Galaxy Mega 6.3 Review

We recently reviewed the smallest device in the Galaxy Mega series – the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and today we’ve got the second and the biggest from the same series – Galaxy Mega 6.3. Having spent time extensively, this is what we think.

Design-wise, just like the Galaxy Mega 5.8, this 6.3-inch variant is also similar to the Galaxy S4. But when you compare both the Galaxy Mega variants, there are some differences. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is a bit wider than the Galaxy Mega 5.8. The bezel is a bit thinner to accommodate the larger display and sports the usual key and port placements.

On the face, Galaxy Mega 6.3 has a 6.3-inch display with a physical home button and menu and back touch sensitive buttons, a front-facing 1.9MP camera, sensors and the earpiece. The right-hand side has the Power/Lock button; left side has the volume button; bottom has the microUSB data transfer and charging port and the top has the 3.5mm headphone jack and infrared port for Samsung WatchON.

Unlike Galaxy Mega 5.8 that comes with qHD resolution, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 features an HD resolution. The exact resolution count is 1280×720 pixels, which is at par with Samsung’s Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II. Given the large size, the pixel density is ought to be lesser than aforementioned 720p devices but the Galaxy Mega 6.3 display is incredibly sharp. Samsung has also opted for a TFT LCD and not an OLED panel, which Samsung generally reserves for its high-end devices.

Nevertheless, the display is a treat to work or watch content on.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 is powered by Qualcomm’s 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1.5GB of RAM. Now in this era of cheap quad-core devices, you may mistake this Qualcomm chip as a lesser-competent variant but be rest assured that this offering from Qualcomm is no slouch. Sure, there are occassional jitters if you play a graphics-intensive game and there’s a drop of frame here and there but most things work. Also helps for a satisfactory performance is the inclusion of 1.5GB RAM, which in combination with Snapdragon 400, works pretty well.

For a more detailed look into Snapdragon 400, click here to read the PDF link.

Check out some of the syntethic benchmarks we performed on the Galaxy Mega 6.3.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 features the latest Android 4.2.2 offered by Samsung and we’re happy to report that most of the features from the Galaxy S4 has been brought over to this device.

You’ll find TouchWiz UI with features like Multi-window, Air View, Smart Alert, Direct Call, Adapt Display, Adapt Sound and lots more.

NFC with S-Beam also makes it to the device and many other apps like S Translate, S Voice, Story Album, Group Play, Samsung Link, Flipboard, TripAdvisor.

Lockscreen also gets multiple widgets support but unlike Galaxy S4 where you could edit the text with variety of colours and font is missing on the Galaxy Mega 6.3.

Rounding up on the software side is Samsung’s WatchON that transforms the device into a remote control for infrared enabled devices, Samsung Apps – Samsung’s homegrown app store and Samsung Hub gives an aesthetically pleasing way to browse multimedia content.

Similar to the Galaxy Mega 5.8, Galaxy Mega 6.3 features an 8MP and 1.9MP cameras at the back and front respectively. The picture quality is pretty mediocre with evident noise. It also supports variety of camera modes like Sound & Shot, Best Photo etc.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 can also record videos in 1080p full HD resolution.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 Sample Shots

It comes with a 3200mAh battery, which makes it the only Samsung smartphone to boast a large capacity battery (until Galaxy Note 3 reaches the market). And as you’d expect, the battery is amazing. You can easily use the phone for extended time without worrying to find a charging slot. In our moderate to heavy usage, we saw Galaxy Mega 6.3 lasting a day and half with Wi-Fi and 3G.

So all said and done, is the device worth it? The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is in many ways, better than the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and of course fares better on almost every aspect but the main thing boils down to if you’re comfortable with the size. If you’ve big hands or are comfortable using large sized devices, there’s nothing much for the Galaxy Mega 6.3 to disappoint you. The device is by far the biggest smartphone or the smallest tablet you’ll use and it sits perfectly for those who don’t want to carry separate devices.

Galaxy Mega 6.3 retails for Rs. 29,900 in India.