Hasta La Gadget!

There are certain iconic devices or offerings from some companies that do not need a new model in order to sell more units – as sometimes, a fresh coat of paint is all that it takes. For those of you who still feel that the Samsung Galaxy S4 (despite its age and many looking forward to the alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 which is said to be announced at an Unpacked event later this month) is still the bee’s knees, then you might be pleased to hear that there is a spanking new color for you to choose from – the Samsung Galaxy S4 black edition. That is not all, however, as a black edition of its smaller model, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, too, has been announced.

These two new color editions happen to be the latest in Samsung’s effort to build on its commitment to deliver innovative technologies with more premium design choices to the masses. Both of these models will arrive alongside a high-quality leather-like textured black back cover and bezel. This will definitely be a distinct and refined design which would be able to offer consumers a stylish Galaxy experience. Not only that, an external color change is not all that matters, as the Black Edition devices will also be accompanied by a suite of eight dedicated wallpapers for both the home and lock screens, not to mention a bunch of new and exclusive ringtones. You will find that the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S4 mini Black Editions will arrive in sleek black packaging, where a set of black accessories including a power adapter, data cable and headphones are also thrown into the mix.

Of course, the hardware specifications underneath the hood for both of these devices will remain similar to other colors of the same handset. I do wonder, however, whether we should ditch the “Black Edition” suffix, and call this the Batman Galaxy S4 and Batman Galaxy S4 mini after all.

Press Release
[ Samsung Black Edition Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 mini unveiled copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The iPhone 5s beat out the LG G2 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 in Which? magazine’s latest independent speed test of top-performing smartphones. Using a phone simulation program called Geekbench, the test found that the iPhone outperformed the competition in both single-core and multi-core performance benchmarks. Notably, the S4 slipped to third place after having […]

HTC’s new One mini may not be due to hit shelves until next month, but that hasn’t stopped retailers from officially pricing up the 4.3-inch smartphone already. Though HTC would only say that it expects the carrier-subsidized One mini to be “two price points” lower than the HTC One, the SIM-free One mini will apparently be £379.99 ($579) unlocked and with tax in the UK.

That’s according to retailer MobileFun, which tells SlashGear that the price is official and not just a place-holder as can often be the case.

HTC One mini hands-on:

In contrast, the same retailer has the original HTC One on sale for £519.99 ($792) including UK tax, a £140 ($213) difference. It also puts the One mini in-between the off-contract price for the Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 820 Windows Phones, and £10 less than the SIM-free Galaxy S4 mini.

According to the retailer, the One mini will be in stock in the space of a month, which fits with HTC’s August launch expectations.

Still to be confirmed are carrier prices, though EE, Vodafone, and Phones4u have all said they’ll be offering the One mini in the UK. North American launch details aren’t known, though HTC did tell us that there would indeed be a release, and we’ve previously heard chatter of AT&T 4G support in the Android smartphone.

As we found in our hands-on with the One mini, the new phone sticks relatively closely to the pattern laid out by the original One. The unibody aluminum casing – available in silver and black – is still present, along with the UltraPixel camera, BoomSound front-mounted speakers, and Beats Audio tuning.

However, there are some noticeable differences, though to what extent the mid-range target audience will miss them in daily use is uncertain.

HTC One mini priced up (but is it “mini” enough?) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 Mini, announced earlier today, will be offered in LTE form in the UK, it’s been confirmed. The new, smaller iteration of the flagship Galaxy S 4 would be offered in three forms depending on market, Samsung had said today, with 3G, dual-SIM 3G, and 4G variants; now, the UK’s only current 4G carrier, EE, has weighed in with confirmation that it will be offering the smartphone.

“We can confirm we plan to stock the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini from launch” an EE spokesperson told us today. “It will be available on our superfast 4GEE service.” Meanwhile, the phone will also be available on 3G-only networks Orange and T-Mobile, which are part of the combined EE network.

Although it shares the name of the Galaxy S 4, the Mini version does make some significant departures from that handset’s flagship specifications. For instance, the 4.3-inch display runs at just qHD resolution – 960 x 540 – rather than the 1920 x 1080 of the full-sized phone. Inside, too, there’s a compromise to be made, with the Galaxy S4 Mini running a 1.7GHz dualcore chip rather than the quadcore of its bigger brother.

The camera also sees a compromise, mustering 8-megapixels rather than 13-megapixels. A single storage option has been confirmed at this stage – just 8GB, of which around 5GB is available to the user – though there’s still a microSD slot to add to that. It’s worth remembering that apps can’t be installed to microSD, however.

What none of the networks are saying is how much the Galaxy S4 Mini will cost, nor indeed when exactly it will hit their shelves. Those details may have to wait until Samsung’s “Premiere 2013″ event in late June, when the Mini will be one of a number of new devices – running both Android and Windows – we’re expecting to see.

Galaxy S4 Mini will support UK LTE confirms EE is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung has revealed the Galaxy S4 Mini, the widely-anticipated smaller version of the Galaxy S 4, packing a 4.3-inch display, dualcore processor, and an 8-megapixel main camera. Set to hit shelves in LTE, 3G, and 3G dual-SIM forms, depending on country, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini shrinks its full-sized sibling’s screen down to qHD resolution from Full HD, and has only a 1.7GHz dualcore chip rather than the quadcore of the bigger phone. However, that makes for a more pocketable device, trimmed to 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94 mm and 107g for the new Mini phone.

Above the display there’s a 1.9-megapixel camera, and Samsung’s various camera editing features – such as Best Photo, HDR, and Panorama – are also included. In fact, many of the Galaxy S 4′s software enhancements will also be included on the Galaxy S4 Mini, with S Voice, S Translator, Group Play, and WatchON, the latter of which gets to use the Mini’s built-in infrared abilities.

Underneath TouchWiz there’s Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which gets 1.5GB of RAM to play with. There’s 8GB of storage – around 5GB of which is user-available – and a microSD card slot. Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n, GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC on the LTE version of the Galaxy S4 Mini, and the usual sensors (light, digital compass, accelerometer, etc).

In total, Samsung will offer three variants of the phone. There’ll be a basic 3G model, with quadband GSM/EDGE and up to 21Mbps HSPA+ support, network depending, and a dual-SIM version which can take a pair of SIM cards. Then, there’s a 4G model, with up to 42Mbps HSPA+ and LTE, with various band sets depending on market.

No word on pricing for the Galaxy S4 Mini at this stage, nor when it will hit shelves. However, there’ll be more details at Samsung’s “Premiere 2013″ event in June, where the White Frost and Black Mist versions of the phone will be shown off, among other devices.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini official: 4.3-inches and optional LTE is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.