Samsung’s Galaxy S III Mini Might Have Shrunken Specs Too

When Samsung confirmed that its 4-inch Galaxy S III mini was real, it promised that it wouldn’t just be another little budget phone. But if MobileGeeks’ information about the handset is correct, we may be in for a letdown tomorrow.

It’s not that the device looks actively bad like some other 4-inch clunkers out there. But the specs — particularly that display — don’t match up with what we’ve come to expect from a premium handset:

• Display: 4-inch Super AMOLED, 800×480
• RAM: 1GB
• Flash memory: 16GB (plus MicroSD slot)
• CPU: 1GHz dual-core STE U8420
• Camera: 5MP rear-facing (unknown front-facing)
• Battery: 1500mAh

There’s nothing wrong with that engine, but the display and camera don’t sound like they quite live up to what one expects from a top-tier Android handset these days. And the quad-core powerhouse processor of the full-figured S III has been switched out for a daintier dual-core option.

For what it’s worth, MobileGeeks also makes no mention of 4G functionality, although it’s hard to imagine that wouldn’t make the cut. At least the S III Mini will (reportedly) be one of the few handsets to actually launch with Android Jelly Bean, so that’s a mark in its favour.

We’ll know for sure tomorrow after Samsung’s event. But if it does pan out, and this is in fact the Galaxy S III mini we’re looking at, it’ll just be another elegant nail in the coffin of smaller phones. The big boys get the meat; the scraps go to the scrappers.