Samsung Galaxy S III mini preview: First look

Loudspeaker

The Samsung Galaxy S III mini earned a score of Average in our traditional loudspeaker test. Here's how it stacks up against the competition.

Speakerphone test	Voice, dB	Pink noise/ Music, dB	Ringing phone, dB	Overal score
Nokia Lumia 800	60.9	59.0	61.7	Below Average
Samsung Galaxy Nexus	66.2	60.5	69.0	Below Average
Apple iPhone 4S	65.8	64.5	74.6	Average
Samsung Galaxy S III mini	63.2	66.2	74.4	Average
HTC Desire V	60.9	75.3	62.0	Below average
Sony Xperia S	72.7	61.8	69.6	Average
HTC One S	65.1	64.6	76.7	Average
HTC Sensation XE	65.8	65.4	76.9	Good
Motorola RAZR XT910	74.7	66.6	82.1	Very Good
HTC Desire	76.6	75.7	84.6	Excellent

Stills and video

The Samsung Galaxy S III mini comes with a 5MP camera and is able to capture photos at a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1920 pixels.

The interface is virtually the same as on the Galaxy S III. On the right there's the still camera / camcorder switch, a virtual shutter key and the gallery shortcut (which is a thumbnail of the last photo taken).

On the left you get several controls and the good news is that you can pick any four shortcuts to put there - you can easily have all frequently used features just a tap away.

The fifth shortcut always points to Settings. You can also move the icons around to your liking.

The camera interface

The actual images are among the better we've seen from a 5MP snapper. We're pleased with colors and the photos have good dynamic range, too. There is some noise in the shadows, but overall, the noise is kept reasonably low.

Samsung GalaxySIII mini camera samples

Even if this is the best Samsung can get out of the Galaxy S III mini, we're not complaining. The images look good enough, especially considering that this is not a camera-centric device. We could still see improvement in the retail unit.

Samsung Galaxy S III mini camera samples

720p video recording

The Samsung Galaxy S III mini did well in the still camera department but video recording isn't as good. The smartphone can only do 720p video recording, which is not quite impressive these days when every other phone does 1080p. At least at 30 fps, the captured videos are quite smooth.

The camcorder interface is almost the same as the still camera's - you get the same customizable panel on the left with five shortcuts.

Camcorder interface

Here's an 720p video sample taken with the Galaxy S III mini.