Samsung Launches Galaxy S5 Mini; Report Suggests Retail Price Of $650

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRX:005935) announced the Galaxy S5 mini, the compact version of the company’s flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, on Tuesday. The new handset will initially be available in Russia beginning in early July, and the company has also planned to expand its sale to other countries around the world.

The Galaxy S5 mini, which the company says comes with “the same dedicated fitness tools and enhanced device protection features” found in its bigger counterpart, sports a 4.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. In comparison, the current Galaxy S4 mini has a 4.3-inch display with a 960x540 resolution.

The Galaxy S5 mini is powered by a Quad Core 1.4 GHz processor and 1.5GB RAM, which is expected to help the handset offer “seamless multi-tasking, faster webpage loading, softer UI transition, and quick power up,” according to Samsung.

The new handset, which supports LTE Category 4, will run on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, and will be resistant to water and dust. The device will feature an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, while other key features found in the device include a heart-rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and connectivity with Samsung's wearable devices.

While Samsung has not mentioned anything about the Galaxy S5 mini’s price, SamMobile reported that it could retail for 479 euros ($650). The report, however, said that the price could probably change slightly when the phone hits the market.

At launch, the Galaxy S5 mini will be available in four color options, including charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold.

Here is the full list of specifications for the Galaxy S5 mini, provided by Samsung: