Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 S6500 Review and Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 is the successor to the Samsung Galaxy mini handset that debuted early in 2011.  The handset comes with improvement in both design and technical specifications to the original Galaxy Mini. However, the phone maintains the affordable price tag typical of Samsung entry level Smartphones.

Let’s jump on to the in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 phone.

The phone comes with a 3.27-inch capacitive TFT display. This is a slight improvement compared to its predecessor, the galaxy mini which has a 3.14-inch screen and the Samsung Galaxy Young which has a 3-inch display. The larger screen size gives the phone a 240 x 320 pixels resolution and a 176-ppi pixel density.The resultant effect of the larger display is that the phone displays sharper images and an accurate color display.

However, the display lacks an ambient light sensor and therefore has lousy outdoor visibility. Just like the rest of Samsung budget Smartphones, the phone lacks a corning gorilla glass layer for protection against scratches.

The phone maintains the cute and cuddly design just like its predecessor. It still maintains the plastic finish and now spots chrome-like band around its edges. The phone comes in a smaller chassis and hence fits comfortably in your hands making one-handed operation painless.

Unlike the first galaxy mini, the phone has a sturdy design and lacks the creaky movable parts. An interesting addition to the phone, are the touch sensitive control that got rid of the ugly buttons on found on its predecessor (duh! Buttons do not belong on a smartphone)

Here are the nerd stats for the nerds. The phone comes with a powerful 800 MHz Cortex-A5 a big improvement from the 600 MHz ARMv6 processor found in the Galaxy Mini. Samsung also upgraded the RAM from 384MB to 512 MB making multitasking on the phone flawless. This coupled with the Adreno 200 GPU makes the phone accolade to the Sony Xperia U.

On the OS, the phone comes with Android OS, v2.3.6 (Gingerbread) that is upgradable to Android Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a major improvement considering that the original Galaxy Mini came with Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo).

Samsung decided to be generous in its offering and therefore the new galaxy mini comes packed with 4GB of internal memory compared to the paltry 160 MB found on the Galaxy Mini.  Just like the Galaxy Mini, the phone has a Memory Card slot that supports up to 32GB of Micro SD memory. However, this time round the phone will not come bundled with a 2 GB memory card.

On the connectivity aspects, the phone supports 3G internet and can handle speeds of up to 7.2Mb/s. Just like the Galaxy Mini 2 precursor, the phone can connect to WI-Fi networks and has hotspot functionality for tethering with other devices. Users of the phone can now enjoy faster file transfer speeds with Yes, v3.0 with A2DP included in the device.

Multimedia

The phone comes with a basic 3.15MP camera that delivers satisfactory photo quality. However, due to lack of Autofocus on the phone, some of the photos appear fuzzy especially when taken from low light scenes. The Camera can now take videos at a 25fps frame rate a slight from the 15fps found on the Galaxy Mini camera.

The phone comes with the stock Samsung Android music player. The music player is equipped with lock screen controls and can simulate a 5.1 experience while playing music through the earphones.

The phone ranks high compared with other entry-level Smartphones. It is specifically suitable for users who want decent Smartphone experience while still staying close to their budget line. The design is not eye catching but its fluid performance makes up for this. It is definitely provides a firm bargain for your cash.

Tech Trends Diary

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 [usr 6.5]

Competitors

Alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 include LG Optimus L3, HTC Wildfire S and the Sony Xperia U.

Currently, the Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 retails at Ksh 17000 in most retailer stores.