Samsung unveils Galaxy Mega 5.8 & Mega 6.3 with monster screens, to be launched in May

Samsung is at it again, after starting the Phablet trend with the original Galaxy Note, the company has been launching a number of large-screen devices at regular intervals. But this time around, the company has out-done itself and unveiled a couple of smartphones that come with enormous screens. And if that was not all, the company has named them appropriately as well. The two smartphone cum Phablet/tablet are called Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3, and come with 5.8 and 6.3 inch screens respectively.

According to the company, the Galaxy Mega series will offer its users a mix of popular smartphone and tablet features like a split screen, multitasking between video and other apps, among others. Here is a look at the specifications of the device.

Galaxy Mega 6.3

The latest addition to the Galaxy series sports a 6.3 HD TFT touchscreen display (720×1280 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. It is powered by a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor and has 1.5 GB of RAM. Users can choose from 8 and 16 GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 64 GB with a microSD card.

The smartphone has an 8 mega pixel rear camera with LED Flash that can record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct), 3G and 4G LTE, as well as a microSD card slot. The device has a 3,200 mAh battery and comes with GPS (with A-GPS support). Mega 6.3 measures 167.6mm x 88mm x 8mm and weighs 199 grams.

Galaxy Mega 5.8

This one has a 5.8 inch QHD TFT touchscreen display (540x960 pixel resolution) and runs on the latest Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS with Samsung's TouchWiz UI. It is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor (in comparison to Mega 6.3's 1.7 GHz processor) and has 1.5 GB of RAM. Unlike Mega 6.3, this one will only be available with 8 GB of internal memory, although it can be expanded an up to 64 GB with a microSD card.

Mega 5.8 also has an 8 MP rear camera with LED Flash that can record full HD videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct) and 3G, as well as a microSD card slot. The device has a 2,600 mAh battery and comes with GPS (with A-GPS support). The device measures 162.6mm x 82.4mm x 9mm and weighs 182 grams.

Apart from these, the smartphones also come with a number of additional features like:

Group Play: Enables content sharing for up to 8 devices on the same Wi-Fi network.

Samsung WatchON: Transforms the smartphone into an infrared (IR) remote controller and provides program recommendations, schedules, and the ability to remote control the TV.

Samsung Link: Enables streaming of photos, videos, notes, or music to television sets, tablets or computers.

S Translator: Provides instant translation for applications including email, and ChatON.

S Travel: Provides trip information, local guides and resources.

Story Album: Allows customers to create albums of daily events, storing special moments using a timeline, geo-tag information and publishing digital albums in hard copy.

The Mega 6.3 also comes with Air View feature, which enables users to preview information in emails, photos, and speed dial contacts without touching the screen.

Both the smartphones will be available globally beginning May 2013 from Europe and Russia, followed by other markets. While the India pricing is not available as of now, considering the specifications of the devices, we feel that it will lie in the Rs 18,000-25,000 range for both of them. These are not game changing devices, and the fact that Samsung is planning to launch Samsung Galaxy Note III later this year, the company might be looking to fill in the sweet spot in the mid-price range segment with them.