G+_Marlon Thompson Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Quick Review: The Galaxy S3 Mini I bought my wife the Galaxy S3 Mini today because she needed to replace her old HTC Wildfire S and she doesn't want a big phone. I have taken it upon myself to ensure that all the phones in our house are 4.1 and above (two are on stock and I put Cyanogen Mod 10 on my old Galaxy S and gave it to my teenage son he loves it) so my choices were limited, the S3 mini was the only thing that fit the bill. I heard a lot of people say this would tarnish the brand of the S3 and after trying it out I have to say ...not entirely. Quick pros and cons. Pros 4.1.1 out of the box and it had an update waiting and is now on 4.1.2 Even though its dual core I found it snappy and call quality is quite good A lot of the best features from the S3 are here. Screen is nice and bright and watching video is pleasant even at the 400 x 800 resolution Decent pictures and video with the camera. Battery Life seems to be decent and the way my wife uses he phone this should last two days on a charge. Very comfortable to hold especially if you have small hands Cons Camera is a bit slow when compared to the S3, I was able to snap 4-5 pics with my S3 before one on this one Web browsing is okay not fantastic because of the resolution Some Apps can cause it to slow down Price on Amazon this is US 314, if I had access to the Play store I would have gone with a nexus. Verdict this is a decent phone and not a slight against the S3, but the price needs to come down for me to highly recommended it. Because where I live their are limited options for phones I didn't mind the price, and my wife likes it a lot. If you guys want I'll post up some pictures and video taken with the phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Arthur Thompson (jr) Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 That slow camera is a downer :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Marlon Thompson Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Yeah it is Arthur Thompson but the wife is not a techie like me so she just wants a phone to check facebook, her email and take the occasional picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_James Clayton Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I bought my gf the mini. She loves it. The ppl disappointed are ppl like us, the power users. But if she needs a simple slick phone with the s3 feel this has it. I'm behind it. I have an s3 so I can judge. Honestly does she need the top quality power. The processor will do her fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Courtney Roebuck Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 James Clayton , Marlon Thompson that's a good point. I find that the most important thing when buying a phone is making sure it matches the user's needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Andy Gait Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I've had this phone for a few weeks now (I also upgraded from an HTC Wildfire S) and I love it. I know it's not a top, high-end phone, but I don't have a high-end budget, so that solves that issue. As for the phone itself, after using the HTC, this phone is bliss. It's quick, has a decent screen and after Sense I find I really like the Touchwiz UI. I also love Jelly Bean. After being stuck on Gingerbread for 2 years, it's a joy to use and it's nice to see the real potential of some of the apps. My only complaint would be a the feel of the phone in your hand. The back plate is very smooth and it's quite easy to let it slip and I've almost dropped it a few times. I don't normally like cases on phones, but I think I'm going to get one for this, for safety sake. I know that the name S3 mini has caused a bit of fuss among some, and I can see their point, but if you over-look the name issue, this is a great mid-range phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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