This isn’t really a surprise, but it has been confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini uses ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor dual-core processor inside, something which Samsung hadn’t officially listed in the specs. Samsung also uses the NovaThor processor in their other mid-range Android devices like the Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy Ace 2, and the Galaxy Beam.

Here is what ST-Ericcson had to say:

Our highly integrated NovaThor ModAp platform, integrating a modem and application processor on a single die, enables compact and efficient devices and we are very pleased that Samsung has again chosen us for its GALAXY S III mini.

The NovaThor chipset, which uses a single-core Mali 400 GPU, is becoming quite popular for powering mid-range devices, even allowing Sony to make dual-core devices like the Xperia U and sell them at extremely low prices, and it seems Samsung has decided to use it for all their mid-range devices as well, keeping their almighty Exynos chip reserved for their flagship devices.

NovaThor is quite a capable chipset for most tasks, so it should help the Galaxy S3 Mini running smoothly and play most HD games with ease, and that is all we care about, right?