One of the most interesting yet common features among the newly released smartphones from a host of different manufacturers is the fact that not only these manufacturers make devices, they also back it up with a mini variant of the device. For example, after the release of Samsung's Galaxy S4, the company backed it up later with a mini variant dubbed Samsung Galaxy S4.
The biggest difference these "Mini" versions of the primary flagships have with the flagships themselves is the price. As expected the Mini versions of the smartphones will obviously cost far lesser than the actual flagship.
Apart from that, there are several differences in terms of features, specifications and other areas which make these smaller versions stand out from the original device.
Today we are dealing with not one, but four different "Mini" variants of smartphones from a host of different manufacturers and will analyze who stands apart from who and in which respect. The four devices, of course, being - Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, the LG G2 Mini, the HTC One Mini and the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact.
So let's take a look as to who stands where in this "mini" race to the top.
Operating System
As expected, all the four devices run on Google's Android operating system with Android Jelly Bean on board. However, it seems like the Xperia Z1 Compact stands out among other with the device currently planned to receive Android KitKat v4.4.2 upgrade.
In-Device Display
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini sports a 4.3-inch super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, while rendering 540 x 960 pixels resolution. The LG G2 Mini, comparatively, comes with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display having the same resolution of 540 x 960 pixels.
On the other hand, while the HTC One Mini sports a 4.3-inch super LCD2 capacitive touch screen, rendering 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, the Xperia Z1 Compact, comparatively, also comes with a 4.3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display having the same resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini sports an 8-megapixel primary camera, sporting a pixel resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels, with autofocus and LED flash. The device also has a secondary 1.9-megapixel camera on board that's more than enough for conducting video chats.
The LG G2 Mini, in terms of camera, also sports an 8-megapixel primary camera with autofocus and LED flash. The secondary camera on the device is also a 1.3-megapixel shooter.
Comparatively, The HTC One Mini sports a 4-megapixel primary camera, sporting a pixel resolution of 2688 x 1520 pixels, with autofocus and LED flash. The device also has a secondary 1.6-megapixel camera on board.
The Xperia Z1 Compact, however, sports a whooping 20.7-megapixel primary camera with autofocus and LED flash. The secondary camera on the device is a 2-megapixel shooter.
Processing Power
As far as the power that's generated in-device, all the devices, more or less, have decent hardware specifications that are more than capable of flawlessly powering the devices.
While the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is equipped with a 1.7 GHz dual core processor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, its LG counterpart powers up the G2 Mini via a better 1.2 GHz quad core processor with the same chipset specs.
On the other hand, while the HTC One Mini is equipped with a 1.4 GHz dual core processor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, The Xperia Z1 Compact is powered via a potent 2.2 GHz quad core processor with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset.
Storage and RAM
The Samsung-made Galaxy S4 Mini offers 1.5 GB of RAM while offering the device in 8 GB internal memory variant. There's also the option to expand the device's memory up to 64 GB as an external microSD slot for additional memory has been provided.
The LG G2 Mini, in this respect, offers 1GB of RAM, also with 8GB of internal memory. Similar to the Samsung device, there's also the option to expand the device's memory up to 64 GB via an external microSD slot for additional memory.
The HTC One Mini offers 1GB of RAM while offering the device in 16 GB internal memory variant. However, There's no option to expand the device's memory further as an external microSD slot for additional memory is missing.
Lastly, the Xperia Z1 Compact offers a greater 2GB of RAM that coupled by a 16 GB internal memory variant. There's also the option to expand the device's memory up to 64 GB via an external microSD slot for additional memory.
Price
While the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is available for Rs. 19,998, the LG G2 Mini's price is not available as of now. However, on the other hand, while the HTC One Mini is available for Rs. 29,199, the Xperia Z1 Compact has been listed for Rs. 34,990.
Conclusion
We are no fortune tellers here, and seriously enough, it doesn't take much of a brain to understand that the Xperia Z1 Compact easily stands out among the rest with its impressive features and specifications.
However, considering the price factor, it could a small setback for the device, compared to the others in the list. But if the price is not a concern (and it shouldn't be since so many features are being bundled into one), it can judged that the Xperia Z1 Compact will surely take the cake among the others listed.
