First impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom, Active, Mega, and Mini smart phones

Samsung today showed us four intriguing versions of its flagship Galaxy S 4 smart phone that are designed to appeal to niche markets. The new models include the Zoom, the first smart phone camera with optical zoom, along with the 6.3-inch-screened Mega for users torn between a tablet and a smart phone. Also announced: the water-submersible Active and the palm-friendly Mini. We tried out these models briefly at Samsung's headquarters, and here's what we found:

These mutant Galaxies don't all have the same hardware or capabilities of the flagship Galaxy S 4. But all run Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and have IR blasters and software for TV control and most of the Galaxy S4's NFC-enabled wireless sharing capabilities.

Galaxy S 4 Zoom. This is the only smart phone we've seen that has a 10x optical zoom. That's a huge plus, but it also makes the phone considerably thicker than any on the market since the early 2000s. It also has a higher-megapixel (16 versus 13 on the original S4) and more camera features than its flagship cousin, as CR camera expert Terry Sullivan covers in his in-depth report on the Zoom.

Galaxy S 4 Mega. With its 6.3-inch display, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mega easily has the mother of all smart-phone screens, yet it's surprisingly comfortable to hold. It's aimed at consumers who are torn between buying a smart phone or a tablet. Although it's the largest screen of any phone, the Mega's display specs are rather meek: 720 x 1280 pixels, or 233 pixels per inch. Nevertheless, the screen looked gorgeous in our preview, and the giant Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery should provide lots of play time. The camera has only 8 megapixels. And the Mega lacks the Galaxy Note's S Pen, though you can see previews of e-mails, calendar appointments, and other items by hovering your finger above them. It also has a split-screen view.

Galaxy S 4 Mini. Samsung's most humble entry is designed for people who demand a phone small enough to facilitate one-handed operation. According to the specs, it should. The phone packs its decent-sized 4.3-inch LCD into a palm-friendly case that measures 4.91 inches x 2.41 inches x 0.35 inches. The phone's Super AMOLED screen, despite being the smallest in the Galaxy S 4 family, offers a decent 540 x 960 pixels of resolution (256 pixels per inch). As it did with the Mega and Active, Samsung trimmed camera resolution to 8 megapixels. When it debuts in the U.S. market, I expect the Mini to carry a price tag of a $100 or less with a two-year contract.

Availability is sketchy, except for the water-friendly Galaxy S 4 Active, which is immediately available from AT&T for $200 with a two-year contract. The other three are expected sometime before the holiday season.

—Mike Gikas