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Apple archrival Samsung is reportedly prepping two smartphones with eye-popping displays of 5.8 inches and 6.5 inches, according to a report from Samsung-centric blog Sammobile.
The blog said that it had confirmed the specifications of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Mega 5.8 Android smartphone and the Galaxy Mega 6.3, which would push the very limits of what could be considered a smartphone. Google, Apple, Samsung and others already offer tablet computers that boast 7-inch screens—the Galaxy Tab 7.0 is Samsung’s smallest tablet in the Galaxy family.
“The Galaxy Mega 6.3 will have a 6.3-in. PLS HD resolution display, an 8-megapixel back camera, a 2-megapixel front camera and a dual core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz. The Galaxy Mega will have 1.5 GB of RAM,” Sammobile reported. “Of course Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 80211 a/b/g/n and A-GPS are on the device too. Samsung will bring the Galaxy Mega 6.3 with a battery juice of 3200 mAh, the dimensions are 88×167.6×7.9mm, which is the same thickness as the Galaxy S4. The device [will] run on Android 4.1.2 or 4.2.2 and uses Samsung’s own Nature UX interface.”
Samsung will offer a version of the Galaxy Mega 6.3 (code-named GT-I9200 3G/GT-I9205 LTE) with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) capability. It will also come in two colors—black and white. The Galaxy Mega 5.8 (code-named GT-I9152) will offer Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, WiFi capability, an 8-megapixel back camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. The device will run on Android 4.1.2 /4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s Nature UX interface, also known as TouchWiz, layered on top.
TouchWiz lets users choose how they use the device. All key features and services on the home screen can be moved and resized for the most appealing layout. For example, if the user is utilizing the camera a lot, he or she can move the camera icon from the applications menu to the home screen. The platform also provides an intuitive task manager to get straight to the most recently used programs.
The news of the latest large-screen smartphones from Samsung highlights the growing shift to big displays on thin smart devices. The company’s most recent release, the Galaxy S4, which boasts a 5-inch display, is perceived as a direct competitor to Apple and its iPhone, which only offers a 4-inch screen.
Of those who purchased a Samsung smartphone in the last year, more than half (52 percent) purchased a Galaxy S3; 21 percent, a Galaxy S2; and 5 percent, a Galaxy Note 2, according to a report earlier this month by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Compared with purchasers of other brands, Samsung purchasers were more likely to cite “handset cost” and “carrier brand” as key drivers, the report found.
While Samsung and Apple are currently dueling for smartphone market share, on a global scale, Apple significantly closed the gap with market leader Samsung in the last quarter, as the combination of the company’s iPhone 5 and iPad Mini brought Apple up to 20.3 percent unit shipment share, compared with 21.2 percent for Samsung.