The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has just landed on U.S. Cellular, going for $49.99 on a two-year contract or $499.99 contract-free.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint were already selling the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, and now U.S. Cellular has quietly launched the handset as well.

The carrier did not make any official statement or announcement about the launch of the Galaxy S4 Mini, but the smartphone did pop up on its online store.

U.S. Cellular's pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini falls in line with what Verizon and Sprint are charging for the handset. Verizon, for instance, charges $99.99 upfront, i.e. $50 more than U.S. Cellular, but shaves $100 off the full price.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini aims to bring some of the flagship Galaxy S4's most popular features to a smaller, more compact form factor. The smaller version of the handset also comes with watered-down specs compared to the flagship, coming as a decent mid-range smartphone with an affordable price tag.

As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini sports a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 920 x 540. Under the hood, the smartphone packs a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz and paired with 1.5GB of RAM for a fast and fluid user experience. The handset also comes with 16GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB of additional memory, an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing shooter. A 1,900 mAh removable battery powers the device.

In terms of software, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini ships with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz on top, but should receive an Android update to the latest version of Jelly Bean soon.

In other words, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini fits somewhere between the budget smartphones and the high-end flagships, bringing a positive change to U.S. Cellular's lineup.

If you want a higher-end smartphone, however, the carrier is also offering the flagship Galaxy S4 and the Moto X for free on a two-year contract. If the more compact Galaxy S4 Mini is what you're looking for, you can now get it for $49.99 from U.S. Cellular. Existing customers who want to upgrade or renew their contract, meanwhile, can get it for $0.01.