Samsung Galaxy S4 mini Vs. HTC One mini – The mini Battle

HTC unveiled the HTC One mini last week on the 18th. As its name implies, the HTC One mini is a smaller (4.3 inch) version of HTC’s flagship smartphone. Its design resembles that of its older and bigger brother, the HTC one. However, it is the inside where the two smartphones differ and the difference is quite notable. The HTC One mini is a low specs version of HTC’s flagship smartphone, with a Snapdragon 400 CPU (as opposed to the HTC One’s Snapdragon 600 CPU), 1 GB of RAM (as opposed to the HTC One’s 2 GB of RAM) and a 4.3 inch display capable of a 720p resolution and a lower pixels per inch display. The Htc One mini does come with an Ultrapixel camera, however it does not come with optical image stabilization. HTC is not the only manufacturer to make a mini version of its flagship smartphone; as you know Samsung also announced the Galaxy S4 mini. Let’s see how the HTC One mini compares to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 mini.

HTC One mini versus Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

We will start by comparing both mini versions’ specs. When it comes to CPU, both the HTC One mini and the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini are powered by the same CPU, the aforementioned Snapdragon 400; however it is worth noting that the Galaxy S4 mini CPU’s clock speed is higher than the HTC One mini CPU’s.  When it comes to RAM, we already told you the HTC One mini comes with 1 GB; the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini however comes with 1.5 GB of RAM so it has an advantage in this category too. The Galaxy S4 mini also has a larger battery and a better camera sensor (8 MP, while the HTC One mini’s camera sensor is 4 MP). However, the Taiwanese company says that MP isn’t the only thing that matter as the HTC One mini sensor’s bigger pixels perform much better than other smartphone camera sensors, but that remains to be seen. While, as you can see, the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has advantage in most specs related areas, there is one area where the HTC One mini has a very clear advantage: its display. The HTC One mini comes with a 4.3 inch display capable of a 720p resolution and a pixels per inch density of 341, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has a similarly sized display (4.3 inch) but capable only of a qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels) and a much smaller pixels per inch density: 256.

And while specs are important, they can’t alone make a good smartphone. From various hands on reports with the HTC One mini, it seems that the Taiwanese company treated it with the same attention for detail as it treated its flagship smartphone, the HTC One. However, the body and finish of both the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and the HTC One mini are somewhat lacking and we say this not because they are poorly manufactured, but because the plastic like finish seems cheap by comparison with the HTC One’s aluminum body. For a more in depth comparison we will have to wait until HTC releases the One mini, next month. For now both mini smartphones look great.