Samsung unveils 6.3in Galaxy Mega smartphone

 

 

The Galaxy Mega is only slightly smaller than Google's 7in Nexus tablet

Samsung has unveiled the biggest smartphone to date - the Galaxy Mega, which features a 6.3in (16cm) screen.

The firm suggested its size made it ideal for watching videos or running two apps alongside each other.

Samsung helped popularise the so-called "phablet" category - in which phones approach tablet dimensions - with its original 5.3in Galaxy Note in 2011.

That proved more popular than many expected, but one analyst suggested the latest device might be a step too far.

Samsung is marketing the Android-powered handset as having a high-definition screen - however, a spokesman was unable to confirm whether it supported 720p or the "full HD" 1080p resolution.

Another South Korean firm, Pantech, currently lays claim to offering the biggest "full HD" smartphone with its 5.9in Vega No 6 which was announced in January.

China's Huawei had previously boasted having the biggest largest-screened 720p smartphone with its 6.1in Ascend Mate.

Samsung also makes the Galaxy Note 8.0. Some versions of this 8in-screened device feature an HSPA+ radio allowing them to make calls, but the machine is being promoted as a tablet with phone functionality rather than the other way round.

Samsung's Galaxy S3 beats Apple's iPhone in Q3 sales

 

Samsung Galaxy S3's best-selling position is likely to be short-lived

South Korean electronics firm Samsung's Galaxy S3 has outsold Apple's iPhone 4S for the first time, becoming the world's best-selling smartphone, says research firm Strategy Analytics.

Samsung sold 18 million models, compared with Apple's 16.2 million sales, in the third quarter of 2012.

The Galaxy S3 "has proven wildly popular with consumers and operators," said Strategy Analytics' Neil Mawston.

However, Apple's new iPhone 5 is widely expected to reclaim the top sales spot.

Strong Galaxy smartphone sales helped Samsung report record profits in the three months to September. Net profit was 6.5tn won ($5.9bn; £3.7bn), up 91% from a year earlier.

But analysts say that one reason Samsung's phone was able to wrest the top sales spot from Apple's iPhone 4 was because many customers were waiting for the iPhone 5, which was launched during the third quarter.

The Apple iPhone 5 has already got off to a solid start and "we expect the new iPhone 5 to out-ship Samsung's Galaxy S3 in the coming fourth quarter", said Neil Mawston.

"Apple should soon reclaim the title of the world's most popular smartphone model," he added.

Legal struggle

Samsung and its rival Apple have been locked in a series of ongoing legal battles over patent infringement claims in various countries.

In October, sales bans in the US on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone and its Galaxy 10.1 tablet computer were lifted, in a blow to Apple.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, a US court awarded Apple $1.05bn (£652m) in damages, after ruling several of its software and design technologies had been infringed by Samsung.

Samsung has challenged that verdict and called for a retrial.

Analysts say that given the tremendous growth potential of the sector, the two firms' legal battle is likely to continue.

Samsung Galaxy S3 faces shipping delays for some models

 

Customers who pre-ordered Samsung's new top-end smartphone face weeks of delays in receiving their handsets.

The South Korean firm signalled that it had faced issues in manufacturing blue models of the Galaxy S3.

Vodafone added that it had also been advised of "shipping delays" to the 32GB version of the white version of the handset.

Available devices went on sale in the UK and 27 other European and Middle Eastern countries earlier.

"Samsung's Galaxy S3 Pebble Blue version comes with a newly invented blue colour and special hyperglaze material," said a statement from the electronics company.

"In order to meet the highest internal quality standards and to provide the best quality Galaxy S3 to customers, a short supply of [the] Pebble Blue version is expected in some regions in the next two to three weeks."

Vodafone - which has an exclusive deal to distribute white 32GB models in the UK for four weeks - noted that it might take up to that period for customers to receive the delayed models.

It added that "all customers who have pre-ordered the marble white 16GB version... should expect to receive their new phone on the UK launch date".

O2, Everything Everywhere and Three also confirmed their customers would be affected by the "shortage of blue" models.

Positive reviews

The Android-based phone is expected to prove highly popular. It features a 4.8 inch (12.2cm) screen, a "natural language user interface" and can track users' eye movements to ensure the screen does not dim while they are looking at it.

The success of its predecessor, the Galaxy S2, helped Samsung overtake Nokia as the world's best-selling phone maker, according to the research firm Strategy Analytics.

Reviews have compared the device favourably with Apple's smaller-screened iPhone.

The Verge declared it a "a technological triumph", although Engadget suggested that HTC's One X had a superior user-interface and design.

Samsung has said it expects the S3 to outsell the S2. It is scheduled for release in 145 countries by July.

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