Hands-on

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini hands-on, benchmarks

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief June 25, 2013 · 2 min read

Listen to article

TechLife Pad Plus 2 Review TCL launches A400M and A400 Pro Lifestyle TVs in the Philippines Infinix offers free 3-Month Google AI Plus trial on select devices Best Budget Tablets for Back-to-School 2026 | Under P10,000 OnePlus Nord CE6 now available for pre-order in the Philippines

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is probably going to be a hit the same way the S3 Mini was when it arrives in the Philippines. We got a quick hands-on of the device back in London during the global launch last week.

As tradition goes, the Galaxy S4 Mini is the smaller and less powerful version of the Galaxy S4. Aside from the size, the hardware was also cut down to mid-range category.

Here’s the complete hardware specification of the Galaxy S4 Mini.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-i9195 specs:
4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display @ 540×960 pixels, 256ppi
Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon 1.7GHz dual-core
Adreno 305 graphics
1.5GB RAM
8GB and 16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual band
Bluetooth 4.0
LTE Cat 3, up to 100Mbps
3G, HSPA+ up to 42Mbps
NFC (for LTE version)
8MP rear camera with flash
1.9MP front-facing camera
GPS w/ aGPS support
Android Jellybean 4.2.2
Li-Ion 1,900 mAh battery
124.6mm x 61.3mm x 8.94mm (dimensions)

There are similarity in the design and finish but it all ends there. What could be its biggest redeeming feature would be the inclusion of NFC and LTE (actually, more of the latter).

The use of the Qualcomm MSM8960 chip, despite being just a dual-core processor puts it almost in the same league as the Galaxy S3 in terms of performance.

What’s odd with the specs is that based on device info, it is a combination of an MSM8960 1.7GHz and an Adreno 305. However, Qualcomm’s MSM8960 chip should have an Adreno 225 while the MSMS 8960T should have Adreno 320.

We took both Quadrant and Antutu Benchmarks and got a score of 6,697 and 13,163, respectively. Not bad for a mini.

We heard that Samsung is a bit torn whether they should ship both the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Galaxy S4 Zoom in the country since they both have retail prices that are very close to each other. One device might cannibalize the other in sales. It’s likely the Galaxy S4 Zoom will get preferential choice of the distributors. However, there’s still a chance that local telcos will import and carry them directly.

The expected suggested retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is about Php23,000. It will be available in Frost Wite and Black Mist.

React to this article:

galaxy s4 mini benchmark galaxy s4 mini review

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

8,009 Articles

View all posts by Abe Olandres →

40 Comments

vikrant · 13 years ago

wait for a few months and it will be priced as the s3 mini. tapos sasabihin, ang mura na lahat ng tao meron.

Gov · 13 years ago

Been waiting for a phone this size, with decent specs. But with the 23k price tag, guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.

corina · 13 years ago

Aw. That’s too pricey! I hope though that telcos here will offer postpaid plans for both s4 mini and s4 zoom.

Joebert Go · 13 years ago

how can you have a 23k Php price tag, if its not worth to be 20k+, sa screen palng prang lugi kna kasi qHD lng and dpat mas mababa price neto kaysa sa s3 kasi yung hardware ng s3 mas mataas parin compared sa s4 mini. Yung lamng lng ng s4 mini ay os features and camera. Also, S4 Mini is said to be the successor of the S3 Mini, so if the S3 Mini was set to 15K price tag, this would also be the same with the S4 Mini but with a few more bucks because of the addded improvements.

sayang · 13 years ago

ok lng sana kung ito ang papalit sa s3 mini na nasa 15k more or less,kaso kung 23k…ill pass =))id rather buy the galaxy s3 na nasa 20k na lng

Gov · 13 years ago

Agree. The problem is, S3 is too big for my taste and masyadong dim ang display. Kaya I decided not to get one. :-)

koh-reh-yah · 13 years ago

decent specs pero 23k? lols xperia v nalang bibilhin ko

meh · 13 years ago

over 20k would be a complete joke , also where is the LTE model? They are supposed to have an LTE model out

You could just as easily buy a similar specd sony phone or LG with LTE for less price

abuzalzal · 13 years ago

The Note 2 sells for Php24k these days….is this a joke?

abuzalzal · 13 years ago

Ang Mahal naman, sablay na naman sa pricing ….I’ll just wait for the cheap 1080p China phone avalanche this holiday season :-) for sure nasa Php 11-12K lang mga yun pag may nag rebrand na…

dakilangduca · 13 years ago

Hopefully it’ll be released in Globe Postpaid, free at Plan 999. Kahit consistently nakakapeste ang customer service nila.

daniel · 13 years ago

23k? That’s too much! You get get Sony Xperia TX with less price! 13mp + almost the same processor + VERY SEXY DESIGN!

Yusuf · 13 years ago

20k+? Lol no. Cheap LTE phones – Xperia V (14k), Xperia SP (16k), Optimus G (21k), Lumia 920 (18k), Lumia 820 (14k). If you’re planning to buy this, get the Xperia Z. It’s available at Widget City and Kimstore at P22,800.

JD · 13 years ago

very true…

Sammy · 13 years ago

23k?Superb price.

landik02 · 13 years ago

weird, what’s the difference between this s4 mini to s3?

Techjunkeez · 13 years ago

I should go for zoom if ever.

lonlon · 13 years ago

no for 20k+

bam boo · 13 years ago

23K is pricey. I can get an S4 factory unlocked for the same price.

Ray · 13 years ago

23k is too much for this phone indeed, but comparing it to s4 at that price is of a different market, one is of actual retail market, while the other from smuggled non-tax market, go figure. Heck i can get a bmw same price as a toyota.