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Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini set for 20 June London launch

Samsung is rumoured to be unveiling a little brother to its powerhouse Galaxy S4 at a glitzy event in London next month.

Nick Hide Managing copy editor
Nick manages CNET's advice copy desk from Springfield, Virginia. He's worked at CNET since 2005.
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Nick Hide
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Samsung is set to unveil a little brother to its powerhouse Galaxy S4 at a glitzy event in London next month. Invites went out today for an event on 20 June called 'Samsung Premiere 2013 Galaxy & Ativ', after the Galaxy S4 Mini was spotted on Samsung's UK website over the weekend.

The Wall Street Journal claims to have confirmed one of the products unveiled at the event will be the S4 Mini, citing an anonymous source.

The S4 Mini may well be the worst-kept secret in the phone industry (although the Galaxy Note 3 is running it close). Numerous leaks earlier in the year hinted it would be a 4.3-inch phone with the S4's styling but much weaker specs, rather like last year's S3 Mini.

The S3 Mini disappointed many smaller-handed tech fans who were hoping for high-end specs in a more compact chassis. Instead they got a mid-range phone that seemed to just cash in on the S3's glamour.

The S4 Mini doesn't look much different. With its purported 1.66GHz dual-core processor, it's far slower than the S4's blinding 1.9GHz quad-core engine, and its screen -- while easier to get your fingers round -- is much lower quality too.

Specs reported back in March by SamMobile point to a resolution of 540x960 pixels, which gives a pixel-per-inch count of 256ppi -- much lower than the S4's dazzling 441ppi.

Meanwhile Samsung is also set to reveal new Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices under the nonsensical name Ativ. Last month the Korean company helpfully renamed all its PCs with the bonkers moniker, despite a total lack of interest in any of Ativ products thus far.

Whatever's launched, CNET will be all over it like flies on Fanta. What else are you hoping for at Samsung's Galaxy and Ativ launch? Will any company ever make a top-notch Android phone that isn't bigger than your forearm? Activate your suggestions in the comments below, or over on our galactically brilliant Facebook page.

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