Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has achieved the dubious distinction of being among the least liked phones in recent times by reviewers on e-commerce website, thanks to its high price.
The phone, which was expected to be priced at around Rs 18,000, has debuted at Rs 26,499 on Flipkart, the only seller.
Out of 593 people who rated the phone on Flipkart, 502 gave the phone “1 star” out of 5 stars, indicating disappointment with the launch. In fact, disappointment may be too mild a word to describe phone lovers’ feelings.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, despite carrying the S5 tag, is actually a mid-range phone in terms of specifications. It comes with a 720p, 4.5 inch Amoled display and a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor.
Except for the display, in many ways the phone is similar to the Android One phones launched this week. However, while the Android One phones cost Rs 6,300, Samsung’s S5 Mini costs Rs 26,499.
“When are you going to understand that people have now become intelligent. We just don’t go to a store and buy Samsung irrespective of specs and worth,” rued Anmol Rawat, whose four-line review got the highest number of ‘up votes’ from Flipkart voters.
“This is another ridiculous phone by Samsung which lands straight in the competition with Nexus 5 (price range comparison). Why will anyone buy this shit when Nexus 5 is available at 28 k?” he asked in a comment that got 190 up-votes.
Another user Ankush Rajput had this to say: “With Moto G 2nd Gen adding front facing stereo speakers and a build quality that puts even the flagship S5 to shame, S5 mini at its launch price is no match on the value for money scale. For the same price, you’ll be better off getting a Nexus 5.”
But among the 200 or so reviewers was Sakar Mohta, a certified buyer who gave it a four star rating — the highest rating the phone got from its certified buyers on Flipkart.
A “little expensive but worth the feature,” he noted. “Have used the phone for 2 days now. The UI is a delight. Loved the Ultra power saving mode which allows you to use the phone with basic capabilities for a very long time. Very useful when you are traveling. Trust me, no other app does the same as this.”