Samsung Galaxy S III mini

Samsung Galaxy S III mini review: The Halfling

Introduction

Design and software experience coming straight from the most successful droid of all times, packed in a shell that's far easier to pocket. Now, who wouldn't want some of that? The Samsung Galaxy S III mini is the company's most premium compact Android smartphone and is here to prove that you don't need to come close to phablet territory to get the latest and greatest from the world's largest smartphone manufacturer.

     
Samsung Galaxy S III mini official photos
However, going through the shrink ray has had some not quite so pleasant side-effects. The Galaxy S III mini comes with half the number of CPU cores and just 41% of its resolution. Will those two balance out with the smaller screen and still get you the high-end experience? We'll only know for sure when we are done with the review, but here's the quick rundown of the Galaxy S III mini key strengths and weaknesses.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
• 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4.0" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution; Gorilla Glass
• Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean with Nature UX

HTC 8S

HTC Windows Phone 8S specs

Introduction

No one's had any reason to question HTC's commitment to Windows Phone. The Taiwanese have been on board since the heyday of PocketPCs, helping Redmond quickly man a nascent WP7 army. Now they're back in the thick of it for the next generation of the platform; this time with a smaller, more focused squad.
In the couple of the so-called signature WP8 devices, the HTC Windows Phone 8S is playing second fiddle to the 8X. The current flagship however, didn't quite convince us it had what it takes to put real pressure on competing platforms or stand up to the other big fish in the small pond that the Windows Phone market still is.
 
HTC Windows Phone 8S official photos
Fortunately, the HTC Windows Phone 8S has little of that to worry about. Not only is it the most affordable of WP8 smartphones, but it keeps a safe distance too from the Android heavyweights. We don't think that much pressure will be felt either from the iOS end. So anyone keen to try Microsoft's latest on a tight budget is seemingly already in the loop and the 8S has a chance of winning over some converts too.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Dual-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4" 16M-color S-LCD capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 display