The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini proved to be a brilliant normal sized phone, so it was no surprise that Samsung decided to bring out the Galaxy S4 Mini (which will no doubt be replaced with the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini at some point!).
Although the S4 Mini is called ‘mini’ this is actually what most people would consider a normal sized phone, it sits well in the hand, has a good screen size and is very light. Some might find it a little too light, preferring a bit of weight to give a more premium feel.
Samsung have insisted on sticking with a plastic design which will divide opinion, some will not be at all concerned with it, and on the smaller S4 Mini it’s not as cheap feeling as the full sized S4, others will dislike it if they’ve used other manufacturers phones (such as the HTC One Mini) that have a more expensive finish to them.
The S4 Mini has a duel core processor and has a good looking and responsive screen which means the interface is nice and snappy and it has no problems running games, with Asphalt 8: Airborne running really smoothly and without any lag.
Surprisingly Samsung have done away with the notification light found on most Android phones, in the long run you’ll get use to it not being there but it does take a bit of getting use to, especially when you want to check with a quick glance if the phone is fully charged.
The camera is OK, nothing amazing, it’s fine for when you’re out and about but it wouldn’t be good enough to replace a dedicated camera.
Battery life is very good, you should easily be able to get through the day no problem. The battery is removable so if you want to carry a spare you can do. There is a lot to like about the S4 Mini but it’s up against some really good alternatives, the HTC One Mini and more recently the Motorola Moto G which, at the time of review, offered a very similar experience for a lot less.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is available on Amazon now: https://goo.gl/9iwsBP
