Considering Samsung's tendency to release mountains of phones, the Galaxy S4 Mini seemed like a lock from the moment we saw the Galaxy S4. And what have we here? The Galaxy S4 Mini appears to have broken cover in China, and it looks more or less as you'd expect – like a smaller GS4.

Like last year's pint-sized GS3 variant, the Galaxy S4 Mini has the same general industrial design as the S4 proper. It's smooth and rounded, with that divisive carbon fiber pattern on the back panel. It's roughly 8mm thick, which is the same as the GS4. The handset is noticeably shorter and narrower, though.

Anyone hoping this device would be a high-end phone in a more manageable size might be disappointed. The leak suggest the GS4 Mini will have a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, but the resolution will only be qHD (960x540). On the inside, it is said to have a 1.6GHz dual-core ARM chip of undetermined make, 1GB of RAM, and a 5-8MP camera. The Galaxy S4 Mini could be announced later this month, and be made available for purchase over the summer.

[NewCellPhonesBlog, Phonearena]