Samsung finally unveiled the little brother of the Galaxy S4, dubbed as the Galaxy S4 mini.  Some claim that it’s the sub-par version of the device, as it uses less powerful components.  But since Samsung’s only announced a handful of the S4 mini features, there’s still hope that it will inherit a few more of the awesome features of its big brother.

So, without further ado, let’s look at how the S4 mini compares to its older, bigger sibling.

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini vs. Galaxy S4

• Design

Galaxy S4 mini: Special polycarbonate body, slim bezel, wide display, unique textured design

Samsung Galaxy S4: Special polycarbonate body, slim bezel, wide display, unique textured design

• Dimensions

S4 mini: Height 124.6 x  Width 61.3 x Depth 8.9 mm, Weight 107 g

Galaxy S4: 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g

• Display

S4 mini: 4.3 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 540 x 960 pixels, ~256 ppi pixel density

Galaxy S4:  5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1080 x 1920 pixels, ~441 ppi pixel density, topped with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, multitouch

• Operating System

S4 mini: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Galaxy S4: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

• Processor

S4 mini: Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait, Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon 400, 1.5 GB RAM (3G model), 2 GB RAM (LTE model)

Galaxy S4: Exynos 5 Octa 5410, 1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core processor, depending on what region you’re from, 2GB RAM

• Battery/battery life

S4 mini: Li-Ion 1900 mAh battery, no data yet on battery life

Galaxy S4: 2600 mAh Li-Ion removable battery, no data yet on battery life

• Capacity and Price

S4 mini: Announce in May and will probably be available in July, no price announced yet

Galaxy S4: 16/32/64 GB storage, can be upgraded with up to 64GB of storage via microSD, about US$725 or £480 or AUD$695 without a contract. Available at T-Mobile for $149 downpayment and a $20 monthly installment fee for 24 months.  For Sprint the pricing starts at $249.99 with a 2-year contract for current subscribers, while new subscribers will get to enjoy the device at a lower price of $149.99.

• Cellular and Wireless

S4 mini: 2G – GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – all versions, GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – GT-I9192 (SIM 1 & SIM 2), 3G – HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 – GT-I9190, GT-I9195, 4G – LTE – GT-I9195, EDGE, GPRS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, infrared port

Galaxy S4: 2G – GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G LTE, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Infrared port

• Camera

S4 mini: rear camera – 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, takes 1080p@30fps videos, 1.9MP front camera

Galaxy S4: rear camera – 13MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, front camera – 2 MP, 1080p@30fps, dual video call, Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR

• Sensors

S4 mini: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass

Galaxy S4: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture

• SIM

S4 mini: Optional dual SIM

Galaxy S4: Micro SIM

• Special features

S4 mini: No news yet if it will have the same Smart features as the original Galaxy S4.

Galaxy S4: Smart Screen – Smart Stay, Smart Pause, Smart Rotation, Smart Scroll; Air Gesture, WatchOn, ChatOn, AirView, Group Play, S Health, wireless charging cover, S Translator, Sound and Shot, Dual Shot, Cinema Photo, Drama Shot

Which is better?

Of course, the Original version is better, as it has better components and the Jedi-like gesture capabilities.  But you have to consider the fact that the S4 mini is probably directed at emerging markets, where people aren’t really scrambling to get the latest high-end smartphone that costs a fortune.

If the S4 mini still possess the Jedi-like features such as the Smart Screen, Air Gesture, WatchOn, ChatOn, AirView, Group Play, S Health, wireless charging cover, S Translator, Sound and Shot, Dual Shot, Cinema Photo, Drama Shot, then it’s not too bad.

Though, it might be slow in responding to a user’s commands because of the slower processor.  And users shouldn’t expect an astonishing display because of the decreased resolution.  Still, the S4 mini looks better than many feature phones on the market.  And even if its smaller than the original, it’s unfortunately thicker but “remarkably” lighter.