The Snapdragon 400 processor is a new, dual-core processor, each running at 1.7 GHz. All wireless interfaces, including Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi with all standards. It is also worth noting that there is a version of the Galaxy S4 Mini with two SIM cards, it has the index GT-I9192. The developer also took care of autonomy by putting a 1900 mAh battery here.
Screen and camera
The screen diagonal is 4.3 inches with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, which gives a density of approximately 256 ppi. It is made using Super Amoled technology, so the picture looks just great and pleases the eye. The 8 MP main camera has autofocus and is capable of recording Full HD video and taking pictures with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels.
Software
Smartphone "out of the box" comes with Android 4.2.2 and proprietary interface Nature UX. In addition, on the younger version of the flagship, almost all the "chips" and applications that are characteristic of the flagship of 2013 are available. This is the function of controlling WatchON equipment, and S Health, and other programs. You can also download from us:
Video: demonstration of games on Galaxy S4 Mini
As you can see, in games, the smartphone behaves just fine and even Real Racing 3 works with almost no brakes.
Additionally:
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini 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 its functionality, the smartphone is fundamentally different from its "brothers" Samsung, the difference is noticeable only in the size of the case and display. Closest competitors Samsung Galaxy S4 mini are models LG G2 Mini, Asus PadFone mini and some others that are on the same price level.
Smartphone Specifications
Galaxy S4 mini equipped with a full screen, the diagonal of which is 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 freely in your pocket, unlike many modern "shovels" with 5-6-inch displays. The display has a protective glass that protects it from scratches. The 1.7 GHz dual-core Krait processor delivers superb performance. On a smartphone Samsung Galaxy S 4 almost all modern 3D games for Android run without brakes.
The smartphone supports communication according to GSM and 3G standards. There is support for the latest Wi-Fi standards, as well as Bluetooth and USB. It sounds strange these days, but Galaxy S4 mini there is an infrared port - a relic of the past. The gadget can work as a satellite navigator - there is support for both the American GPS navigation system and the Russian GLONASS network.
A quality camera is one of the most significant advantages this device. Photo resolution is 8 Mpx, video - HD quality 1080p, 30 fps. The camera has auto focus. The resolution of the camera for video calls is 1.9 MP. There are camera graphic 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 lovers of listening to music. There are built-in sound effects, graphic equalizer. There is an FM receiver. The volume of the built-in speaker is quite large, but the sound quality is at a basic level. There can be no complaints about the sound quality in the headphones.
The flagship from the Korean manufacturer Samsung is the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini LTE GT-I9195, which was released in 2013.
Appearance Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
The phone is made of plastic. Scratch-resistant glass front panel.
Screen with a diagonal of 4.3 inches and a resolution of 540 × 960, 256 ppi.
Dimensions - 61.3 × 124.6 × 8.94 mm, weight - 107 g.
Specifications Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
The processor is an eight-core Exynos 5410, 1700 MHz.
RAM - 2 GB. Built-in memory - 8GB. The phone also supports memory cards.
The operating system is Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), which is updated to new versions.
The battery is removable, 1900 mAh. This is enough for 12 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time.
The main camera is of good quality - 8 megapixels. And the front is only 2 megapixels.
You can buy Samsung Galaxy S4 mini in our online store by placing an order through the website basket or by calling us at. Delivery in Moscow is possible on the day of order. Delivery cost within the Moscow Ring Road - 400 rubles. Delivery in the Moscow region is calculated individually. Pickup from a retail store two minutes from Savelovskaya metro station.
A battery is waiting for us in the corresponding recess, blocking the slot for one microSIM card and covering the compartments for another microSIM and microSD cards.
Screen
The 4.3-inch screen of the smartphone is quite good, but not perfect. The resolution is much less than that of the older model - 540x960 versus 1920x1080, although even it is enough for a clear picture. Colors are slightly oversaturated and viewing angles are close to maximum. The brightness is enough even with a small margin, and the automatic brightness level adjustment works quite correctly.
The behavior in the sun is not impressive: you have to set the brightness to the maximum so that the information is at least somehow perceived. The touch display supports up to 5 simultaneous touches and is rated "good" for input responsiveness, unfortunately it does not always process touches immediately.
Soft
Inside the smartphone, in addition to the Android 4.2.2 OS, we are waiting for the proprietary TouchWiz Nature UX shell. Despite the fact that "naked" Android is quite usable without customization, the manufacturer continues to use its software. We don’t see the point in dwelling on the filling in detail, it is almost the same as in others Samsung smartphones, and TouchWiz affects the graphic rather than the functional component. So, a lock screen with the ability to set a password and your own welcome inscription, a cascade of desktops with circular scrolling, branded widgets and wallpapers, as well as a notification area with various indicators, the latter, by the way, can be displayed in an expanded table - the main features of the shell, which we examined in detail in a review of the original Galaxy S4. The set of basic functions located at the bottom of the screen is changeable (except for the menu icon) and allows you to display up to 5 icons with the ability to add folders. The principle of building the main menu is familiar, matrix, 4x5, with page turning, and widgets are hidden in the tab on top. The settings menu, in contrast, has changed and has a tabbed structure against the standard sheet of options.