The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is now available on AT&T, sporting a $0.99 price tag on a standard two-year contract with the carrier.

Samsung originally released its Galaxy S3 Mini with an older dual-core processor, a small-capacity battery of just 1,500 mAh and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board.

The AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, however, comes with a few upgraded specs, including a new, updated Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and a larger 2,000 mAh battery.

The rest of the handset's specifications remain the same as for the original Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. The smartphone sports a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, as well as a VGA front-facing shooter for self-shots and video chats. The handset comes with 8GB of internal storage capacity and a micro SD card slot for additional memory.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 launched last year as the company's flagship smartphone, but high-end specifications usually come with a price to match. Samsung wanted to offer customers something more affordable that would still deliver some of that great Galaxy experience the S3 had to offer. Consequently, the company came up with the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.

The Mini version of the Galaxy S3 came with a slightly smaller display and some downgraded specifications to accommodate a lower price tag. The handset proved to be very popular, as many consumers preferred a smaller smartphone with mid-range specifications and the much-touted Galaxy features.

In fact, the handset and the whole concept was so popular that Samsung started an entire trend of Mini handsets, i.e. smaller versions of flagship smartphones. The company continued the trend this year with its Galaxy S4 Mini, but has also inspired other companies to go down the same road. HTC, for instance, offers a smaller version of its current flagship in the form of the HTC One Mini.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini may not be among the latest smartphones anymore, but it still packs a punch and it continues to draw plenty of interest. The smartphone is now available online from AT&T for $0.99 on a two-year contract. The retailer lists a Sept. 24 shipping date and is also throwing in free shipping with online purchases. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini will also go on sale in AT&T stores on Sept. 27.