Samsung Galaxy S III Mini vs Sony Xperia U
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini and the Sony Xperia U, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Price | $4,999 | $7,204 |
| Our rating | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,320 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 16 GB | — |
| Screen size | 4 in | 3.5 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 120 g | 110 g |
| Released | Nov 2012 | May 2012 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S III Mini is ahead on battery, screen size. Sony Xperia U is ahead on weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S III Mini is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED | TFT, 16M colors |
| Size | 4.0 inches | 3.5 inches, 34.0 cm2 (~52.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels | 480 x 854 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~280 ppi density) |
| Protection | Not specified (lacked Gorilla Glass) | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Pixel Density | ~233 ppi | — |
| Features | — | Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) | Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) |
| Chipset | ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 | ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 |
| CPU | 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | Dual-core 1.0 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-400 | Mali-400MP1 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot) | No |
| Internal | 8GB/16GB | 8GB (4GB user available), 512MB RAM |
| RAM | 1GB | — |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash | 5 MP, AF |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 720p@30fps |
| Features | — | LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, 3D sweep panorama |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Single | VGA | VGA (0.3 MP) |
| Video | Not specified | — |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion | Removable Li-Ion 1320 mAh battery |
| Capacity | 1500 mAh | — |
| Stand-by | Up to 450 h (2G) / Up to 430 h (3G) | Up to 260 h (2G) / Up to 260 h (3G) |
| Talk time | Up to 14 h 10 min (2G) / Up to 9 h 50 min (3G) | Up to 6 h 36 min (2G) / Up to 5 h 36 min (3G) |
| Music play | Up to 30 h | — |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Dimensions | 121.55 x 63 x 9.9 mm (4.785 x 2.480 x 0.390 in) | 112 x 54 x 12 mm (4.41 x 2.13 x 0.47 in) |
| Weight | 120 g (4.2 oz) | 110 g (3.88 oz) |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Build | — | Plastic body, interchangeable bottom cap |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, LE, EDR | 2.1, A2DP, EDR |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | — |
| NFC | Yes (on some variants, e.g., GT-I8190N) | No |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | Stereo FM radio, RDS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, A-GPS |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Announced | October 2012 | February 2012 |
| Status | Released November 2012 | Discontinued |
| Release Date | — | May 2012 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S III Mini or Sony Xperia U?
Samsung Galaxy S III Mini — 1,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini versus 1,320 mAh for the Sony Xperia U.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S III Mini or Sony Xperia U?
Sony Xperia U — 120 g for the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini versus 110 g for the Sony Xperia U.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S III Mini or Sony Xperia U?
Samsung Galaxy S III Mini — Nov 2012 for the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini versus May 2012 for the Sony Xperia U.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini or the Sony Xperia U rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini 6/10 and the Sony Xperia U 6/10.
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