Android Developers: Samsung's Galaxy S III Mini is Real

Developers who programmed applications for Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) mobile operating system believe that reports of the rumored Galaxy S III Mini are accurate.

"We spoke to 3 Android developers, and they think that the above rumor that Samsung is going to Launch Galaxy S3 mini is accurate," Trip Chowdhry, Managing Director of Equity Research at Global Equities Research, wrote in an e-mail update Thursday morning. "'Looking at the source code of Jelly Bean, a small screen size support looks very plausible, was the converged view we got."

Chowdhry added that developers expect to see additional Android devices during the first week of November.

Rumors of the Galaxy S III Mini, which started spreading earlier this week, suggested that Samsung wants to build a device with a four-inch screen to compete directly with the iPhone 5.

Despite the overwhelming amount of hype surrounding Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) latest smartphone, Samsung has continued to sell an impressive number of devices. In the days that followed the verdict in Apple and Samsung's domestic patent dispute, Chowdhry conducted a survey of retailers and discovered that the Galaxy S III was flying off store shelves. According to Localytics, an app analytics firm, sales increased 16 percent that week.

Samsung has strategically built its company as the premium alternative to Apple, Sony (NYSE: SNE) and other device manufacturers. In the week leading up to the iPhone 5's unveiling, the Galaxy S III did not experience any increase in sales. But during the same week that the iPhone 5 was unveiled, sales of the Galaxy S III increased 15 percent.

Sales have continued to rise, possibly a sign that consumers were waiting to see what Apple had planned before purchasing the Galaxy S III.

Regardless, millions of consumers have purchased the iPhone 5 as well, making it the fastest-selling smartphone of all time. The device sold more than five million units during its first weekend, which was lower than analysts anticipated but higher than the initial sales of the iPhone 4S.

On Friday, Apple released the iPhone 5 in 22 additional markets, but the company has not yet announced additional sales numbers.

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