Design
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is almost the spitting image for Samsung´s flagship Galaxy S4, except that it is much bigger. If you have read our GS4 review you will already know our feelings on the design for that device, but in case you haven´t we are not huge fans. Sure, there is nothing outwardly offensive about the Galaxy Mega, but there is nothing sexy here either, to use a clichéd term, there is no wow factor. Of course, the first thing you will notice about the handset is its size, there really is no getting away from the fact that this is huge and when we first laid eyes on it we were suitably in awe. Not in awe at the spectacle per say, but more that there in front of us was what looked like a smartphone but to our eyes was the size of a tablet. Getting past the bulk, the Mega offers the same curved look of the Galaxy S4 and looks pretty nondescript in the hand, although we do like the toned down bezels that are accentuated with that mammoth screen. Our stance on Samsung´s build quality for its high end devices hasn´t changed, we still can´t stand the cheap feel plastic, but we do concede that for many people it is not even a problem worth considering.Features
This is a large screen Samsung, but the Galaxy Mega is not a Note device so that means there is no S Pen stylus here. We kind of knew that would be the case but it is a huge shame as we are major fans of the S Pen and on a screen this size its functionality is sorely missed. This is especially the case when we consider what a brute the Mega 6.3 is, weighing a hefty 7.02 ounces (199g), so it would have been nice to let the S Pen to the heavy lifting every now and then.
Hardware
We should be clear by saying that Samsung prices the Galaxy Mega 6.3 as a high midrange device, but those coming to this handset expecting out and out flagship bothering specs will be left wanting. Indeed, the device only runs a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 1.5GB of RAM and it is hard to see Samsung´s reasoning here or more to the point its pricing model. It is frustrating because it seems the company has created a mid range device but is flogging it at a premium price because it has a big screen and carries the Galaxy Moniker.
Display and Sound
Which leads nicely onto what is undoubtedly the reason why you are all here, the Mega´s calling card, that massive 6.3-inch screen. Firstly, we should clear up that this is not the biggest screen in the smartphone world (the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 6.4-inch display for example) but it´s as close as makes no difference. Yes this is huge, but once again Samsung has toned down the specs by including a 720p 6.3-inch screen which as the aficionados out there will know is below the flagship standard of 1080p Full HD. When we were made aware of this fact we were expecting for the Galaxy Mega 6.3 to not meet our expectations, but we were actually pleasantly surprised. The LCD display was extremely competent and we found it to be clear with strong color reproduction while watching videos, surfing the web, or playing games. So this is a very good screen, but the fact remains that there are higher spec displays available, and in some cases for a fraction of the price.The audio is not as good as we would have hoped either, especially as this form factor lends itself to intense media use. The speaker was loud, but lacked depth in the bass tones and was a little scratchy at high volumes, while with headphones we found the tone to be washed out at the low end.
Performance and Graphics
We´ve mentioned that the Galaxy Mega 6.3 has decidedly mid range innards and in terms of performance and graphics it starts to show. The handset is not even packing the same processor as the nearly year old Galaxy S4 (that runs a Snapdragon 600) and instead has a now aged Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 1.5 GB of RAM. Don´t get us wrong, we are not outright dismissing this chipset as it is still more than capable for most tasks, but the fact it is old and is in a device that costs around $500 is disappointing and dare we say it a little bit cheeky on Samsung´s part. The lower pixel count on the screen and a 1.7GHz clock speed means that the processor can deal with most things you throw at it, and admittedly we were not met by copious amounts of lag during our time with the Mega. Gaming is more than adequate, and we can honestly say we saw few hiccups when playing some of the current darlings of the mobile gaming world. We also enjoyed using that big screen for gaming, and if we´re honest our gripes with the performance are more out of principal than what we found from day to day use.
Call Quality
Sound was perfectly good on the Galaxy Mega 6.3, but obviously it largely depends on your particular connection. What we would say is that the sheer size of the device makes you look a touch stupid whipping it to your ear when taking a call, so maybe investing in a headset would be wise.
Data Speeds
The Mega supports LTE bands 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 GT-I9205 and picks up solid if unspectacular data speeds on superfast networks.
Camera
We are massive fans of the cameras Samsung has been packing into its devices of late, especially at the flagship level. We are not at all surprised that the Mega sports a pared down 8MP lens as opposed to the more blockbuster snappers on higher end Samsung´s. This is very much the same camera that was on the Galaxy Note 2, so considering we liked that lens and Samsung has since added more functionality, you can color use impressed with the photo experience on the Mega 6.3. We found daytime and nighttime shots to be very good considering the modest spec list, while Samsung´s ever present UI and features possibly excel with more to do than they would with the Galaxy S4 for example.
Battery Life
With great size should come a bigger battery and more battery life, and the 3,200mAh pack in the Galaxy Mega lives up to this logic. We got well over 16 hours of fairly heavy use throughout a day before we even started considering charging, so even for power users there should be plenty of room to play with.
Software
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is currently shipping with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but Samsung has said that Android 4.4 KitKat will arrive in due course, although hasn´t said when that update will take place. Of course, with a Galaxy device comes Samsung´s TouchWiz Android skin which will be very familiar to anyone who has used a Galaxy over the last two years. There are no amazing S Pen features here so there is just the traditional Samsung bloatware, which is as frustrating as ever, but we do admit some will find functionality in what has been included here.
Configuration Options
The Mega is available in 16 or 32GB versions with 64GB of expandable storage. Color options are white, black, plum, and purple.
Warranty and Support
The Mega comes with a one year limited warranty and a number of support apps on the device.
Recommended Carrier
As is always the case, it is worth looking around for the best deal in your area, while trying to get the best overall package of data speed, affordability, and coverage.
Summary
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 tries to give the phablet market its first mid-range powerhouse, and in some respects it succeeds. The screen is good, the battery exceptional, and camera is a joy, but with aging innards and no S Pen we think the Mega just lacks the overall functionality or speed that we have so far associated with the phablet niche.(tgreview.com)ANN.Az
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