We see if Samsung's cheap Galaxy S4 alternative can live up to its big brother's reputation

Samsung's Galaxy S4 is already one of 2013's best-selling top-end smartphones, having broken the 10 million sales mark just a month after release. However, despite this success its high £600 cost has hampered its ability to capture every corner of the UK smartphone market. Aware of this, Samsung has rushed out its more affordable Galaxy S4 Mini.

Essentially a smaller version of the flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini features a smaller 4.3in HD 720p screen and a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, although we noticed no performance issues with either, as the screen proved one of the most vibrant we've used on a mid-range phone.

The device runs Google's Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean mobile operating system, skinned with Samsung's Touchwiz user interface, though we think that lets the phone down with its overcomplicated menus and preloaded apps.

The rest of the phone's specifications didn't disappoint, though. The 8MP rear-facing camera performed well, the Galaxy S4 Mini offers plenty of storage and the battery is one of the phone's standout features, offering two days of average to heavy use.