Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini vs Sony Xperia U
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S3 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 S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Price | $25 | $7,204 |
| Our rating | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,320 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 1 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | — |
| Screen size | 4 in | 3.5 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | — | 110 g |
| Released | Nov 2012 | May 2012 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is ahead on battery, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S3 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 S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | 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) |
| Pixel Density | ~233 ppi | — |
| Protection | — | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Features | — | Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S3 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 | NovaThor U8500 | ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9 | Dual-core 1.0 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-400MP | Mali-400MP1 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC, up to 32 GB | No |
| Internal | 8GB or 16GB, 1GB RAM | 8GB (4GB user available), 512MB RAM |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash | 5 MP, AF |
| Features | Face and smile detection | LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, 3D sweep panorama |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 720p@30fps |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Single | VGA | VGA (0.3 MP) |
| Video | Not specified | — |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh | Removable Li-Ion 1320 mAh battery |
| Endurance rating | 42h | — |
| Stand-by | — | Up to 260 h (2G) / Up to 260 h (3G) |
| Talk time | — | Up to 6 h 36 min (2G) / Up to 5 h 36 min (3G) |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| Dimensions | 121.55 x 63 x 9.9 mm | 112 x 54 x 12 mm (4.41 x 2.13 x 0.47 in) |
| Weight | 111.5 g | 110 g (3.88 oz) |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Colors | White, Blue, Titan Gray, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, Onyx Black | — |
| Build | — | Plastic body, interchangeable bottom cap |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Sony Xperia U |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, LE | 2.1, A2DP, EDR |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS |
| NFC | Optional (market dependent) | No |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | Stereo FM radio, RDS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S3 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 S3 Mini or Sony Xperia U?
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini — 1,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini versus 1,320 mAh for the Sony Xperia U.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini or Sony Xperia U?
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini — Nov 2012 for the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini versus May 2012 for the Sony Xperia U.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini or the Sony Xperia U rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini 6/10 and the Sony Xperia U 6/10.
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