HTC and Samsung seem to be jumping on the trend to shrink flagship phones in both size and specs. This can be seen in their HTC One Mini smartphone and the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini smartphone.
They slap a lower price on these mini phones capitalizing on their brand recognition. These two smartphones are probably the best compact Android smartphones money can buy. Here’s a look at some of their specs.
Their Design
Of the two, the HTC One Mini is the better looking smartphone. It has a seamless unibody construction and a premium metallic design. The S5 Mini has a perforated back with a dimpled-soft finish, which is the same as the S5. This, however, does not give it the premium look of the HTC One Mini. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy S5’s design is an eye-catching with a 4.5 inch screen.
Both smartphones are narrow enough to be used comfortably with a single hand. The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini’s screen is, however, positioned closer to the bottom edge. In other words, the furthest side of the S5 mini is closer to the user’s thumb making it easier to reach.
The volume and power buttons on the HTC One Mini are positioned at the top and the right side edge of the phone. These keys, however, do not provide much feedback and reaching the power key is frustratingly hard as it is far from the index finger. The S5 mini comes with a handy set of buttons. They are easy to reach and respond well with an easy-to-feel click.
Both displays share a diagonal size and display resolution making the images sharper, more detailed and easy to make out. Both Minis also have great color fidelity and the LCD screens produce very accurate hues across the entire spectrum.
Under The Hood
HTC One Mini uses the Android 4.2 Jellybean, but you can upgrade it to the 4.4 KitKat. HTC have also taken it a notch down in the processor department. From the flagship One, outfitting the mini version with a Snapdragon 400 instead of 600 is a step down. It is clocked at 1.4GHZ Core CPU, 1GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. Even with a single GHZ instead of 2GHZ, there is no stuttering and the phone does not gasp for memory.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini also has a 1.4 GHZ Quad-Core CPU, 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. You can also expand the memory with a micro SD of up to 64GB. However, the One Mini has no memory expansion slot, which means you have to do with the 16GB internal memory storage provided. Out of the 16GB, only 11GB of the storage is available.
The Camera and Video
The S5 Mini has an 8 Megapixel camera while the HTC One Mini has a 4 Megapixel camera. Both smartphones also come with a front and back camera. Video-wise, both smartphones can film 1080p at 30fps.
Colors
HTC One Mini comes in three different colors namely Blue, Stealth Black and Glacial Silver. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini comes in four different colors namely Copper Gold, Electric Blue, Shimmery White and Charcoal Black.
Pricing
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is estimated to cost about $350 – $450. On the other hand, the HTC One Mini has a price that ranges between $350 and $400.
Related ItemsHTC One Minisamsung galaxy s5 mini
