I used a Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 for a month in 2013 partially as an orientation exercise and partially to text (and experience) my network’s new LTE service, which had just been launched. The orientation exercise was because the device had a 6.3-inch screen, which seemed ludicrously enormous. Under the skin it had middling hardware – a dual core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 720p resolution and an 8 MP rear camera. The Mega was running early firmware as was the closest LTE network mast, as I had great difficulty connecting. But the Mega itself surprised me: that dual core processor and 1.5 GB of RAM worked well and the relatively low resolution screen still looked great. Samsung sold enough of the Mega to justify a follow-up device and this time they’ve reduced the screen size to be 6.0-inch (sitting between the Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 of 2013) and changed the internals a little. Now, I bring you news that the Galaxy Mega 2, model number SM-G750H, has been launched in India for Rs 20,990, which is around £215 or $345.
For your money, buyers will get a 6.0-inch, 720p resolution screen, a 1.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (more on this later), 1.5 GB of memory backed up by 8 GB of RAM and a MicroSD slot that can take up to a 64 GB card. Around the back there’s a 8 MP rear camera for for selfies, a 5 MP front facing camera. This particular version of the Mega 2 excludes LTE, connectivity stops at the 21 Mbps HSPA 3G radio. The Mega 2 runs Android Kit Kat under the Samsung TouchWiz interface. These are middling specifications (apart from 3G only, which reflects India’s very limited LTE coverage) compared to most other devices in the same size bracket, but this is reflected in the price.
However, Samsung’s use of the Snapdragon 410 is interesting. This is one of the first 64-bit processors to hit the market, so benefits from Qualcomm’s refinements including the newer instruction set and lower power consumption. We’ve seen the Snapdragon 400 inside many mid-range devices and it’s proven to be a great unit; the Snapdragon 410 is expected to be noticeably quicker than the older chipset, especially now the Mega 2 benefits from four cores rather than two. I didn’t have an issue with the older model and expect the newer one to be even better; this could be a great budget phablet.