Samsung recently announced its Galaxy S3 Mini, a smaller 4-inch version of its hugely successful Galaxy S3 smartphone. The Korea-based company adds to its Galaxy portfolio with the launch of the S3 Mini, which will look to challenge other 4-inch smartphones, including the current market flavor - iPhone 5.

Here is a look at how the iPhone 5 and S3 Mini stack up against each other.

Processor
The Galaxy S3 Mini packs in a dual-core processor that is clocked at 1GHz. On the other hand, an A6 SoC processor powers the iPhone 5, which Apple indicates will double the CPU performance when compared to its previous iterations

Display
Both the smartphones have a 4-inch screen. The Galaxy S3 Mini sports a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display with 800 x 480 pixels resolution. The iPhone 5 features 4-inch Retina display with 1136 x 640 resolution at 326 ppi, and the Multi-Touch IPS technology screen has a "fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating."

Weight, Thickness, and Body
The Galaxy S3 Mini measure 4.8 x 2.48 x 0.39 inches, compared to the Apple offering's 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches dimensions. The iPhone 5 is thinner than the S3 Mini; however weight wise both smartphones are in the same boat. The S3 Mini weighs 4.23 ounces, compared to iPhone 5's 3.95 ounces.

Storage and Memory
The iPhone 5 offers 16/32/64GB of internal storage with no option to expand. By contrast, the Galaxy S3 Mini offers 8/16GB of on-board storage and the option to expand memory up to 32GB using a microSD card.

Both smartphones have 1GB of RAM.

Camera
The Galaxy S3 Mini features a VGA front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash. The iPhone 5, on the other hand, features an 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with LED flash and autofocus, and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera.

Software
The Galaxy S3 Mini will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. The iPhone 5 runs on the latest iOS 6 operating system, which Apple claims has over 200 improvements.

Battery
A 1500mAh battery powers the S3 Mini. The iPhone 5 has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; however, the size of the battery is not known. The talk time supported is 8 hours on a 3G network.

Connectivity
Both smartphones support Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi; however, the S3 Mini packs in NFC capabilities unlike iPhone 5.

Availability, Pricing, and Colors
The iPhone 5 hit the shelves on Sept. 21 in the UK and U.S. The 16GB version of iPhone 5 is priced at $199 (on contract). The iPhone 5 is available in only black and white, the S3 Mini will initially be available only in white with a possibility for other color options to roll out in the future. However, currently, no information on the S3 Mini's pricing and exact release date is available.