Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini review and specs: The compact version of the former flagship is now available in Verizon, reports Phandroid. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini can be purchased for $50 with Big Red on a two-year contract or unlocked and contract free for roughly $250.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is equipped with 4-inch Super AMOLED Display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Camera specs for this “mini” of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is at 5MP.

The S3 Mini will have Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and will also have TouchWiz capabilities. According to Phandroid, since the S3 Mini will be on the older OS and not the promised Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which it’s bigger version is expected to received very soon from networks, it will not be able to support Samsung Galaxy Gear. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini was initially released to the market with Jelly Bean 4.1.1.

The microSD support for the S3 Mini expands it storage up to 32GB. Tech Radar noted that with this S3 Mini, which was released after the S3, the Touchwiz also saw some improvements. According to the tech site, it more than holds it own with the HTC Sense. The S3 Mini is also one of the most connected devices tested by Tech Radar.

In many ways the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini beats the now phased out LG Nexus 4, thanks to the microSD support and a fantastic interface.

The only disadvantage or downer with the S3 Mini is its WVGA resolution which reviewers note is a downer. It makes things seem a little less crisp.

Nonetheless, in terms of price, design and overall performance and specs, the S3 Mini is still a winning gadget that could be added to your shopping list this holiday season.