Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Preview
Introduction:
Will the Galaxy Mega 6.3 succeed in addressing this alleged target market? We've got a prototype unit in the office to answer this question, so read on to find out...
Design:
The first impression about the phone is “darn, it's big”. The second impression is that it is in fact very thin, with a slim bezel, classy faux-metal rim around the sides and a very nice looking pattern, which spans both on the back and at the front, transitioning into the camera lens cover, too. Despite the cool looks, it is almost impossible to operate the Mega 6.3 with one hand – you'd be lucky if you don't drop it trying to pull down the notification bar, let alone while fumbling for the back key way down right.
6.6 x 3.46 x 0.31 inches
167.6 x 88 x 8 mm
7.02 oz (199 g)
5.94 x 3.17 x 0.37 inches
151 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm
6.44 oz (182 g)
5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 inches
143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm
5.71 oz (162 g)
5.91 x 3 x 0.37 inches
150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4 mm
5.64 oz (160 g)
6.6 x 3.46 x 0.31 inches
167.6 x 88 x 8 mm
7.02 oz (199 g)
5.94 x 3.17 x 0.37 inches
151 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm
6.44 oz (182 g)
5.65 x 3.03 x 0.38 inches
143.5 x 76.9 x 9.6 mm
5.71 oz (162 g)
5.91 x 3 x 0.37 inches
150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4 mm
5.64 oz (160 g)
Compare these and other phones using our Size Comparison tool.
To cut a long story short and deal with the question on everyone's mind – yes, you can hold the phone with an average or larger palm, but not operate the handset with one hand. You'd have to shrink the keyboard and dialer left or right, which is a feature Samsung provides on its big-screen phones, or else it would literally be a stretch to write a quick text message reply, or dial a number by keying it in. Two hands are your best bet, and that's the price to pay for a giant display.
As for carrying it around, you'd better have baggy pants with deep pockets and stretch fabric, or sport a purse – it is not by accident that Samsung is heavily marketing the Note family to women, for example.
Display:
The 6.3” LCD panel sports 720x1280 pixels HD resolution, with a pretty decent 233ppi pixel density. This is not a sassy Full HD panel, yet it is a far cry from the 480x800 pixels abomination on the 5” Galaxy Grand, for instance.
Color representation seems vivid, though not OLED-style saturated and the display has very good viewing angles, but could use more brightness and less reflectivity outside under direct sunlight.
Interface and functionality:
The newest TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0, as found on the Galaxy S4, is what's painted over Android 4.2.2 here, with most of the hand-gestures and head-tracking bells and whistles. Samsung has thankfully provided a dedicated portrait mode for the interface, which helps when you turn the phone sideways, and are holding it with two hands.
Speaking of two-handed operation, the screen size actually makes it a breeze to type on the default portrait keyboard, as its letters are huge, and the large display gives other advantages, too. You have the ability to fit six dock icons now, the gallery's split view feature is not cramped, and the multi-window mode for running two apps at once is actually useable.
One would argue that Samsung didn't include a stylus with the Mega 6.3, as you can easily doodle with your finger on the large screen canvass, but it's more likely because the Note franchise shouldn't be undermined, and the price of the Mega line had to be kept in check.
Processor and memory:
A 1.7 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 is running the show, which we actually see for the first time, and paired with the unorthodox 1.5 GB of RAM to boot. We'll refrain from benchmarking a non-final unit, since software and driver glitches abound during the engineering prototype phase. The Mega 6.3 comes with the not-mega 8 GB of internal storage, but you have a microSD card slot for expansion, situated right on top of the micro SIM compartment, next to the generous 3200 mAh replaceable battery.
Browser and connectivity:
The proven TouchWiz browser is what Samsung supplies with the handset, which has one of the fastest rendering engines around plus native Adobe Flash support. Needless to say, browsing on the 6.3” display is a joy - due to its sheer size, it's akin to browsing on one of the smaller tablets, no kidding.
Samsung has put a 21.1 Mbit/s HSPA+ 4G radio, and its usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 - A-GPS, NFC and FM Radio set. Well, not the “usual” Wi-Fi, as the Mega 6.3 supports the fast “5G” one, as long as you have an a/b/g/n/ac router lying around. An MHL connector at the bottom rounds up the connectivity offerings.
Camera:
The 8 MP camera module on the back of the Mega 6.3 sports an adjacent LED flash, and is joined by a 1.9 MP unit at the front, capable of HD video recording.
The camera app offers the newest interface from Samsung, with Best Photo, Drama and HDR modes, as well as a variety of scenes and color effects for your pics and videos. You can see some samples below, with the caveat that these are from a unit where the software algorithms are a few steps away from final.
Video is recorded with 1920x1080 definition at 30 fps, and the Nature UX 2.0 has the shutter key as well as the recording button on one and the same screen, speeding up capture.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Sample Video 1:
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Sample Video 2:
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Indoor Sample Video:
Multimedia:
Samsung's split-view gallery mode is a godsend on this screen size, too, as you can quickly pick and zoom folders with the images and video content in them. There is a built-in editing option with a rich set of features, and the canvas is really conducive to drawing.
The music player sports the usual abundance of functionality, with a number of equalizer presets, surround sound modes, and the useful Smart Volume and Adapt Sound techs that keep the strength at a predetermined level and offer personalized sound settings for each user. The loudspeaker is pretty strong and with clear and full enough sound.
The phone played every format thrown at it, up to Full HD definition, and the player supports subtitles, live zooming, and a number of sharing options, as well as the Pop Up Play function that detaches the video windows and floats it above whatever you are doing with the interface underneath.
Expectations:
As for calling, carrying around and mere handling – not so great, bordering on masochism, especially in pant pockets rather than a purse. There is just no easy way to grip the phone in your palm, despite the svelte 8mm waistline, and most of the time it will be occupying both of your hands, even for simple procedures like pressing the back key underneath the screen. If you consider the phone to be more of a microtablet with calling functions, rather than a traditional phone, then you'll spare yourself a lot of initial confusion.
Samsung is apparently not aiming the Mega 6.3 for the mainstream user, and for those who want the largest screen in the most compact package aimed at media consumption, this will be it, and we'll wait for the final unit polish and the first sales numbers before we pass a verdict.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Video Preview:
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