Verizon Galaxy S4 mini (SCH-i435) photos leak

The Galaxy S4 mini may be making its U.S. debut on Verizon’s network, as photos of the device sporting the carrier’s branding have leaked; it was also spotted at the Bluetooth SIG with the model number SCH-i435. There’s no hint of a release date or price, but the photos confirm that the phone is almost ready to be launched in the market, perhaps after Verizon launches the new Motorola DROID phones and the HTC One.

For anyone keeping up with all the chitchat in the smartphone world, it’s no secret that despite carrying the Galaxy S4 name, the S4 mini is quite the downgrade when compared to the flagship phone. There’s a 4.3-inch screen of qHD (540 x 960) resolution, dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of storage (5GB accessible) expandable via microSD cards, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and LTE connectivity, and a 1,900mAh battery. The software is where it redeems itself a little, as most of the features from the Galaxy S4 are present on its miniaturized sibling.

Here’s the Verizon Galaxy S4 mini side-by-side with the iPhone 5.