Samsung Galaxy S 3 Mini

tommmy

Hi,

So I am considering buying the mini, I just want to know what it is like, I have watched many YouTube videos, reviewing it.And I have kinda lost my patients with it as most of the videos show people unboxing the phone and talking about the box it comes in

Anyways I would just like some feedback on it, I am told it is a very good phone, far better than the iphone 4, I just want to know what is the screen like, I am told it is a little unclear..

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

ED E

DISPLAY Type Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches (~233 ppi pixel density)

233 is a little low. Its totally usable, just wont be as crisp/sharp as the flagship phones of today (XperiaS 342, GS3 306, iPhone 5 326).

coylemj

OP, I appreciate the problem you're having with the reviews and it's all caused by the name Samsung have given the model. Every review goes to town telling you that the S3 mini isn't as good as it's 'bigger brother' - well I for one don't want to carry around a flatscreen TV in my pocket so I don't care how it compares to the regular Galaxy models!

It's a superb phone with a lovely screen and oodles of memory though coming from the original HTC Desire, anything was an improvement on the memory front. Just make sure to buy a cover of some sort because there's no rim so if you drop it the screen will probably get whacked and it's an expensive repair

FWIW, my other car gadget is a 4th generation iTouch which has a retina screen so I can say that the S3 Mini has a superb screen, regardless of how it stacks up against the other Samsungs.

Two features it's missing: there is no flashing light to alert you to the fact that you have a new SMS or e-mail - the HTC Desire had that which is handy when you're in a noisy environment and there is no automatic brightness adjustment based on ambient light so if you step out of your house into the daylight, you often can't see the screen and have to either find some shade or manually adjust the brightness up.

BostonB

No point comparing anything with iPhone. As with an iPhone you are really signing up to Apple Eco system as much as the hardware. It becomes an Android VS Apple argument for yourself.

The S3 mini is a mid range handset. Its a very good mid ranged handset. But you need to buy at a mid ranged price. A lot of places are charging too much for it. No point comparing against high end phones. Its not in that price range.

Summary here.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_iii_mini-review-857p12.php

IMO You need to buy it at 179~250 for it to be an ok deal. Its 309 on O2 which is a crazy price for it. iBlood had a Samsung S II Plus for 250 which would be a better phone. Sold out now though.

http://www.ibood.com/ie/en/product_specs/32760/_Samsung_Galay_S2_Plus_-_Android_41_Smartphone_with_Super_AMOLED_Screen_-_White/?referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mydealpage.ie%2F

coylemj

BostonB wrote: »

No point comparing anything with iPhone. As with an iPhone you are really signing up to Apple Eco system as much as the hardware. It becomes an Android VS Apple argument for yourself.

'Apple Eco system' - WTF are you talking about?

Read my post, I was simply pointing out that measured against the current Apple retina screen, the S3 mini has a perfectly good display, that's all.

I never mentioned Android vs. iOS apps or functionality, that battle exists in your imagination, not mine.

BostonB

coylemj wrote: »

'Apple Eco system' - WTF are you talking about?

Read my post, I was simply pointing out that measured against the current Apple retina screen, the S3 mini has a perfectly good display, that's all.

I never mentioned Android vs. iOS apps or functionality, that battle exists in your imagination, not mine.

Paranoid much? Chill dude I wasn't replying to you. I was replying to this...

tommmy wrote: »

...I am told it is a very good phone, far better than the iphone 4, ...

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Phantasos

I bought one recently and it's going great.

The phone is fluid and not at all laggy. Camera takes decent shots. Does most functions as good as I'd expect.

Overall I'm quite happy with it, and if you're getting it for ~€250 (like I did) then it's well worth it.

Occono

Where can you get it online for under €250? Cheapest I've found is Pixmania.

ciano1

Occono wrote: »

Where can you get it online for under €250? Cheapest I've found is Pixmania.

€250 on Vodafone PAYG
€240 on Amazon.de Unlocked
£210 on Amazon.co.uk

Occono

ciano1 wrote: »

€250 on Vodafone PAYG
€240 on Amazon.de Unlocked
£210 on Amazon.co.uk

Oh, well I'll just go with Pixmania then. Not fussed over a few euros (It's about €254) and they are a .ie. Amazon have been very slow when I tried to use them.

coylemj

BostonB wrote: »

Paranoid much? Chill dude I wasn't replying to you. I was replying to this...

Sorry, my bad. Still hate that term 'Apple eco system' :rolleyes:

ciano1

If I were to buy this on Vodafone for €250 would it be quick/cheap to unlock?

BostonB

Occono wrote: »

Oh, well I'll just go with Pixmania then. Not fussed over a few euros (It's about €254) and they are a .ie. Amazon have been very slow when I tried to use them.

You see people complaining about about Pixmania a lot more than amazon on the boards if that means anything.

Occono

BostonB wrote: »

You see people complaining about about Pixmania a lot more than amazon on the boards if that means anything.

Oh, really?

Sir Nonchalant

Hello,

I hope I'm not jumping in here but this seemed relevant. I'm looking to buy one of these Galaxy minis and thinking of going with this

http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-Smartphone-Dual-Core-Megapixel-onyx-black/dp/B00B5XR3NS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367320634&sr=8-3&keywords=samsung+s3+mini

I'm just unsure of ordering from amazon.de, although perusing boards suggests it's a common move, ciano1 seems to endorse it above. Would this phone be unlocked so I could just slap my current vodafone sim into it if I get it? Will I have to deal with any unexpected Germanic issues in setting it up?

Apologies if these are stupid questions but this is unknown territory for me, I've read a few other threads round here just thought I'd look for clarification/confirmation before I commit.

Thanks.

Sir Nonchalant

Sir Nonchalant wrote: »

Would this phone be unlocked so I could just slap my current vodafone sim into it if I get it? Will I have to deal with any unexpected Germanic issues in setting it up?

Yes and no.

ciano1

I'd probably go with Amazon.co.uk and have it delivered to Parcel Motel. It'll probably cost a couple of quid more but will arrive a day or 2 quicker.

I'm going to buy one in the next few days too.

The phone is only €229 on Vodafone if you port over another number over. I plan on getting one of the tesco mobile sim cards and doing it that way

Sir Nonchalant

Thanks guys, I've been so busy this week I couldn't check back in here. I went ahead with amazon.de anyway and got it yesterday everything working grand. I'd never made a purchase like this, previous phones have just been bog-standard jobs off the street so this required a little more research. So for what it's worth I guess that's an endorsement for anyone in my position who might be reading this, lovely phone so far too.

Also, ciano1, thanks for suggesting Parcel Motel. Never heard of it before and obviously didn't use it this week but will be handy to have in mind in future.

jozi

I have a htc one v which comes with lots or quirks I'm fairly fed up of by now + I cracked the screen last week Was looking at this phone as well and also the nexus 4 (which is a bit more expensive) or even a Chinese mobile of some description (bad experience with a tablet is putting me of though).

Do you find this ok, is it at least snappy and not laggy to use?

Chronic Button

I'm not a phone or technology geek, but I know what I like and I seriously like this phone. I bought an extra little SD card for a tenner and loaded it up with downloaded tv shows for my long daily commute. Sound, picture, battery and functionality efficient and effective. Not laggy at all. Also great for general browsing and usage. Camera ok but I wouldn't really use that very much. Highly recommend this phone.

BostonB

jozi wrote: »

I have a htc one v which comes with lots or quirks I'm fairly fed up of by now + I cracked the screen last week Was looking at this phone as well and also the nexus 4 (which is a bit more expensive) or even a Chinese mobile of some description (bad experience with a tablet is putting me of though).

Do you find this ok, is it at least snappy and not laggy to use?

The Nexus 4 is a class above of the S3III mini. So thats really down to price.

You should really be aware of the spec of these things. The V is a single core. The SIII dual core, so it will be much better.

jozi

It's also a bit bigger and no expandable memory as well as more expensive.

I must have a look in town during the week to see what it's like and go from there, pity the nexus can't be got local i na shop.

ciano1

Sir Nonchalant wrote: »

Thanks guys, I've been so busy this week I couldn't check back in here. I went ahead with amazon.de anyway and got it yesterday everything working grand. I'd never made a purchase like this, previous phones have just been bog-standard jobs off the street so this required a little more research. So for what it's worth I guess that's an endorsement for anyone in my position who might be reading this, lovely phone so far too.

Also, ciano1, thanks for suggesting Parcel Motel. Never heard of it before and obviously didn't use it this week but will be handy to have in mind in future.

How much did ya get it for in the end and how long did it take to come from Germany?

Clareman

I'd recommend adverts for anyone looking for a phone, there are a lot of great people out there selling locally.

Anyway, I bought a S3 last weekend, moving up from an iPhone 3GS, and I have been completely blown away by it, how I lasted so long without Android I'll never know but that's another discussion, Mrs. CM was equally impressed (she had an iPhone 4) but thought it was too big, so cause we've had a tough couple of months and I've a little bit of spare cash I got her a S3 mini. Now I know I'm coming off an old phone, but the Mini is a brilliant phone, I haven't noticed any performance issues, the screen is as good as on the S3 and all her apps work brilliantly, I did notice that the mini does perform better on speaker phone, but that might be because of a load of outside issues.