Samsung has launched the Galaxy S4 Mini, a smaller, stripped down and cheaper version of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone on Thursday. They are 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 4.3inch(10.9cm) screen that is still bigger than Apple's 4 inch iPhone 5 and a 8 mega pixel rear-facing camera.
By comparison, the original S4 phone, which was lauched in April and which hit the 10 million-sale mark last week to become Samsung's fastest selling smartphone, has a bigger 5 inch (12.5cm) full high-definition screen and a 13 mega pixel camera.
Samsung did not gave any information about the price, 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.
