Small phones are a niche market nowadays. With Sony and Apple being the only major players in this segment, options are dying out for small phone lovers. But rumor has it that Samsung was to bring back their “mini” flagships with the Galaxy S8 mini. This, however, doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
Original rumor
According to an article published by the Chinese portal ITHOME, a Galaxy S8 mini would come later this year. This would mean a comeback of the “S mini” line, which the last phone was the S5 mini in 2014. The phone would allegedly pack a 5.3″ panel with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, making it fairly compact.
However, this one didn’t seem to be cheapening out on specs and features like previous mini phones. Rumored specs include a Snapdragon 821 processor and 4 GB of RAM, with 32 GB of storage. This would put the S8 mini right on par with phones like the Google Pixel and the OnePlus 3T. It would allegedly retain the iris scanner, putting it one step above these two phones. And the 18.5:9 aspect ratio would mean some serious screen real estate gains.
It would also retain the 12 MP sensor present in the regular S8/S8+. All of this and a lower price tag could allow Samsung to seize the dying small phone market.
So, what happened?
The hype train stopped right as it departed. And right as the news came to light yesterday, they were denied by Chinese leakster @mmddj_china on Twitter today. According to his tweet, a Samsung engineer allegedly denied the existence of the Galaxy S8 mini.
Samsung engineer says that there is no GALAXY S8 mini.
— 电流_Current (@MMDDJ_) July 4, 2017
This could mean two things. Either Samsung was working on it before deciding to shelve it, or it never materialized. Rumors of a new “mini” flagship have existed since the Galaxy S6 launch, with prototype leaks and all. However, just like the rumored S6 mini and S7 mini, the S8 mini might never see the light of day.
Let’s remember that we’re speaking of rumors and leaks, so take everything with a grain of salt. Only Samsung knows for sure if there’s an S8 mini coming after all.
Were you expecting an S8 mini? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Featured-image: PhoneRadar
