Samsung S4 Mini reviews are incomplete without comparing the S4 mini to the HTC one mini.
First of all, size matters, but its not everthing. HTC One mini has a lot real estate but lets look at how streamlined the phones are and their functionalities.
Bigger is not always better and Samsung knows that by now - at least when comparing smartphones.
PhoneArena's video by Nick T. explains that big screens dominate the smartphone market with the latest releases - these screens are 5 inches or above. Few people get a smartphone that has rich features. Both Samsung Galax S4 mini and HTC One mini fit the above descripion on functionality.
Presumably, both these smartphones ae the best compact phones the money can buy currently.
So you may be asking, which of the two is better and packs more value for the money.
The Samsung S4 Mini has a unibase construction and a premium metallic look. Both phones may be used comfortably used since they are narrow and fit the palm of you hand. They can be operated with a single hand.
The Samsung Galaxy s4 mini's screen is obviously not as tall as the HTC handset, but the lower part of the phone is closer to the user, making it easy to use.
On a minor note, reaching the power key is a bit difficult since it is too far away from the index finger. In contrast the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini have an easy to reach feel and are rapidly responsive with the index finger being able to touch all parts of the screen.
No doubt the HTC mini has a nice screen. But both screens have a diagonal area of 4.3 inches. The HTC One mini offers higher res. and pixel density. The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini enhances colors by a tiny amount.
Under broad daylight, the One mini offers a brighter and clearer gif in sunlight.
Android 2.2 is the OS sported on both handsets.
Both the HTC One mini and the Samsung s4 mini use identical built-in keyboards. Your speed of typing would depend on how big your hands are and their alignment to the screen.
While both phones host a snapdragon processor, the One mini has 1 GB ram while the S4 mini offers 1.5 GB mini. Although the Samsung phone may seem a little faster, it is difficult to notice a difference among the tow phones.
As far as gaming is concerned, games with recent titles would run fine on both handsets althogh the S4 mini would provide a faster frame rate since it has a lower resolution.
For users carrying around photos, music and video on their phones, the HTC One mini's limited 16GB storage memory might be a problem. The phone does not have a SD card slot, so the user is restricted to the most important documents.
The camera on the Samsung mini is a 8mp with a led flash, while the HTC One mini offers 4MP and HDR along with night mode.
Both phones represent what a mid range handset should look like, performance rich and compact.
source: Youtube
Here are the official specs from PhoneArena for comparison:
| DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Device type | Smart phone | Smart phone | |
| OS | Android (4.2.2) Sense UI | Android (4.2.2) TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 UI | |
| Dimensions | 5.20 x 2.49 x 0.36 inches (132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm) | 4.91 x 2.41 x 0.35 inches (124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94 mm) | |
| Weight | 4.30 oz (122 g) the average is 4.7 oz (133 g) | 3.77 oz (107 g) the average is 4.7 oz (133 g) | |
| Body material | Aluminium |
| DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical size | 4.3 inches | 4.3 inches | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels | 540 x 960 pixels | |
| Pixel density | 341 ppi | 256 ppi | |
| Technology | Super AMOLED | ||
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | |
| Touchscreen | Multi-touch | Multi-touch | |
| Features | Light sensor, Proximity sensor | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass |
| CAMERA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 4 megapixels | 8 megapixels | |
| Flash | LED | LED | |
| Aperture size | F2.0 | ||
| Focal length (35mm equivalent) | 28mm | ||
| Camera sensor size | 1/3" | ||
| Features | Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus | CMOS image sensor, Auto focus, Touch to focus, Face detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Night mode, Voice activation | |
| Camcorder | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | |
| Front-facing camera | 1.6 megapixels | 1.9 megapixels |
| HARDWARE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| System chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8930 | |
| Processor | Dual core, 1400 MHz, Krait | Dual core, 1700 MHz, Krait 300 | |
| Graphics processor | Adreno 305 | Adreno 305 | |
| System memory | 1024 MB RAM | 1536 MB RAM | |
| Built-in storage | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
| Maximum User Storage | 11 GB | 5 GB | |
| Storage expansion | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB |
| BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Talk time | 20.72 hours the average is 12 h (741 min) | ||
| Stand-by time | 20.8 days (500 hours) the average is 25 days (589 h) | ||
| Talk time (3G) | 13.27 hours the average is 12 h (736 min) | 12.00 hours the average is 12 h (736 min) | |
| Stand-by time (3G) | 28.8 days (692 hours) the average is 20 days (475 h) | 12.5 days (300 hours) the average is 20 days (475 h) | |
| Stand-by time (4G) | 12.5 days (300 hours) the average is 18 days (427 h) | ||
| Capacity | 1800 mAh | 1900 mAh | |
| Not user replaceable | Yes |
| MULTIMEDIA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Music player | |||
| Filter by | Album, Artist, Playlists | Album, Artist, Playlists | |
| Features | Album art cover, Background playback, Beats Audio | Album art cover, Background playback | |
| Supported formats | MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, M4A (Apple lossless), AMR, OGG, MIDI | MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, FLAC, WMA, WAV, AMR, OGG | |
| Video playback | |||
| Supported formats | MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, AVI, 3GP, 3G2 | MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, 3GP, Flash Video, MKV | |
| Radio | FM, Stereo, RDS | ||
| Speakers | Earpiece, Stereo speakers | Earpiece, Loudspeaker | |
| YouTube player | Yes | Yes |
| INTERNET BROWSING | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser | |||
| supports | HTML, HTML5 | HTML, HTML5 | |
| Built-in online services support | YouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+ | YouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+ |
| TECHNOLOGY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | |
| UMTS | 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | |
| FDD LTE | 800 (band 18), 1800 (band 3), 2600 (band 7) MHz | ||
| Data | LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS | LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS | |
| Micro SIM | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Roaming | Yes | Yes | |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass | |
| Navigation | Turn-by-turn navigation | Turn-by-turn navigation |
| PHONE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Phonebook | Unlimited entries, Caller groups, Multiple numbers per contact, Search by both first and last name, Picture ID, Ring ID | Unlimited entries, Caller groups, Multiple numbers per contact, Search by both first and last name, Picture ID, Ring ID | |
| Organizer | Calendar, Alarm, Calculator | Calendar, Alarm, Calculator | |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS, Threaded view, Predictive text input | SMS, MMS, Threaded view, Predictive text input | |
| IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange | IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange | ||
| Instant Messaging | Hangouts / Google Talk | Hangouts / Google Talk |
| CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0, EDR | |
| Profiles | Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP) | Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP), Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile (AVRCP), Handsfree (HFP), Headset (HSP), Human Interface Device (HID), Message Access Profile (MAP), Object Push (OPP), Public Area Network (PAN), Phone Book Access (PBAP), SIM Access (SAP) | |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a, b, g, n | 802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz | |
| Wi-Fi Direct | Yes | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | |
| Connector | microUSB | microUSB | |
| Features | Mass storage device, USB charging | Mass storage device, USB charging | |
| Headphones connector | 3.5mm | 3.5mm | |
| Charging connector | microUSB | microUSB | |
| Other | DLNA, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, Infrared |
| OTHER FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Notifications | Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | |
| Other | Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording | Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording |
| REGULATORY APPROVAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| FCC measured SAR | |||
| Head | 0.88 W/kg | ||
| Body | 1.40 W/kg |
