Some of today’s current smartphones sporting 5-inch screens are just phones. Samsung’s new Galaxy Mega all-in-one device, out on August 29 with several carriers, pushes the envelope by more than an inch, offering an Android tablet and a phone.
The supersized Mega with a 6.3-inch bright screen looks more like a small tablet with narrow side bezels and can easily be held with one hand. The icons, touch keyboard and phone dial screen are noticeably larger on the Mega over any other smartphone.
Are smartphones getting too big? “We will let the users decide to tell us when we’ve made a phone that’s too big,” said Ken Price, Director of Marketing for Samsung Canada Mobile Communications.
At first site, most street consumers I showed the Mega to, commented on how big it was as a phone. But once they picked it up and held it to the side of their face, taking less room than a home cord phone, they started thinking about the idea of leaving the old tablets and iPads behind.
“I know my wife would love this to take along for everything she does,” said Robert Hope, adding it may be too big for most men used to pocket-sized phones. But then, some women I showed it to thought the Mega was a guy thing. You have to try one yourself to decide.
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The Mega features additional Samsung tricks like Multi-window which shares the screen between two applications. You could for example, have the top part run Google Maps and your email on the adjustable lower half. Or hovering over an email in Air-view mode, opens more information in a box without leaving the main screen.
The dial pad and keyboard can be shrunk and shifted right or left for one-handed use but I think most folks will use the Mega with both hands. Expect to get stares when holding it up as a phone with one hand. You won’t be able to go hands-free with this one by tucking it under your chin.
The larger size 8 megapixel camera offers better quality pictures than any other tablet and holds its own against any smartphone camera with smart Samsung Night, Best face, Best Photo modes and more. It has a microSD slot for additional memory and at 8mm, it’s only a hair’s width thicker than the Galaxy S4.
Needless to say, reviewing your pictures and full HD 1080p 30 fps video on the Mega is impressive.
How much will it cost? Price said the Mega is a mid-level device eluding to a cheaper two-year sign-up compared to today’s top smartphones. The Mega has cut some corners for that better price, which reportedly will be under $100. It does not run a stylus like Samsung’s 5.5-inch Note 2.0, nor does it measure temperature or humidity like the its sibling S4 and its screen is not top tier but plenty good as a tablet or a phone. Folks with deeper wallets wanting the best all-in-one phone/stylus/tablet should wait for Samsung’s upcoming Note 3 announcement in Berlin, September 4.
Still, for a reasonable price, the Mega is the largest smartphone in North America and a very usable tablet, in one. That is a huge saving for the average consumer burdened with two devices.
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