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Samsung Galaxy S III 'Mini' set to appear in Germany

Samsung Mobile chief JK Shin has indicated the smartphone will have a four-inch screen but retain the power of the company's flagship Android device. This would make it a more direct competitor to Apple's iPhone 5.
Written by David Meyer, Contributor

Samsung is to release a smaller version of its flagship Galaxy S 3 Android smartphone in Europe, the company's mobile chief has confirmed.

The Galaxy S III is a big hit, but it is also plain big: its screen measures 4.8 inches. On Wednesday, JK Shin said a four-inch version will be unveiled in Germany on Thursday — this confirmed previous rumours that were based on an invitation to a Samsung mobile event at the company's Frankfurt store.

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Samsung is set to unveil a 'Mini' version of its popular Galaxy S III smartphone, shown here. Image: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET News

However, Shin seems to have dispelled the part of that rumour that had the Galaxy S III Mini, as it is likely to be called, pegged as an entry-level handset. It now looks as though the device will have the full quad-core power of the Galaxy S III, just in a smaller form factor.

This is apparently due to demand in the European market, where people may be less keen on enormous phones than in the US and Asia. Samsung's original Galaxy S smartphone, released back in early 2010, had a four-inch screen.

The same screen size is now found in the new iPhone 5, so Samsung may also be trying to return to the four-inch, power-device market as a way of countering Apple's new flagship.

The reduced size would mean less battery space, but a smaller screen also uses less power, so the resulting battery life may remain unaffected or potentially even improved.

Samsung's German representatives told ZDNet on Wednesday that they did not not know when the device would be released anywhere.

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