Samsung Galaxy S III mini adds 50 euro premium for NFC in Finland, coming to the UK this month

If you had planned to S-Beam your media around on Samsung’s Galaxy S III mini, only to be disappointed by the lack of Near Field Communication on our UK review model, then we’ve got some good news for all twelve of you. Yes, Samsung has announced that Brits will be treated to an NFC iteration before the end of this particularly chilly January and it will arrive across the major carriers and in phone stores both online and real. While the announcement didn’t arrive with a price tag, we’ve been tipped off to some pricing at Finnish retailer Gigantti, where the NFC version rings in at 349 euros. Sidestep the contactless communication, however, and you’ll only have to pay 299 euros. There’s the choice of both blue and white finishes on either model, but you’ll still have to decide whether tappable file transfer and sharing warrants that 50 euros ($67) extra.

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SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF GALAXY S III MINI WITH NFC

New NFC variant set to hit shops at end of January

21st January 2013, London, UK – Samsung Mobile UK today announced that an NFC-enabled version of the Galaxy S III Mini smartphone will be available to buy in the UK from the end of January.
Owners of the new Galaxy S III Mini will be able to share content, such as photos, videos and music, much faster and more easily. Its S Beam feature allows a 10MB music file to be shared in just two seconds by simply tapping on another S Beam-enabled device, such as the Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. By combining NFC and Wi-Fi Direct, S Beam is capable of sending larger files between phones, such as images, videos and music tracks.
The Galaxy S III Mini is powered by Android[TM] 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and packed with many of the same features available on the Galaxy S III, including S Voice which people can use to tell the phone to wake up, answer an incoming call, or even take a photo, and Direct Call which allows customers to automatically call someone they’ve just received a text by simply lifting the phone to their ear.
Simon Stanford, Vice President, Telecommunications & Networks, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “
“NFC technology and the digital wallet started to gain significant traction in 2012, particularly in the run up to the Olympics. It’s an exciting time in the mobile market watching the next phase of its evolution take shape, so we’re happy to announce that we are bringing these new experiences to our customers through our growing number of NFC-enabled devices.”

The Galaxy S III Mini will be available to buy in the UK across all major networks, key high street and out of town electrical retailers and online retailers from the end of January.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung