This Android handset retains the overall sensibilities of its slightly larger stablemate, but also tones down those already mid-range specs, accordingly.
At first glance, the Mini 2 is an endearing handset, bordered by a silver trim and encased with a sunny, yellow plastic casing. Generally, the phone follows in the Ace 2's design footsteps, with the same layout of hardware keys: signature home button on the base, power on the right, volume rocker and microSD slot on the left, 3.5mm headphone jack up top, as well as a port for microUSB at its bottom. Below its removable back are a 1,300mAh battery and a SIM slot hidden just beneath it. Thanks to its ultra-compact construction, the handset is a joy to hold, fitting quite snugly in our palms.
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Power on the screen and you'll immediately notice the lower pixel density of the HVGA display. Surprisingly, performance on this Android 2.3.6 handset exceeded our expectations. Somewhat curiously, the device, sporting a sole 800MHz processor, managed to outpace the dual-core Ace 2, responding much more rapidly to touch and moving in and out of applications with an appreciable speed boost. Browsing, however, wasn't quite as speedy.
Imaging aficionados won't have much to salivate over here, as the Mini 2 comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel shooter capable of 480p video capture. As you might expect the camera app is customized for Samsung's UX and offers up the usual array of scene modes and exposure settings.
The Mini 2 will be the first of Sammy's two low-to-mid rangers to hit Europe early this spring, with a planned March launch for consumers in France.
