Samsung releases Galaxy S III mini

Samsung has released the Galaxy S III mini, a compact version of the flagship smartphone Galaxy S III.

Released in Germany earlier this morning, the electronics giant says the device will bring the "high performance, intuitive ease-of-use and nature-inspired design of the Galaxy S III to an elegant, compact smartphone with a 4.0-inch screen."

In keeping with increasing European demand, Samsung appears to have produced the new 4-inch model as a direct competitor to Apple's newly released iPhone 5.

Powered by Android 4.1, the device shares the same design as it's larger equivalent, with the compact size now offering users a comfortable grip and convenient one-hand operation according to the South Korean company.

“The Galaxy S III introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world," says JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung.

"We’re now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence to the Galaxy S III mini in a more compact form.

"We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs.”

Other key features include S Voice, Samsung’s advanced natural language recognition software as well as understanding gestures in a bid to make phone use easier and more natural.

Samsung says content sharing is easy and fast on the product, with it's S Beam feature allowing users to share a 10MB music file in just two seconds by simply tapping on another S Beam-enabled device including Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal.

The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.

Samsung did not comment on an exact release date for the product nor speculated whether the device would be sold outside of Europe in the near future.

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