Confirmed: Samsung launches Galaxy S4 mini with 4.3 inch screen

Samsung Electronics Co has unveiled a stripped down version of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone on Thursday, aiming to grab a bigger share in the mid-tier segment as growth in the high-end market slows. The Galaxy S4 mini, which follows the debut of the S4 just a month ago, will have a 4.3-inch screen - still bigger than Apple Inc’s  4-inch iPhone 5 - and a 8-mega pixel rear-facing camera. Other speicifications include a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, and 8GB internal storage which can be expanded to 64 GB via microSD card. It also has a 1.9 MP front camera which will allow video calling. [caption id=“attachment_828141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Official image of the S4 mini[/caption] By comparison, the original S4, which hit the 10 million-sale mark last week to become Samsung’s fastest selling smartphone, has a bigger 5-inch full high-definition screen and a 13-mega pixel camera. Samsung did not announce a price for the phone or give a launch date, but the market estimates the smaller type will be priced at around $350. The launch comes ahead of the widely speculated low-priced iPhone later this year and as Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker, looks to widen its lead with products spanning both the high and cheap-and-cheerful ends of the market. Samsung is also expected to unveil more varieties of the S4 in the upcoming mobile event in London next month including a model with optical camera zoom functionality as well as a phone with water-proof features. Samsung Galaxy S4 mini key specifications: 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display 1.7GHz dual-core processor 1.5GB of RAM 8GB internal storage, can be expanded by up to 64GB via microSD card 8-megapixel rear-facing camera 1.9-megapixel HD front-facing camera 1900mAh battery Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) With inputs from Reuters