Dell today officially entered the smartphone race with the new Mini 3 handset. Dell has partnered up with China Mobile and Claro to launch the phone in China and Brazil. The Mini 3 smartphones are designed around the Google Android platform to deliver power, flexibility and customization opportunities for both users and carrier, according to Dell.

“Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell’s consumer product evolution over the past two years,” said Ron Garriques, President, Dell Global Consumer Group. “We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their Internet experience out of the home and do the things they want to do whenever and wherever they want.”

Dell didn’t release any details about the specification of the phone. However, it is rumored that the phone will feature 3.5-inch touchscreen (640 x 360), 3.2-megapixel camera, mini USB port and microSD card slot. It will lack physical keyboard, WiFi and 3G support.

Dell joins the rest of the top five computer makers in smartphone race. But none of the computer makers except Apple has been really able to make dent in smartphone market. A Chinese blog has posted images of unboxing of Dell Mini 3i, which we have added below.
[Via Dell]