Leaked images provide peek at Galaxy S5 mini’s guts

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Samsung’s unannounced Galaxy S5 mini has appeared for a second time ahead of its release in a high-definition hands-on gallery. The photo series provides us with a detailed look at a fully-functional device, and all but confirms its water-resistant form factor, fingerprint scanner, and heartbeat sensor.

We got our first glimpse at the Galaxy S5 mini back in May, thanks to an anonymous source for SamMobile — and now that source has provided a whole bunch of new shots that reveal both the black and white models in all their glory. In the image below, we get to see how much smaller the device is in comparison with the original Galaxy S5.

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This image also confirms the Galaxy S5 mini’s heartbeat sensor situated beneath its camera, as well as its microSD card slot. Separate images of its backplate reveal the same rubber gasket that helps make the original Galaxy S5 water resistant — so it’s pretty safe to assume the mini model will come with the same IP67 rating.

In the photo below, a graphic on the Galaxy S5 mini’s display confirms a fingerprint scanner built into its home button.

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SamMobile also published some benchmark results that reveal the Galaxy S5 mini’s internals. They include a 4.5-inch 720p display, a 1.4GHz Exynos 3 Quad processor, 1.5GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. It will also offer 16GB of internal storage, full 1080p video recording, and an infrared blaster.

While the Galaxy S5 mini is expected to be a midrange device, flagship features like a fingerprint scanner, water-resistant form factor, and a heart rate monitor make it a very compelling one. It’s likely to ship with Android 4.4 KitKat and Samsung’s latest TouchWiz software pre-installed, too — so you essentially get a Galaxy S5 that’s slightly smaller and not quite as fast.

Samsung will need to price the Galaxy S5 mini right, however. If it’s too expensive, many may opt for more affordable flagships like the Nexus 5 and the upcoming OnePlus One instead.