Top 3 Heavyweight Rivals of Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, 6.3 Launched

It is no secret that Samsung comes up with handsets boasting increasingly larger displays. Also, the South Korean tech giant is known for the Galaxy Note 2, being one of the largest screened smartphones currently available in 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.

On Thursday, Samsung has officially unwrapped the Mega phablets - 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch models that trottle between phablets and tablets. Both Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 are ultra thin and portable in terms of build and carry similar feature set as in the Galaxy S4, but, these are mid-range devices in terms of their specs.

According to the company statement, the large screen Galaxy Mega is meant to combine the benefits of portability an convenience of a smartphone with the multitasking, power packed performance and extensive viewing experience of a tablet together.

Commenting at the launch event, JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Business, Samsung Electronics stated, "We are aware of a great potential in the bigger screen for extensive viewing multimedia, web browsing, and more. We are excited to provide another choice to meet our consumers' varying lifestyles, all while maintaining the high-quality features of the award-winning GALAXY series."

Key Specifications

Going by earlier reports, the tech world has seen a plethora of rumors and speculations regarding Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3. Now, with the official launch of phablets, lets take a look at the real deal of the same.

Display: Galaxy Mega 6.3 houses a 6.3 inch LCD HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and Galaxy Mega 5.8 flaunts a 5.8 inch LCD display with a qHD resolution of 960 x 540 pixels.

Processor: While Galaxy Mega 6.3 is equipped with a 1.7GHz dual core processor, Galaxy Mega 5.8 is powered by a 1.4GHz dual core processor.

Operating System: Both the Galaxy Mega phablets are based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system and hence, they will come with features including Photo Sphere camera, Gesture Typing, Miracast, DayDream, improved notifications, quick settings, support to multiple user accounts, improved Google Now and more.

Camera: Again, both Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Galaxy Mega 5.8 have an 8MP rear camera and a 1.9MP front camera for video calling.

Storage: Galaxy Mega 6.3 comes with 8GB/16GB internal storage, whereas, Galaxy Mega 5.8 has 8GB internal storage. Apart from this, both the handsets have 1.5GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 64GB additional storage.

Connectivity: Both Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 are packed with features including Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, IR Sensor and 3G. Further, Galaxy Note 6.3 comes with 4G and NFC connectivity as well.

Battery: While Galaxy Mega 6.3 is loaded with a 3,200 mAh battery, Galaxy Mega 5.8 is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery.

Software Features

On the software feature front, both Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 are packed with features including Group Play, Samsung Music, Share Picture, Share Document, Multi Window, Pop Up Play, Samsung WatchON, ChatON, Samsung Link, S Translator, ChatON, S Memo, S Voice, S Planner, S Travel, Story Album and Air View.

Price & Availability

According to the press release, the global release of Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 will debut from May and the handset will reach Europe and Russia initially. As of now, there is no exact release date or price of the Galaxy Mega handsets.

Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 vs Competition

As the large screen smartphones called phablets are all the rage these days, all the consumers like to have one. It seems like the South Korean tech titan has understood this mindset of the consumers, and also the increasing popularity and success of reasonably priced devices including its own Galaxy Grand Duos, which is securing scorching sales.

Hence, the company has come up with large screen devices constantly with the latest ones - Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3. But, it has to be noted that there are several advanced phablets in the market launched by the leading brands in the industry. Being mid-range Samsung phablets, the Galaxy Mega lineup can taste success, but will have to fight the other behemoths in the market. Have a look at some of them in the slideshow below.

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Sony Xperia Z

Sony created exciting waves with Xperia Z at CES 2013 tech show. The Japanese mobile maket offering comes with a 5 inch full HD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and with Mobile Bravia Engine 2, quad core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 13MP rear camera, 2.2MP front camera for video calling, 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G LTE and a 2,330 mAh battery.

The Xperia Z has been released in India with a price tag of Rs 37,990 and is entrusted in a waterproof and dust resistant body.

 

HTC Butterfly

HTC released Butterfly - the first 1080p smartphone in India in January at Rs 45,999. Butterfly boasts a 5 inch LCD 3 capacitive touchscreen display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, 1.5GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS topped with HTC Sense 4 UI, 8MP rear camera with BSI sensor, 2.1MP front camera for video calling, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, HDMI out, Bluetooth, NFC, micro USB and a 2,020 mAh battery.

Huawei Ascend Mate

In order to compete with the likes of other phablets, Huawei launched Ascend Mate at the CES 2013 tech show. The handset is yet to be announced in India and it boasts a spacious 6.1 inch Super IPS+ LCD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5GHz quad core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP HD front camera, 16GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, micro USB 2.0 and a 4,050 mAh battery.

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