A few years ago, a big screen on a phone was considered a bit of an overkill. Phones had reasonable screens and if users wanted a device with a bigger screen, they would opt for a tablet or an Ipad. That’s not the case anymore. There are phones that fall in between, comfortably straddling the phone and tablet world, and aptly called phablets. The phablet market was pioneered in 2011 by Samsung with the launch of the 5.3 inch Galaxy Note. Since then, the phablet market has grown to include such models as Note II (5.5″), Ascend Mate (6.1″), Xperia Z Ultra (6.4″) and recently, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8.
The Mega, as its name suggests, is quite a large phone. At 5.8 inches, it is the largest phone that I have ever used. It was launched in Kenya on July 18th and it is worth noting that there is a also 6.3 inch version but it wasn’t launched in this market. The Mega is a dual SIM mid range device and as Samsung puts it “it combines the portability and convenience of a smartphone with the power, multitasking capabilities and extensive viewing experience of a tablet”
Operating system
The Mega comes with 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the latest version of the Android operating system. It also features the recent version of TouchWiz, Samsung’s front end touch interface.
Size and weight
Dimensions: 162.6 x 82.4 x 9 mm
Weight: 182 grams
The size of the Mega is what almost everyone is talking about. When I first saw it, the size was daunting but once I started using it, I got used to the size pretty fast. The get-used-to-it period is of course a bit longer for those with smaller hands. The Mega fits very well in pockets and it doesn’t bulge because it is slim. It also helps that it is light so it doesn’t feel heavy in your pocket.
It is hard to use the Mega with one hand due to its size. Samsung has however certain tasks possible with one hand possible via the one-handed operation feature. The feature must be turned on to be used.
Screen
Display: 5.8 inch (540 x 960 pixels) touchscreen
The Mega has a huge screen which is perfect for reading long documents & ebooks, emails, viewing images and even watching videos. The reading and viewing experience is like that of a tablet. The resolution is a bit low for a screen that size but one rarely notices.
The Mega has multi-window, which allows you to run two apps side by side (at the same time) on the screen.
Camera
Back camera: 8 Megapixel (3264 x 2448 pixels) camera
Front camera: 1.9 Megapixel camera
Taking pictures with the Mega is quite an experience helped largely by the live view on the expansive screen. The pictures are actually great but not mind blowing.
Battery
Battery: Li-Ion 2600 mAh
I was expecting that the battery would have challenges now that the Mega has a very big screen but I found that the opposite was true. The battery handles very well and lasts for about 8 hours with standard use (talk + data) and half that with heavy use.
Storage, CPU and RAM
RAM: 1.5 GB
Internal storage: 8GB
CPU: Dual-core 1.4 GHz
You can only access 4GB of the 8 that is available as internal memory. The rest is taken up by TouchWiz. The internal storage is expandable to upto 64GB via microSD. The Mega runs pretty well even when multiple apps are on.
SIM
The Mega is a Dual SIM phone. None of the SIMS can be hot swapped as you have to remove the battery to access them. It uses Micro-SIMS.
Price
The Mega is priced at Kshs. 38,000 and is available at Samsung brand shops.
Conclusion
The Mega is a great device. What is really awesome about it is that it has a large screen and great specs at an affordable price. If you are looking for a large screen experience then this is the device for you. To those who are saying the Mega is too big but haven’t yet used it, my advice is; don’t knock it till you try it.
