Samsung has announced the latest addition to its Galaxy family, the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, at a press event in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Android-powered handset is a miniaturised version of the Korean manufacturer’s flagship Samsung Galaxy S III phone, sporting a 4-inch display as opposed to its larger sibling’s 4.8-inches. 

Okay, that's not quite true, because the "mini" factor really spreads only to the design, as Samsung has kitted the handset with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, NFC, Wi-Fi and 8GB or 16GB of on-board memory depending what model you go for. There is also a microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Most pleasing is that Samsung is launching the Galaxy S III Mini on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean - the latest version of Google’s operating system - doing away with upgrade woes. It comes skinned with the normal Samsung UI however.

Smaller, and one would presume cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini may be, but the manufacturer has still included a number of innovative features found in the original Samsung Galaxy S III. Smart Stay is on board, tracking the user's eye. So long as you are looking at the screen, the display will remain fully lit.

Direct Call is also present, enabling you to call someone who has just texted you by simply lifting the phone to your ear, while Smart Alert will make you aware of any calls or messages you may have missed, each time you pick up the phone.

Music files can again be shared with other S Beam-enabled Samsung phones, by just tapping the two devices together using NFC, while Buddy Photo Share will automatically recognise friends' and family's faces, tagging them and allowing you to send them a copy remotely from the camera or photo gallery. 

Phones4u has confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini will be on contract from £25 a month and be available from 2 November.