Samsung has confirmed that it will unveil a new, smaller Galaxy S III on October 11. The new phone won’t be a budget version, but rather a (slightly) scaled-down device, with a 4-inch screen for those who prefer a more pocketable handset.
JK Shin, head of Samsung Mobile Communications, announced that the new device was conceived thanks to high demand for 4-inch devices in Europe. The phone will initially be available in Germany, and it’s unclear when its presence will spread around the globe.
While Samsung has made “mini” versions of phones before which were in fact budget handsets, it claims that this phone won’t be entry-level — it’ll just be smaller. That will make it a rather unusual addition to the rest of the high-end Android market, where screens tend to be 4.5 inches or more in size.
In fact, that pits the device squarely against the iPhone in terms of size. So, if what puts you off Android is the fact that it means carrying a whopping phone around, you might just be in luck. [inews24 via The Verge]