Galaxy Mega 6.3 announced by Samsung

Samsung has finally revealed its much-leaked Galaxy Mega smartphones – a pair of 5.8 and 6.3in devices set to fill the gap between the flagship Galaxy S4 and S-pen packing Galaxy Note 2.

The pair, which had been rumoured to exist for some time, use LCD display technology rather than the AMOLED screens found in the Galaxy S4, and have reduced specifications in order to hit a lower price when they launch later in the year.

The larger 6.3in Mega, which has a 720p “HD” display rather than the full 1080p one found on the S4, is powered by a dual-core 1.7GHz processor and 1.5GB of RAM. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front webcam, either 8 or 16GB of internal storage depending on the model and a MicroSD card slot for further capacity, as well as 4G LTE support and a powerful 3,300mAh battery that should keep the huge screen juiced up.

Meanwhile, the smaller Mega 5.8 drops the processor speed to 1.4GHz, the display resolution to a more pedestrian 960×540, and storage capacity to 8GB. It retains the same 8-megapixel camera, but only supports 3G networks.

Both phones run the latest version of Android – 4.2 Jelly Bean – with Samsung’s own customised user interface running over the top, along with the usual suite of applications such as MyFiles, S Memo, S Planner and S Translator.

“We are aware of a great potential in the bigger screen for extensive viewing multimedia, web browsing, and more,” Samsung’s CEO JK Shin said of the announcement. “We are excited to provide another choice to meet our consumers’ varying lifestyles, all while maintaining the high-quality features of the award-winning GALAXY series.”

Both phones will apparently be available from May onwards, although only the 6.3in model will be launching in the UK. Samsung has also yet to fix a firm date or announce pricing. We’re hoping that it will cost less than a Galaxy S4 when it goes on sale later in the year, although the massive screen size could bump up the price.