Is the Samsung Galaxy Mega a genius idea or a missed opportunity?

In a few weeks time Samsung will unleash its latest high-end large screen handset the Mega on the UK.

It comes in two varieties – a model with a 6.3inch display and a smaller screen 5.8inch version.

When the first whispers hit of a new big screen handset from Samsung it seemed as if the company was jettisoning its high-end large screen Note range and going for something slightly different.

It became clear pretty quickly though that the Mega was aimed at a new audience and that the Note would remain as Samsung’s monster screen flagship.

Big screen, reduced specs

When I saw the spec of the Mega I did a bit of a double take. I have been a Note owner for a year and a half and am looking for an upgrade. Like a lot of Note users I mainly use the phone for the web, reading ebooks etc, so I was prepared to accommodate a mobile with a 6.3inch screen.

Yet the Mega’s spec was something of a let down. The screen might be huge on the 6.3inch version, but at 720p resolution it is significantly lower than the 1,920 x 1,080 pixels screen of the Galaxy S4. Then there’s the 1.7GHz dual-core processor, again not as impressive as the S4’s 1.9GHz Quad Core Processor. The camera is just eight mega pixels as opposed to the S4’s 16 mega pixel snapper.

I had assumed that the Mega was the Korean brand’s new flagship handset, and I was very wrong. So personally I won’t be buying the handset, I’ll probably wait for the Note 3.

However as time has gone by I have worked out just who the Mega is aimed at and why it could be a very smart move by Samsung.

A new market?

Samsung is going to market the Mega at students and youngsters who want a tablet, but cannot afford one or don’t fancy carrying round a pair of devices. The company has said ‘the Galaxy Mega is for customers who want the “most out of one device” that brings both quality and value.’

The key here is that the reduced spec has meant that Samsung has kept the price down.The Mega is likely to be significantly cheaper than the Notes or the S3. It might still be pricey for a phone, but if you look as it as a tablet and phone replacement it is very good value for money.

As tablet it shapes up pretty well too. Sure it is nearly two inches smaller than say the iPad mini, but it has plenty of advantages over many tablets namely an eight mega pixel camera as opposed to lower res snappers that are standard on most eight inch tablets.

In some way the Mega really does fulfill that much maligned term the Phablet. This handset with its large screen really is a hybrid between the phone and the tablet and replacement for both.

So what do you think? Will this autumn’s number one college accessory be the Samsung Galaxy Mega? Or will the phone sink as potential buyers stick with separate phones and tablets? It’ll be interesting to see who this one pans out.

Btw there’s more on the Samsung Galaxy Note III here.