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Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Review: Can Samsung Deliver Mini Magic?

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Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Review: Can Samsung Deliver Mini Magic?

Samsung has once again launched a compact version of its Galaxy S flagship. Is the Galaxy S5 Mini a worthy addition?

For every Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s a Danny DeVito. For every Hardy, there’s a Laurel.

We knew the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini was coming, and it’s the dinky alternative to the Galaxy S5. The question is whether it’s a slightly embarrassing poor relation, or if – like Asterix and Obelix – they each have their strengths, and make an unbeatable team.

Now that we’ve run out of slightly dated and/or naff duo comparisons, we can start talking about the actual phone. The truth: the Galaxy S5 Mini is a less capable phone than its bigger brother. Less capable in so many areas that at around the £390 mark it does seem pretty expensive for what it is.

However, it is far from an embarrassment. While not totally top-end, it’s very easy to live with – a joy to use, for the most part.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Design

Look at a photo of the Galaxy S5 Mini in-hand and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a Galaxy S5 in the hand of someone with a mild case of gigantism. It looks an awful lot like Samsung’s Android king.

Apart from casting a smaller shadow, of course. Those with smaller hands, or kids with far too much cash, should be able to get on with the Galaxy S5 Mini perfectly.

It’s not smaller in every dimension, though. The Galaxy S5 Mini is a millimetre thicker than its bigger sibling. However, at 120g and 9.1mm thick it’s still pretty slim, and very lightweight.

The slightly questionable style of the Galaxy S5 is back, and it both looks and feels the same once again. The dimpled back, the slightly flimsy-feeling plastic, the fake metal sides. Everything that initially made you raise an eyebrow upon first seeing the Galaxy S5 makes a return in the S5 Mini.

And that’s just as it should be, given this phone is meant to be a mini version of the flagship. Of course, it also means the S5 Mini doesn’t feel like it lives up to its rather expensive price tag.

Shrunken down to a similar size as some of the world’s cheaper smartphones, though, the Galaxy S5 Mini absolutely doesn’t feel like a budget mobile. Using things like Gorilla Glass 3 for the top screen layer, and with a construction that doesn’t feel a though it’s held together with spit and Blu-tack, it does feel a cut above much cheaper phones. As you’d hope. And while we love the Moto G, the S5 Mini does feel higher-end than that similar-size (and cheaper) mobile.

There’s a real hardware benefit to the extra expense too. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is water resistant. Stumble drunkenly into a canal with this phone in your pocket and you might drown, but your phone won’t.

It’s rated with an IP67 certification, which means it’s dustproof and can be submerged in water for a short time (30 mins) officially, however, that’s just as far as the manufacturer is prepared to guarantee, and in all likelihood it will survive longer than that. The best bit, though, is that there are no socket seals to worry about. The headphone jack and microUSB ports are designed not to let in water without needing fiddly covers.

The idea of not having to reseal a little plastic flap every time I charge the bloody thing (that’s every day) fills me with the sort of joy that reduces blood pressure and adds years to life expectancy.

It does mean the waterproofing is a bit harder for Carphone Warehouse junior sales assistant Dave to show off to the hapless sheep flocking in to see the latest £500 phone upgrade they don’t really need, but it’s the way forward.

Aside from these special sockets, the S5 Mini uses much the same internal weatherproofing as the S5. There’s a rubbery seam that runs around the inside as part of the battery cover.

The actual socket used by the Galaxy S5 Mini is a normal microUSB port, where the bigger S5 uses a bigger (suitably enough) microUSB 3.0 one. These offer faster data transfer and faster charging over USB: things we didn’t miss for half a second during testing. As valid as it is in pure tech terms, adding USB 3.0 was basically a case of Samsung waving its wang at the world.

“My USB is bigger than yours,” it screams. Slight embarrassment is the response.

We’ll soon see USB 3.0-style speed in phones more widely, but it’ll be when it’s packed into a microUSB-size port as part of the USB 3.1 standard. I think it’s sensible that the S5 Mini doesn’t have the larger connector, but it is a bit unfortunate it’s not MHL-compliant either. MHL lets you plug your phone into a TV’s HDMI port with the right cable. There’s no hardware TV-out here, which is a shame.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has a few other extras that you don’t generally see in smaller phones like this, though. There’s a fingerprint scanner under the home button, a heart rate sensor on the back and an IR blaster hidden in the silvery plastic screen surround.

So, has Samsung improved the fingerprint sensor since we first saw it in the Galaxy S5? Not really, no. It’s still used primarily to unlock the phone or authorise PayPal payments, and it’s still a bit fiddly.

Some people swear the Samsung finger scanner works every time, but I found it quite frustrating. You need to be quite careful about how you swipe your finger across the sensor, and as a result my hit rate was pretty low, when out and about in particular. It’s just not as simple and fool-proof as the iPhone 5S TouchID.

Yes, I just labelled myself a fool, but do you really want to have to think and actively try just to unlock your phone? The heart rate sensor isn’t much cop either, simply because you can get the same sort of results from any old phone camera and LED flash.

Having an IR blaster is pretty neat, though. Hardly anyone uses one, but they let your phone act as a universal remote. Any other cuts? There’s no ac Wi-Fi, but unless you know off the top of your head whether your router supports this or not, just don’t worry about it.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Display

Some cuts I don’t care about, others I do. I’m torn on the Galaxy S5 Mini’s screen.

It’s smaller than the S5’s at 4.5 inches, and that’s kinda the whole point of the phone. That’s fine. However, it’s also significantly lower-res, using the same 720p screen resolution as the Motorola Moto G.

Does it matter? Yes, because the S5 Mini’s Diamond PenTile screen style makes the underlying pixel structure about as apparent as it is in a 960 x 540 pixel screen of this size.

It’s not as pristine-looking as the Galaxy S5 display, or even a normal LCD one of the same size. However, this is the sort of thing only people with screen OCD are really likely to notice.

And in other respects, it’s great.

It uses a Super AMOLED panel, and this brings contrast that piddles all over LCD screens of any grade. Put the Galaxy S5 Mini in a darkened room next to the HTC One Mini 2 and the HTC’s blacks will look a bit grey and washed out, where the S5 Mini’s will stay black as the soul of a serial killer.

You can also choose exactly how vivid you want the display to look. In the settings menu you have a choice between various screen settings – a bit like a TV. Some are vivid (too vivid for the screen OCD crowd), others are much more natural-looking.

This being a Super AMOLED screen, viewing angles are absolutely fantastic and outdoors visibility is top-notch too. The “Super” bit involves cutting out an extra layer in the screen’s structure, reducing reflections. Top brightness isn’t a patch on the Galaxy S5’s, making the bigger phone better for those bonafide summer days, but it’s sound.

So while the screen obsessive in me keeps on muttering “but it’s not 1080p”, and “look, if I get my eye 6mm from the screen I can see the pixels”, in actual use the S5 Mini still has a really quite excellent display.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Software & Performance

Looking beyond the surface, the Galaxy S5 Mini is a lot like its bigger brother in use. They use the same Samsung interface, and pretty much the same version of it as far as I can tell (there are minor differences).

It’s simplified compared to Samsung’s older versions, if still a little bit overblown in places. Like the gigantic settings menu.

There are also some little performance hitches at times. No consistent lag, but just a bit of glitchiness when the phone is trying to do a few things in the background as well as dealing with your current demands. Loads of Samsung mobile devices have this kind of geriatric stuttering.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini’s core specs may have a part to play too, though. It has a quad-core Exynos 3 3470 CPU, which only actually has about as much power as the Snapdragon 400 used in phones like the EE Kestrel and, admittedly, the similarly-priced HTC One Mini 2.

It’s a mid-range processor rather than a really high-end one, and we did notice that there are some little knock-in effects. The little laggy moments are things we’ll mostly blame on Samsung’s software, but some games leave out some additional graphical effects that you only get with a top-end phone. Looking at the price, it’s a shame the Galaxy S5 Mini doesn’t have a Snapdragon 800 or 801, given the Xperia Z1 Compact managed to maintain flagship muscle in a diminutive package.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Camera

Samsung has made the same sort of cutbacks to the camera. The Galaxy S5 Mini has an 8-megapixel main camera where the S5 has a more advanced 16-megapixel one.

You get less detail, slightly less contrast in photos, and colour tends to desaturate a bit when there are trickier lighting conditions, where the S5 holds onto colour and contrast like a particularly determined dog with a ball. However, that doesn’t mean it is not a good camera in its own right.

It’s pretty quick and reliable, with good metering and fast focusing. You do have to wait a little while between shots if you use the HDR mode, unlike the super-fast Galaxy S5, but then this is true of the majority of phones, big or small.

Extra modes on offer are pretty much the norm for a Samsung phone, although you miss out on some of the latest extras. You can’t shoot video at 4K resolution, and you don’t get some of the latest Samsung camera innovations, such as being able to blur out backgrounds. However, the background blur feature never works properly anyway so it’s no great loss in my book.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Battery Life

Looking at the specs in isolation it may seem like Samsung has done a number on the Mini’s battery life as well as core specs and camera. It has a 2,100mAh battery to the S5’s 2,800mAh unit.

However, in reality I found that this actually seems to be a sensible size reduction that’s in-line with the drop in processing power, and the screen size and resolution. You’ll get 12 hours of movies off a single charge if they’re 720p and MP4s, and you keep the screen brightness at indoors levels (around 50-60 per cent). General longevity is good too.

I tend to prefer using a phone without any overly intensive power-saving modes – the ones that put your mobile data on lockdown when the phone’s screen is off. And like this, the Galaxy S5 Mini still lasts for a good day and a half, with a few good stints of browsing the web on 3G in there to eat away at the battery.

It’s a good result, and one that makes the S5 Mini more enjoyable to live with in spite of some of those little snips and cuts it has been subjected to.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is a good phone despite all the bits that aren’t quite as good as its bigger cousin. Screen, camera and processor power are all significantly diminished here.

They don’t dramatically reduce the overall experience for the more casual user, but the more hardcore amongst you have a right to stick your nose up, at least a bit.

If the Galaxy S5 Mini was a little cheaper we’d have no issues with the alterations. However, now that the S5 isn’t hundreds more, I think Samsung could have priced this mobile phone a bit more competitively.

Why hasn’t it? You can blame the inclusion of fluffy extras like the heart rate sensor, the fingerprint scanner and IR blaster if you like. But the truth is that Samsung doesn’t really need to. Not with a brand like ‘Galaxy S5’ attached.

Length 131.1mm
Thickness 9.1mm
Weight 120g
Screen Colours 16 million
Screen Size 4.5-inches
UK Launch July 2014
Phone Style Touchscreen
Typical Price: 
£390.00


Reviews

Pros: 
High-contrast screen, Good stamina, Super-simple waterproofing


Richard Goodwin

Cons: 
A few to many core feature cuts compared to Galaxy S5, Quite pricey, Lower screen resolution is noticeable


11:53, 29 Aug 2014

Verdict: 
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini isn’t exactly the shrunken S5 we were hoping for – the CPU and camera are both significantly worse. But in other respects this phone can play the part admirably
More Info: 

Samsung has as soon as once more launched a compact model of its Galaxy S flagship. Is the Galaxy S5 Mini a worthy addition?

For each Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s a Danny DeVito. For each Hardy, there’s a Laurel.

We knew the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini was coming, and it’s the dinky various to the Galaxy S5. The query is whether or not it’s a barely embarrassing poor relation, or if – like Asterix and Obelix – they every have their strengths, and make an unbeatable workforce.

Now that we’ve run out of barely dated and/or naff duo comparisons, we will begin speaking concerning the precise telephone. The reality: the Galaxy S5 Mini is a much less succesful telephone than its greater brother. Much less succesful in so many areas that at across the £390 mark it does appear fairly costly for what it's.

Nevertheless, it's removed from a humiliation. Whereas not completely prime-finish, it’s very straightforward to stay with – a pleasure to make use of, for probably the most half.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Design

Take a look at a photograph of the Galaxy S5 Mini in-hand and you may be forgiven for considering it’s a Galaxy S5 within the hand of somebody with a light case of gigantism. It seems an terrible lot like Samsung’s Android king.

Aside from casting a smaller shadow, in fact. These with smaller arms, or youngsters with far an excessive amount of money, ought to have the ability to get on with the Galaxy S5 Mini completely.

It’s not smaller in each dimension, although. The Galaxy S5 Mini is a millimetre thicker than its greater sibling. Nevertheless, at 120g and 9.1mm thick it’s nonetheless fairly slim, and really light-weight.

The marginally questionable fashion of the Galaxy S5 is again, and it each seems and feels the identical as soon as once more. The dimpled again, the marginally flimsy-feeling plastic, the pretend metallic sides. The whole lot that originally made you increase an eyebrow upon first seeing the Galaxy S5 makes a return within the S5 Mini.

And that’s simply appropriately, given this telephone is supposed to be a mini model of the flagship. In fact, it additionally means the S5 Mini doesn’t really feel prefer it lives as much as its somewhat costly price ticket.

Shrunken right down to an identical measurement as a number of the world’s cheaper smartphones, although, the Galaxy S5 Mini completely doesn’t really feel like a finances cellular. Utilizing issues like Gorilla Glass three for the highest display layer, and with a development that doesn’t really feel a although it’s held along with spit and Blu-tack, it does really feel a minimize above less expensive telephones. As you’d hope. And whereas we love the Moto G, the S5 Mini does really feel greater-finish than that comparable-measurement (and cheaper) cellular.

There’s an actual hardware profit to the additional expense too. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is waterproof. Stumble drunkenly right into a canal with this telephone in your pocket and also you may drown, however your telephone gained’t.

It’s rated with an IP67 certification, which suggests it’s dustproof and might be submerged in water for a short while (30 minutes) formally, nevertheless, that is simply so far as the producer is ready to ensure, and in all probability it should survive longer than that. One of the best bit, although, is that there are not any socket seals to fret about. The headphone jack and microUSB ports are designed to not let in water without having fiddly covers.

The thought of not having to reseal just a little plastic flap each time I cost the bloody factor (that’s each day) fills me with the type of pleasure that reduces blood strain and provides years to life expectancy.

It does imply the waterproofing is a bit more durable for Carphone Warehouse junior gross sales assistant Dave to point out off to the hapless sheep flocking in to see the newest £500 telephone improve they don’t actually need, however it’s the best way ahead.

Apart from these particular sockets, the S5 Mini makes use of a lot the identical inner weatherproofing because the S5. There’s a rubbery seam that runs across the inside as a part of the battery cowl.

The precise socket utilized by the Galaxy S5 Mini is a traditional microUSB port, the place the larger S5 makes use of a much bigger (suitably sufficient) microUSB three.zero one. These supply quicker knowledge switch and quicker charging over USB: issues we didn’t miss for half a second throughout testing. As legitimate as it's in pure tech phrases, including USB three.zero was principally a case of Samsung waving its wang on the world.

“My USB is greater than yours,” it screams. Slight embarrassment is the response.

We’ll quickly see USB three.zero-type velocity in telephones extra extensively, however it’ll be when it’s packed right into a microUSB-measurement port as a part of the USB three.1 normal. I feel it’s smart that the S5 Mini doesn’t have the bigger connector, however it's a bit unlucky it’s not MHL-compliant both. MHL enables you to plug your telephone right into a TV’s HDMI port with the correct cable. There’s no hardware TV-out right here, which is a disgrace.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has a number of different extras that you simply don’t usually see in smaller telephones like this, although. There’s a fingerprint scanner beneath the house button, a coronary heart price sensor on the again and an IR blaster hidden within the silvery plastic display encompass.

So, has Samsung improved the fingerprint sensor since we first noticed it within the Galaxy S5? Not likely, no. It’s nonetheless used primarily to unlock the telephone or authorise PayPal funds, and it’s nonetheless a bit fiddly.

Some individuals swear the Samsung finger scanner works each time, however I discovered it fairly irritating. You'll want to be fairly cautious about the way you swipe your finger throughout the sensor, and consequently my hit fee was fairly low, when out and about particularly. It’s simply not as easy and idiot-proof because the iPhone 5S TouchID.

Sure, I simply labelled myself a idiot, however do you actually need to need to assume and actively attempt simply to unlock your telephone? The guts fee sensor isn’t a lot cop both, just because you will get the identical type of outcomes from any previous telephone digital camera and LED flash.

Having an IR blaster is fairly neat, although. Hardly anybody makes use of one, however they let your telephone act as a common distant. Some other cuts? There’s no ac Wi-Fi, however until you recognize off the highest of your head whether or not your router helps this or not, simply don’t fear about it.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Show

Some cuts I don’t care about, others I do. I am torn on the Galaxy S5 Mini’s display.

It’s smaller than the S5’s at four.5 inches, and that’s kinda the entire level of the telephone. That’s wonderful. Nevertheless, it’s additionally considerably decrease-res, utilizing the identical 720p display decision because the Motorola Moto G.

Does it matter? Sure, as a result of the S5 Mini’s Diamond PenTile display fashion makes the underlying pixel construction about as obvious as it's in a 960 x 540 pixel display of this measurement.

It’s not as pristine-wanting because the Galaxy S5 show, or perhaps a regular LCD one of many similar measurement. Nevertheless, that is the kind of factor solely individuals with display OCD are actually more likely to discover.

And in different respects, it’s nice.

It makes use of a Tremendous AMOLED panel, and this brings distinction that piddles throughout LCD screens of any grade. Put the Galaxy S5 Mini in a darkened room subsequent to the HTC One Mini 2 and the HTC’s blacks will look a bit gray and washed out, the place the S5 Mini’s will keep black because the soul of a serial killer.

You may as well select precisely how vivid you need the show to look. Within the settings menu you will have a selection between numerous display settings – a bit like a TV. Some are vivid (too vivid for the display OCD crowd), others are rather more pure-wanting.

This being a Tremendous AMOLED display, viewing angles are completely unbelievable and outdoor visibility is prime-notch too. The “Tremendous” bit includes chopping out an additional layer within the display’s construction, decreasing reflections. Prime brightness isn’t a patch on the Galaxy S5’s, making the larger telephone higher for these bonafide summer time days, nevertheless it’s sound.

So whereas the display obsessive in me retains on muttering “however it’s not 1080p”, and “look, if I get my eye 6mm from the display I can see the pixels”, in precise use the S5 Mini nonetheless has a very fairly wonderful show.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Software program & Efficiency

Wanting past the floor, the Galaxy S5 Mini is rather a lot like its greater brother in use. They use the identical Samsung interface, and just about the identical model of it so far as I can inform (there are minor variations).

It’s simplified in comparison with Samsung’s older variations, if nonetheless slightly bit overblown in locations. Like the large settings menu.

There are additionally some little efficiency hitches at occasions. No constant lag, however only a little bit of glitchiness when the telephone is making an attempt to do a couple of issues within the background in addition to coping with your present calls for. A great deal of Samsung cellular units have this type of geriatric stuttering.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini’s core specs might have an element to play too, although. It has a quad-core Exynos three 3470 CPU, which solely truly has about as a lot energy because the Snapdragon four hundred utilized in telephones just like the EE Kestrel and, admittedly, the equally-priced HTC One Mini 2.

It’s a mid-vary processor slightly than a very excessive-finish one, and we did discover that there are some little knock-in results. The little laggy moments are issues we’ll principally blame on Samsung’s software program, however some video games omit some further graphical results that you simply solely get with a prime-finish telephone. Wanting on the worth, it’s a disgrace the Galaxy S5 Mini doesn’t have a Snapdragon 800 or 801, given the Xperia Z1 Compact managed to take care of flagship muscle in a diminutive package deal.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Digital camera

Samsung has made the identical type of cutbacks to the digital camera. The Galaxy S5 Mini has an eight-megapixel foremost digital camera the place the S5 has a extra superior sixteen-megapixel one.

You get much less element, barely much less distinction in photographs, and color tends to desaturate a bit when there are trickier lighting circumstances, the place the S5 holds onto color and distinction like a very decided canine with a ball. Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply it isn't a great digital camera in its personal proper.

It’s fairly fast and dependable, with good metering and quick focusing. You do have to attend a short while between photographs for those who use the HDR mode, in contrast to the tremendous-quick Galaxy S5, however then that is true of nearly all of telephones, massive or small.

Additional modes on supply are just about the norm for a Samsung telephone, though you miss out on a few of the newest extras. You'll be able to’t shoot video at 4K decision, and also you don’t get a few of the newest Samsung digital camera improvements, resembling with the ability to blur out backgrounds. Nevertheless, the background blur function by no means works correctly anyway so it’s no nice loss in my e-book.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Battery Life

Wanting on the specs in isolation it might appear to be Samsung has accomplished a quantity on the Mini’s battery life in addition to core specs and digital camera. It has a 2,100mAh battery to the S5’s 2,800mAh unit.

Nevertheless, in actuality I discovered that this truly appears to be a wise measurement discount that’s in-line with the drop in processing energy, and the display measurement and determination. You’ll get 12 hours of flicks off a single cost in the event that they’re 720p and MP4s, and you retain the display brightness at indoors ranges (round 50-60 per cent). Common longevity is sweet too.

I are likely to want utilizing a telephone with none overly intensive energy-saving modes – those that put your cellular knowledge on lockdown when the telephone’s display is off. And like this, the Galaxy S5 Mini nonetheless lasts for a great day and a half, with a couple of good stints of shopping the online on 3G in there to eat away on the battery.

It’s a great end result, and one which makes the S5 Mini extra gratifying to stay with regardless of a few of these little snips and cuts it has been subjected to.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is an effective telephone regardless of all of the bits that aren’t fairly nearly as good as its greater cousin. Display, digital camera and processor energy are all considerably diminished right here.

They don’t dramatically scale back the general expertise for the extra informal consumer, however the extra hardcore amongst you could have a proper to stay your nostril up, at the very least a bit.

If the Galaxy S5 Mini was slightly cheaper we’d haven't any points with the alterations. Nevertheless, now that the S5 isn’t tons of extra, I feel Samsung might have priced this cell phone a bit extra competitively.

Why hasn’t it? You'll be able to blame the inclusion of fluffy extras like the guts price sensor, the fingerprint scanner and IR blaster in case you like. However the fact is that Samsung doesn’t actually need to. Not with a model like ‘Galaxy S5’ hooked up.

Size 131.1mm
Thickness 9.1mm
Weight 120g
Display Colors sixteen million
Display Measurement four.5-inches
UK Launch July 2014
Telephone Type Touchscreen
Typical Worth: 
£390.00
Reviews
Execs: 
Excessive-distinction display, Good stamina, Tremendous-easy waterproofing
Richard Goodwin
Cons: 
A number of to many core function cuts in comparison with Galaxy S5, Fairly expensive, Decrease display decision is noticeable
eleven:fifty three, 29 Aug 2014
Verdict: 
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini isn’t precisely the shrunken S5 we have been hoping for – the CPU and digital camera are each considerably worse. However in different respects this telephone can play the half admirably
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