The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is currently an international-only device, but it seems the handset is making its way to Verizon.

The smaller version of Samsung's new flagship smartphone has been spotted "in the wild," sporting a Verizon branding. This indicates that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini may finally become available for U.S. consumers as well.

While the original Samsung Galaxy S4 is a powerful and impressive smartphone, the Mini version aims to offer a cheaper and slightly smaller alternative. Having a Mini variant of a flagship handset seems to be a growing trend these days, and Samsung was the one to initiate it.

Normally, launching a Mini version means keeping some aspects of the flagship but trimming down on some specs. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, virtually the only thing that it has in common with the flagship Galaxy S4 is the name.The name may be deceiving for some, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini certainly does not offer the original Galaxy S4's impressive specs in a smaller form factor.

The international Galaxy S4 Mini comes with a Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels (qHD), just 8GB of storage (5 available to the user) and an 8-megapixel camera. Under the hood, the smartphone packs a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz (the CDMA-LTE version may be different), 1.5GB of RAM and a micro SD card slot for additional memory. The handset runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung's TouchWiz on top. In other words, the Galaxy S4 Mini has good specs but it doesn't come close to its big brother.

It is, however, more affordable and easier to handle for those who don't want a smartphone with a huge display. News about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, model number SCH-I435, comes from Engadget, which received the leaked images from an anonymous tipster.

While the new photos and screenshots of the purported Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini seem convincing, remember to always take such news with a grain of salt until official information becomes available.

Verizon has not said anything about the Galaxy S4 Mini yet, but the new leak suggests the U.S. retail launch is very close.