The Galaxy S8 Mini that’s been the subject of numerous industry rumors in recent months may not be happening after all, with one industry insider claiming that the South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM) isn’t developing such a smartphone. The source, citing an unnamed Samsung engineer, was seemingly confident that a smaller variant of Samsung’s latest Android flagship will never hit the market, with their wording implying that the Seoul-based company was either never developing such a device or the project itself was scrapped long ago, presumably even before the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus were officially launched in late March.
The last report on the Galaxy S8 Mini surfaced online just a few days back, with industry sources claiming that the handset will sport a 5.3-inch display panel that will otherwise be identical to the Infinity Display found on its larger counterparts, featuring an unusual aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and boasting a nearly bezel-free design with no physical Home button and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. That particular design was supposedly meant to allow the Galaxy S8 Mini to have a physical footprint that’s comparable to smartphones with 4.7-inch screens and regular bezels, insiders said, adding that the device would ship with the Snapdragon 821 system-on-chip (SoC), Qualcomm’s piece of silicon that was commercialized last year and also appeared in a number of 2017 flagships including the LG G6 and HTC U Ultra.
The Galaxy S8 Mini was rumored to feature 32GB of storage space, half as much as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, though the device was otherwise said to be identical to the rest of its family. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) didn’t release a smaller version of one of its flagships since 2014 and the Galaxy S5 Mini that was essentially a mid-range device advertised as offering a comparable experience to that of the Galaxy S5 and it’s currently unclear whether the company is planning to revive this sub-series of its products in the immediate future, especially considering conflicting reports on the matter. More details on Samsung’s hardware endeavors may follow shortly seeing how the firm is expected to have a large presence at this year’s IFA Berlin that’s scheduled to start on September 1.