Samsung Electronics on Friday unveiled a compact version of its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone, with a touch screen sized to match that of arch-rival Apple’s new iPhone 5. The Galaxy S III Mini has a four inch high-definition touch screen, compared to the 4.8 inch version on it’s larger Samsung sibling, but the size reduction is offered at a technical price. The display has a lower resolution of 800×480 pixels compared to 1,280×720 pixels, the camera is five rather than eight megapixels and the S III’s dual-core 1.5GHz processor has been downgraded to 1GHz. “It can be an optimal choice for consumers who are looking for more practical smartphones,” Samsung said in statement. The company gave no details on pricing or an eventual sales date. The Mini’s screen is the same size as the iPhone 5 launched last month by Apple, but its reduced feature set makes it more of a corner man in the heavyweight clash between the iPhone 5 and the S III.
