Samsung recently launched its Galaxy S3 Mini in Germany, a smaller and cheaper alternative to its hugely successful flagship smartphone the Galaxy S3.

The Galaxy S3 Mini not only shares the name with its bigger sibling, the Galaxy S3, but also sports a similar design. The S3 Mini looks like a tinier version of the S3 and has a curved chassis with a similarly positioned home button.

"The award winning Galaxy S3 has been extremely well received globally since it launched earlier this year so we are thrilled to be able to offer our customers the same revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence in a mini version," said Simon Stanford, vice president of Samsung UK's telecommunications and networks division.

Here's a look at the top three things the S3 Mini scores on.

1.Mighty Mini's Compact Form

Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our day-to-day lives, and as our needs evolve so does the form factor of the devices to keep pace with the changing trends and needs.

The 4.8-inch screen and higher pixel count of the Galaxy S3 enables users to play videos and applications with clarity, enhancing the user experience. However, the smartphone has been criticized on the grounds that it is to huge to carry around, which possibly prompted Samsung to introduce a smaller, more compact version of the Galaxy S3.

With the release of a 4-inch S3 Mini, Samsung is looking to tap into the smaller screen market and increase its brand appeal, reaching out to consumers who prefer a smaller handset.

"The GALAXY S III introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world. We're now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive
usability and intelligence to the GALAXY S III mini in a more compact
form," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. "We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs."

2. Jelly Bean Out OF The Box

While a gamut of Samsung smartphones and tablets await the upgrade from Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, the S3 Mini pips the devices by coming pre-loaded with Jelly Bean. The S3 Mini also trumps the Galaxy S3 which is expected to receive the Jelly Bean update soon.

3.Budget Friendly

The S3 Mini's hardware may not have pushed the envelope; however, the smartphone's pricing will make for happy Android fans who were looking for a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S3.

"We will continue to develop smartphones to cater for a variety of customer needs and this latest release demonstrates our ongoing commitment to offering our customers more choice at every price point," noted Simon Stanford.

The S3 Mini's UK pricing reveals that the smartphone will be available between £25 to £27 ($30 to $35) per month on contract, allowing the device to establish a foothold in the competitive consumer market. The smartphone is expected to set users back by £300 ($350) for a non-contract version.