Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Pro Reviews

The Samsung Galaxy Mega isn't the biggest or fastest extra-large phablet, but it's one of the best values in its class and a solid choice for people who just can't get enough phone.

Shrugging my shoulders might be the most apt way for me to describe how I feel about the Mega 6.3. It’s neither a stellar device, nor is it overwhelmingly bad. But that in mind, shouldn’t a now device, a device of today offer performance that exceeds that of those of the past generation? Comparatively speaking and putting aside Samsung’s layer of TouchWizness, even my Nexus 4, a handset that is rapidly approaching it’s 1-year birthday, out performs the Mega 6.3 in day to day casual use. Now, that isn’t to say the Mega 6.3 is an all together bad piece of kit, because it isn’t. The camera, display, and battery life were surprisingly solid despite the Mega 6.3′s laggy performance in casual use. That said, the Mega 6.3 could make for an excellent handset for non-power user just dipping their toes in phablet waters, provided of course AT&T lowers their ask from $150 to $100 or less.

The Galaxy Mega is a very solid mid-range device, but the phone's make-or-break trait is -- you guessed it -- the size. If you prefer (or require) the ability to use your smartphone one-handed most of the time, you're not going to have a satisfactory experience. We would love to see the option of using an S Pen as a sort of compromise to persuade fence-sitters, but sadly its absence will act as more of a detriment to the phone's chances of success. Even though the Mega was made to satisfy one group of people -- anyone who loves or needs an excruciatingly large smartphone -- we admire Samsung's willingness to dip its toes in the water and try new form factors. If nothing else, the Mega will mean something even more significant to its manufacturer than sales metrics: it's a forerunner for the company's future prospects in the "large phone" category, and a way for Samsung to figure out how to do an even better job with the upcoming Galaxy Note III. We figure Bigfoot will be just as happy with that device when the time comes.

What we have here is a Very Large Phone with a slightly mid-range specification. I can see the logic behind that. Wanting a huge screen doesn’t necessarily mean that you also want a quad-core chip that can power a Boeing 777 or a screen resolution beyond the range of human visual acuity. The Mega 6.3 combines a big screen with a reasonable price, solid performance and excellent battery life so if you are after a device that will fulfil the role of both phone and tablet without demanding too much in the way of compromise in either direction the Mega 6.3 is that device, especially for 375 quid.

In all, we can’t say we’re necessarily disappointed with the Galaxy Mega 6.3, but we can’t say we’re entirely blown away either. Samsung did not intend for it to be a flagship phone or to cannibalize existing devices, such as the Galaxy Note II or Galaxy S 4. And because of this, it ships with moderate specifications, a feature-light version of TouchWiz, and only what is absolutely necessary. This assists in making this smartphone feels more like an experiment by Samsung than anything else. Although it’s a perfectly capable device, it has been intentionally held back. It doesn’t feature most of the Galaxy S 4′s defining software features; it doesn’t share the Galaxy Note brand or the S Pen, which would have certainly set the device off; and it doesn’t come in more viable storage capacities. If you can put these things aside, the Galaxy Mega is actually quite a nice device. It’s exactly what the specifications allude to: a larger Galaxy S 4 with a less capable chipset, less storage, and a much larger but lower-res display. And the sole defining feature, the display, is the one feature that will turn many away. Most see the Galaxy Note II as a device that is borderline too big. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 towers over the Note II, yet it features a less vibrant display panel with the same resolution. If you feel you can’t handle a phone that almost always requires two-handed use, look no further than the Note II. But if the idea of using a phone with two hands doesn’t turn you off immediately, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is a viable smartphone, and only a few minutes of operation will reveal that it’s hardly more cumbersome to use and carry than the Galaxy Note II, although we will say it barely fits in our pockets.

At a lower price point, the Mega 6.3 will be a great midrange deal. Modern smartphones are quickly growing out of the "phone" part and everything else - web browsing, email and chat, watching videos, using apps and playing games - is better on a bigger screen.

Right now the Huawei Ascend Mate delivers a better bang for the buck. Finding it hard to match Huawei's price, Samsung responds with better equipment for the Galaxy Mega 6.3. A classic case of using aggressive pricing to compete against a stronger brand, these two phablets allow a very reasonable choice between budget and comfort.

For those who want the best specs and features in a big-screen smartphone (and are willing to pay for them) Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra outclass the Galaxy Mega with 1080p screens and fancy features (like the S Pen). But the Samsung Galaxy Mega excels as a mid-range phone for those who value screen size and battery life over pocketability and the ability to make phone calls sans-headset without looking foolish. For the average user who doesn’t want to carry around a tablet and a smartphone, the Mega is one of the best options we’ve seen yet. Just remember that its dimensions are closer to, say, the Nexus 7 than the Nexus 4. So unless you have big pockets, you’ll need to keep a bag with you to carry it. You’ll probably also want a headset with you as well, in case you need to take a long call. Because even if you don’t mind looking strange, holding the Mega up to your ear for more than 10 minutes or so really isn’t comfortable.

If you know you want a big phone then the Mega makes sense but has few downsides. It might fit into our jeans pocket, but really only just, and it's a fair lump to carry around. But the screen makes up for it in size, and the battery life is impressive too. It's fantastic for web browsing, and games like Real Racing 3 run well, and look impressive. Power users are going to be frustrated by the lack of internal storage space though. That 8GB on board is cut to almost 4GB from the off. A few games, and that's all gone, and with the changes to Android meaning you can't run apps from the microSD card, there are some real problems here.

For someone who carries a phone and a tablet, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is serviceable enough to meet the basic needs of both devices. One need, the tablet, is met more than the other. I never got over how challenging it is to use such a massive device, even though I sometimes couldn't help but enjoy the ability to read more and scroll less, or have a wider screen to watch video. In the end, I needed a phone more than I needed a tablet, and the most important aspect was sometimes hard to enjoy with the Galaxy Mega 6.3. I once said that the Galaxy Note II is as big as a phone can get and still comfortably support phone activities, and I've been more convinced of that until now.

People were aghast when Samsung announced the Galaxy Note in 2011 with its 5.2-inch screen. "Crazy," "Huge," "Ridiculous," some called it. The Galaxy Mega, as the name implies, dwarfs the Note with its mega proportions. It has a 6.3-inch screen and a massive 6.6 x 3.46-inch footprint. It's not that much smaller than some tablets. The family resemblance between the Note and the Mega is clear. Held side-by-side, they are almost indistinguishable, aside from the difference in size. The Mega has the same chrome-colored rim and speaker grill, the same coloring, and nearly identical button shape and placement as the Note. It's a decent-looking device, though it of course uses the same cheap-feeling plastics common to Samsung smartphones. It comes across as classy and elegant sort of in the way Shaquille O'Neal does when wearing a suit rather than his basketball uniform.

MOAR SCREEN!!! The Galaxy Mega ($149.99) is more than a bit ridiculous, thanks to its massive 6.3-inch screen—larger than any phone released in the U.S. Yet the sheer absurdity of this phone is kind of awesome, and it's a lot of fun to use. As a result, it's our new Editors' Choice for phablets on AT&T—bypassing the slightly more-powerful, but twice-the-price Galaxy Note II, thanks to the Mega's lower price, larger size, and little in the way of compromises otherwise. It's more phablet for less money. How can you go wrong?

After launching in other markets a couple months ago, the goliath device in the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 is finally coming stateside – well, it’s actually available through AT&T starting today. As if we were all over the whole super large craze, this one seemingly puts those concerns to rest...

A fine way to replace both your phone and tablet, which is still just about small enough to fit in your pocket

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 is a mid-range smartphone with a gigantic 6.3in touchscreen. It offers excellent battery life and 4G connectivity, but performance is a mixed bag and it's impossible to use single-handedly.

Although phablets are still pretty uncommon, we soon discovered that the Samsung Galaxy Mega is perfectly suited as a daily companion. Previous doubts regarding its usability simply vanished over time: "won't fit into a pocket" - well, it does. "With a screen like that, the battery won't last long" - the Galaxy Mega uses less power than many of the much smaller competitors. In many ways, the phablet is similar to the high-end Samsung Galaxy S4 and features an impressive array of connectivity options. We really like the large and very bright display with its impressive viewing angle stability - even though Samsung doesn't use AMOLED technology this time around. The Korean manufacturer of course has no interest in dethroning their own top model and that is noticeable at times: considering the size of the display, the low resolution - although still appropriate for a phablet - is a bit of a letdown. The plastic case is not quite as sturdy as the one of the Galaxy S4 and neither the dual-core processor nor the graphics card come close in performance to high-end phones.

if you want to carry a single device that provides “tablet-level” comfort and smartphone-level utility and reliability, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is the best such device today. Right now, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is simply unchallenged in this new category of smartphones.

Choosing the Note II before the newer Galaxy Mega 6.3 is a no-brainer. Its smaller screen diagonal makes it way more compact, it has the precise input option of a stylus, and sports more internal storage, plus it takes better pictures and video, all for a slightly lower price even. Samsung's largest handset would be picked only if you are looking for the largest mobile phone screen out there in a slim package, and mainly for media consumption at that, rather than the good ol' talking or even the odd content creation, which the Note II would be better at because of the stylus.

From the looks of it, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 design and weight is an achievement for such an enormous screen size and a huge 3200 mAh battery pack inside. The display panel actually makes it a great phone for browsing the web, watching videos, reading, editing pics and getting things done with the multi-window mode, due to sheer diagonal. As can be expected, however, a screen of this size comes with compromises, which are mainly on the handling and carrying around experience, 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, but for those who want the largest screen in the most compact package aimed at media consumption. It already has a strong direct competitor in that category, however, in the face of the excellent Huawei Ascend Mate, and if Samsung overprices the handset, it might be disappointed in the sales results of the Mega 6.3.