Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 review: Medium extra large

Introduction

Screen size. Just like last year was the year of the multi-core processor, 2013 is surely the year of the big screen. There was a time when 5 inches of diagonal were considered overkill, but with just about every major brand now flaunting a fullHD five-incher, it seems the only way to go is up.

And Samsung has done just that. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 the Galaxy Mega 5.8, the Koreans are looking to blur the lines between phone and phablet even further, and add even more inches to its repertoire of display sizes.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 official image

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is the lesser half of the new Mega duo, and if a 6.3" screen is just too big for you, then 5.8" may be just your size. Plus, there may even be a few people out there that might still consider it a phone.

So, what does the Mega 5.8 offer that other large-screen devices do not? Is the optional dual-SIM support and the more attractive pricing the only redeeming quality it has over the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note II? We'll tackle all those questions and more, but first let's take a look at the key features at a glance.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band 3G with HSPA; LTE; Dual-SIM version available
• 5.8" 16M-color qHD (540 x 960) TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI
• Dual-core 1.4 GHz Broadcom CPU, VideoCore IV GPU
• 1.5GB of RAM
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash,1080p video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• 1.9 MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• Dual shot and dual video recording, Drama shot, Shot and sound
• Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 8GB of built-in storage
• microSD card slot
• microUSB port with USB host and MHL
• Bluetooth v4.0
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• 2,600mAh battery
• 9mm thickness; 180g of weight

Main disadvantages

• Big, even for a phablet
• Resolution on the low side for the screen size
• Midrange performance
• Design is a bit played out by now
• Shared camera interface makes framing tricky

One thing to keep in mind regarding the 5.8-inch display is that it goes with a reduction in screen resolution as well, so you get even less pixels per inch than the Mega 6.3. We won't go as far as to say that at 190ppi the screen is "bad", but it cannot obviously measure up to the ultra-crisp 400+ppi displays of the most recent 1080p flagships.

When compared to the Mega 6.3, it seems that some additional sacrifices come with having a smaller display. As far as connectivity goes, gone are NFC capabilities, the IR-port, as well as the support for the new 802.11ac WiFi standard. But let's keep in mind that the Mega 6.3 doesn't come with a dual-SIM version, so it's not one-way traffic.

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is powered by a Broadcom SoC, featuring a dual-core CPU - something we we haven't yet seen clocked at 1.4 GHz, so we're curious to see how it fares against the dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait CPU of the Mega 6.3. The latter is expected to trash its rival in benchmark tests, but is the difference obvious in real-life scenarios?

But all that in due course - up next, join us as we take a look at the exterior of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom pictured in an official photo

The first official photo of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom has surfaced courtesy of Sammobile. In addition, the cameraphone has appeared in live photos, showing its dedicated camera button from up close.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (CM-101) looks to be based on the Galaxy S4 mini and is going to be able to place calls. In contrast, the Galaxy Camera wasn't able to make calls due to its locked baseband radio.

Built around a 4.3" qHD Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy S4 Zoom is rumored to pack a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and run Android 4.2.2. The main attraction is going to be the 16MP camera at the back, which is purported to feature 10x optical zoom.

Internal memory is suggested to be 8GB, and is going to be expandable with up to 64GB microSD card. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and GPS.

The right side of the device houses the lock/unlock button, volume rocker and shutter button

Samsung officially announced its London event on June 20, and the Galaxy S4 Zoom is expected to be one of the stars at the show.

Read More

Nokia officially announces Lumia 925T in China

Nokia recently announced the Lumia 925 smartphone and now, the Finnish firm has officially unveiled its "T" variant in China.

Nokia Lumia 925T is identical in terms of design to the international Lumia 925, and the specifications remain unchanged, too. Just like the regular 925, Lumia 925T is expected to run on Windows Phone Amber or Windows Phone 8.1 out of box.

The Nokia Lumia 925T will be made available in Black, White and Grey color options, starting from June 17. Unfortunately, there is no word on the pricing of the smartphone at the moment.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active to cost as much as a regular Galaxy S4

Samsung announced the IP67-certified Galaxy S4 Active just two days ago and it's supposed to hit the US and Sweden in the summer.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is powered by the same Snapdragon 600 chipset as the vanilla Galaxy S4, but comes with an 8MP camera and a 5" 1080p TFT display. The rest of the specs stay the same. The Galaxy S4 Active is IP67-certified for dust and water resistance (up to 1 meter for 30 minutes).

Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active official images

Samsung didn't specify the pricing details at the announcement but today we get some info on the Russian official pricing. The Galaxy S4 Active will costs exactly the same as the Galaxy S4 flagship in Russia (about €700). Which means the same will probably apply in the rest of the world.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 costs a little under €550 in most markets, so we expect Samsung to release the Galaxy S4 Active at about the same price point. It make sense since the Active has almost identical hardware as the S4 and adds a tougher dust and water resistant shell as a compensation for the lower-res camera and the lack of AMOLED screen.

Read More

HTC One mini M4 gets certified by Bluetooth SIG

HTC One mini next to the big HTC One

We already know M4 is the codename behind the HTC One mini. The handset is supposed to be a mini version of the 5" HTC One (M7) flagship powered by a dual-core chipset and running on a smaller 4.3" 720p display.

Today, the HTC One mini was certified by the Bluetooth SIG, so if the live pictures weren't enough to convince you of its existence, the certification will do the job. The document also points to the fact that the launch of the device is drawing close and we should see an announcement sooner rather than later.

In case you wonder how we know HTC PO58XXX means HTC M4 - the M4 already appeared under the same model in the Wi-Fi certification database.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S5 opportunity to input the dream

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has recently hit the shelves worldwide and attention is already turning towards the Samsung Galaxy S5 and what the phone will offer. Many of you would no doubt like to have some input into what you think Samsung should bring to the Galaxy S5 and you now have an opportunity to say what you’d like to see in a dream version of the device.
Some of you may remember that last year designer Bob Freking issued a video asking people what they would like to see for the Galaxy S4 and after plenty of input from enthusiasts he then came up with a trailer concept for the Galaxy S4 that amalgamated all of these ideas. It was a great experiment and Freking has now decided give it another go, this time for the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Freking feels that Samsung didn’t fulfill some of the opportunities for the Galaxy S4 that no doubt many people would like to see on the Galaxy S5 and also wants some new ideas for the dream Galaxy S5 concept. He’s come up with a tantalizing image asking what you’d like to see for the Galaxy S5 in 2014 and wants your participation with suggestions of specs and features as well as the design.
If the same happens as with Freking’s Galaxy S4 concept, ideas for the S5 will flood in, and then Freking will create the dream Galaxy S5 to tease us while we wait for the real deal. Freking feels that many would have liked an aluminum build for the Galaxy S4, as well as a better camera for low-light conditions and also suggests that maybe there were too many gimmicks, so what would you like to see for the S5?
Take a look at Freking’s new YouTube video below this story where he asks directly for input for his Samsung Galaxy S5 dream phone. We’d love to hear your ideas too. Maybe you’d like more RAM, camera OIS or even more internal storage? Let us know what you’d like for the Galaxy S5 in the way of design, specs and features by sending us your comments as this is something we’re really interested to hear.

Read More