GEAR
SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 MINI
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 mini is a more compact, less ?ashy version of the range-topping S4 ?agship, but is it good enough to
ascend to the summit of our mid-range best buys list?
The baby brother to the Galaxy S4 has taken a shrinking pill to bring its
dimensions down to a level iPhone users should be comfortable with,
and boasts a 4.3" (540 x 960; 256 ppi pixel density) Super AMOLED.
As you can expect, the pixel quality on this non-HD screen is not as
sharp as on the S4’s full HD panel, but we still found this resolution
to be more than suitable for most tasks, with the screen also offering
excellent viewing angles and colour saturation.
CPU and optics
BLACKBERRY Q5
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the S4 mini contains the same
specs as its bigger brother - actually only the styling is the same.
QWERTY fans and BlackBerry loyalists who prefer the touch-andtype user experience of the Q10, but ?nd its R9 000 pricetag a
little too aspirational, can opt for the Q5.
Powering the Android 4.2.2 running smartphone is a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor running at 1.7 GHz per core. This
CPU is coupled with 1.5 GB RAM to deliver a smooth and snappy
performance during daily usage. In terms of optics, users get an eight
megapixel rear-facing camera as well as a 1.9 megapixel HD front-facing camera, with picture quality and camera performance being on par
with that of the Galaxy S3.
BlackBerry’s Q5 (120 x 66 x 10.8 mm; 120 g) couples the typing convenience of a physical QWERTY keyboard with easy touch-based OS
navigation via a 3.1" (720 x 720 pixels; 328 ppi pixel density) IPS LCD
capacitive touchscreen. Although colours are not as vibrant as on the
Super AMOLED screen of the Q10, viewing angles remain excellent.
DON’T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING THE S4 MINI
CONTAINS THE SAME SPECS AS ITS BIGGER BROTHER ACTUALLY ONLY THE STYLING IS THE SAME.
At the top of the S4 mini resides an IR (infrared) blaster, enabling the
device to serve as a universal remote control for compatible electronic
devices.
This LTE (4G) enabled smartphone boasts a unibody construction
which means you cannot remove the 2180 mAh Li-Ion battery. On the
good side, it has to be noted that this battery averaged around 12 and
a half hours of usage from a single charge. Users will find the microSD
card slot (supports cards up to 32 GB in size) and microSIM slot on
the left side of the device via a rather flimsy plastic flap.
Hardware and software
Powering the Q5 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU
running at 1.2 GHz per core, coupled with a very good 2 GB worth
of multitask-accommodating RAM. The Q5 offers a 2 MP snapper
at the front, whilst the back houses a 5 MP camera that produced
average-looking photos in good lighting conditions and paltry pics at
night. Users have access to 8 GB worth of internal storage, but can
expand upon this via the microSD card slot.
IF YOU CANNOT USE A SMARTPHONE WITHOUT A
QWERTY KEYBOARD, THE Q5 IS THE ONE TO GET.
In our opinion, BlackBerry 10 is a much more rounded mobile operating system compared to Windows Phone 8. The Q5 offers the latest
version, namely BlackBerry 10.1, straight out the box, but the achilles
heel of the platform remains the limited app selection in BlackBerry
World.
To the point
To the point
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 mini packs a great deal of performance,
eye-catching (albeit an all plastic one) design, and a handy IR blaster
function into an excellent overall midrange package that costs R5 700
at Vodacom outlets around the country. It manages to snuff out all rivals except for our midrange smartphone of choice, Huawei’s Ascend
P6, which costs R700 less but packs a quad-core processor, more
RAM (2 GB), and larger 4.7" IPS+ touchscreen. [HD]
October 2013 | TechSmart
BlackBerry’s Q5 boasts enough hardware and software punch to
deliver the same touch-and-type experience that can be found on the
Q10. If you are just looking for an excellent mid-range smartphone
costing in the region of R5 000, then there are plenty of full touch,
similarly specced devices available that offer way more applications.
That dwindling smartphone u