New images and specifications obtained by Sam Mobile reveal that the smaller version of the company’s flagship will retain a number of premium features, albeit in a smaller, easier to handle package.
So as well as being able to do all the typical things one would hope to be able to do with a smartphone — communicating, web surfing, playing Candy Crush Saga — the Mini will also reportedly monitor your heart rate.
It uses the same back panel sensor found in the full-size S5 and will come with the same suite of health apps for helping you keep track of health and well-being and for setting and meeting targets if things could be better.
And, if owning the phone inspires you to be more active, then it should be able to handle the odd accidental bump or spill. Like the current flagship, the Mini is set to be water and dust resistant.
Perhaps best of all is the decision to carry over the fingerprint scanner. It may seem like a bit of a gimmick at the moment but the feature can already be used for locking and unlocking the phone more securely than a passcode, and for making payments via PayPal. Expect a host of other apps to have integrated the technology within the next 12 months.
One thing that hasn’t been carried over is the display, the Galaxy S5 Mini’s screen is “just” 4.5in from corner to corner, but that’s still enough to get most iPhone owners jealous. Well, until they discover that its resolution is a less than impressive sub full HD 720p.
However, the phone does support LTE/4G for superfast mobile Internet (when available) and it packs some serious battery-saving technology so that you won’t have to cart the power lead around every time you head out. Demonstrated when Samsung launched the full-size S5 in February, it will automatically shut down apps and even switch the display from full color to monochrome in order to preserve battery life for as long as possible.
As for an official launch date, Samsung is remaining tight-lipped but it is hosting an event this week to launch a new tablet, and there’s a possibility that the company could use the same stage to showcase the phone, too. — Relaxnews 2014
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