Samsung has
unveiled the biggest
smartphone to date
- the Galaxy Mega,
which features a
6.3in (16cm)
screen.
The firm suggested
its size made it
ideal for watching
videos or running
two apps alongside
each other.
Samsung helped
popularise the so-
called "phablet"
category - in which phones approach tablet
dimensions - with its original 5.3in Galaxy
Note in 2011.
That proved more popular than many
expected, but one analyst suggested the
latest device might be a step too far.
Samsung is marketing the Android-powered
handset as having a high-definition screen -
however, a spokesman was unable to
confirm whether it supported 720p or the
"full HD" 1080p resolution.
Another South Korean firm, Pantech, currently
lays claim to offering the biggest "full HD"
smartphone with its 5.9in Vega No 6 which
was announced in January.
China's Huawei had previously boasted
having the biggest largest-screened 720p
smartphone with its 6.1in Ascend Mate.
Samsung also makes the Galaxy Note 8.0.
Some versions of this 8in-screened device
feature an HSPA+ radio allowing them to
make calls, but the machine is being
marketed as a tablet with phone functionality
rather than the other way round.
'Too cumbersome'
Samsung suggested that, despite its
dimensions, the Galaxy Mega was still small
and light enough - at 199g (0.44lb) - to fit
into users' pockets and be used with one
hand.
However, the firm is hedging its bets by
offering a smaller 5.8in-screened version as
an alternative.
Both will go on sale in May, with Europe and
Russia the first regions to be offered the
devices.
Tech consultancy Davies Murphy Group said
that within the Android market there had
been a notable shift towards people wanting
to buy a single device rather than both a
smartphone and tablet.
However, its principal technology analyst,
Chris Green, suggested that at 6.3in it would
be a "folly" for most users to swap their
current handsets for the larger of the two
Galaxy Megas.
"There is genuine demand for larger
smartphones - the problem is at what point
does a smartphone turn into a tablet," he told
the BBC.
"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."
Samsung was the most popular smartphone
maker in 2012 accounting for 30.3% of all
shipments, according to analysts at IDC .
Its rival Apple - whose largest handset has a
4in screen - came in second with a 19.1%
market share.
source: m.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22107787
Samsung unveils 6.3in Galaxy Mega smartphone
Originally Posted by ramzkie23
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