Why You Can Trust CNET Unlocked Galaxy S3 Mini arrives at Amazon
The recently announced Samsung smartphone quietly sneaks into the U.S. via the online retailer.
The Galaxy S3 Mini may not find a home with any specific U.S. wireless provider, but that doesn't mean you can't get it if you really try.
The Galaxy S3 Mini has been quietly listed on Amazon, albeit in a very limited quantity. TechCrunch was the first to notice the listing.
As with other unlocked phones, it's not cheap. But priced at $409.95, it's actually quite a deal considering it is offered without contract and supports either T-Mobile USA or AT&T. As a reminder, the Galaxy S3 Mini runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and features a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, dual-core 1-gigahertz processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, and 8GB internal storage.
Less advanced than the
It's not all rainbows and puppies, however: the unlocked Galaxy S3 Mini lacks support for any 4G LTE connectivity. While it will work on either carrier's 3G network, T-Mobile only began to roll out its faster HSPA+ network on the compatible 1900 megahertz band. It's the same problem an unlocked iPhone has on T-Mobile's network: limited access to the fastest connection because of frequency differences.
It is unclear as to how many units of the Galaxy S3 Mini were initially available or if the seller, HassleFreeCell, will replenish the stock. As of the time of publishing this article there were only two models left.