Since the time we've heard about the
Samsung Galaxy S III mini launch overseas, Samsung has remained oblivious about launching the device for Indian users. Now, in what comes as a bit of a disappointment, a report over at
Tech 2 indicates that the device may not officially launch in India after all. The site further mentions that a company representative made it clear that Samsung "hasn't revealed any plans to launch the handset in India as yet."
The tech blog goes on to say that in case you're not bothered about warranties, you can still grab the smartphone being offered by various grey market vendors for a price of Rs. 17,750.
One of the reasons being attributed to the Galaxy S III mini missing an India launch is the recently introduced
5-inch Galaxy Grand that falls in a similar price category. The device boasts slightly higher specs that the Galaxy S III mini such as an 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, a 2,100mAh battery, a 5-inch screen and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
Samsung recently held a press event where it launched the
Rex series of feature phones priced between Rs. 4,280 and Rs 6,490. Many were expecting to witness the debut of the Galaxy S III mini or the Galaxy Fame, which did not happen.
If you wish to buy the Galaxy S III mini, here's what you're looking at. Touted as a miniature version of the company's current flagship smartphone the Samsung Galaxy S III, the device features a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera and a via front camera.
It has a 1500 mAh battery and 8/16GB internal storage options, Android 4.1, WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/GLONASS and Galaxy S III's features like S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call and S Beam.
The company began
shipping the Galaxy S III mini with the latest version of Android Jelly Bean, v4.1.2 in Vietnam and Indonesia in December last year. There is still no news for other Asian users. When launched, the Galaxy S III mini devices came out with Android 4.1.1.