It’s no secret that Samsung likes to entertain the idea of increasingly larger displays, and with the company’s Galaxy Note II already being one of the largest-screened smartphones currently available on the market, previous reports have shed light on a couple of colossal ‘Galaxy Mega’ handsets, which would both offer considerably more real-estate than the flagship phablet. Today, it has emerged that both of these Mega handsets could be releasing contemporaneously next month in Europe, with a 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch model further distorting the line between smartphone and slab.
When the Galaxy Mega range first came to our attentions, it was thought the hardware within the device would be mid-range at best, and that particular notion doesn’t appear to have changed. According to a press release from the South Korean consumer electronics giant, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 features an HD display, but considering the 1080p resolution is one of the Galaxy S4’s marquee features, Samsung is unlikely to want to detract consumers away from its flagship by making the Mega range too good.
Galaxy Mega 5.8
Thus, it’s fairly safe to assume the 6.3-inch model will probably be a 720p affair, which won’t be terrible, but certainly won’t compare to the high-end handsets, some of which are pushing on at 450ppi. Allied to the large display, there’ll be a dual-core 1.7GHz processors in the bigger of the two Mega Brothers, as well as Android 4.2, and an 8-megapixel camera probably borrowed from the old Galaxy S III. It will ship in 8 and 16GB storage variants, and offer LTE and HSPA off the bat.
The Galaxy Mega 5.8, meanwhile, is slightly less capable, with a qHD (960 x 540) resolution, 1.4GHz dual-core processor, and will ship only as an 8GB model. Furthermore, it’s HSPA-only, so if you’re looking to a device to provide what most would deem to be an acceptable level of performance, you may want to go for the larger model.
Many of Samsung’s impressive software features will be delivered as standard on what is certainly a very statement-making pair of releases. Considering the very smallest tablets start at the 7-inch mark, it’s hard to know exactly what description to ascribe to the Mega 5.8 and 6.3, and it will certainly be interesting to see whether consumers take to either of them.
Samsung has given consumers plenty of choice, that’s for sure, with displays on its smartphones within its range now varying dramatically. But while everybody was grateful to see a company boldly step away from the Apple-led philosophy of producing devices with relatively small screens, one has to wonder whether this is a bit of a step to far.
There are no details with regards to prices just yet, but with a modest SoC and a distinctly average array of specs besides, we’d like to think these handsets won’t cost as much as their size may insinuate.
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