Samsung Unveils Huge ‘Mega’ Phablet

Samsung has unveiled another enormous smartphone/tablet hybrid. The latest “phablet” is called the Galaxy Mega and comes with a 5.8- or 6.3-inch screen.

PCMag’s Chloe Albanesius reported, “How big is too big when it comes to a smartphone? Samsung is pushing those limits with the introduction of the aptly named Galaxy Mega, a new phablet with a massive, 6.3-inch display. The Korean phone maker also has a more ‘compact’ version of the Galaxy Mega, which comes in at 5.8 inches.”

ZDNet quoted Samsung’s JK Shin, who said, “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.”

TechCrunch’s Natasha Lomas added, “Samsung said the Mega will be available globally — ‘beginning May from Europe and Russia,’ adding that product availability will vary by market and roll outs will be gradual. There’s no official word on Mega pricing yet but since both devices pack dual-core chips (vs the Galaxy Note II’s quad-core chipset) it’s possible they will be a slightly more affordable than Samsung’s other phablets.”

BBC News quoted analyst Chris Green, who said, “There is genuine demand for larger smartphones – the problem is at what point does a smartphone turn into a tablet. When you’ve got this up against your head you’d have to argue you’re using a tablet and not a smartphone – it’s definitely going to compromise its functionality because it’s simply too big and too cumbersome to use as a traditional telephone device. But ignoring the phone functionality, as far as the rest of the smart device goes it looks quite phenomenal.”