Samsung has launched its Galaxy Mega large screen smartphones in the Indian market. The Galaxy Mega 5.8 will be available across the country within a week from today for a price of Rs. 25,100 while the Galaxy Mega 6.3 will be available in mid-June for a MRP of Rs. 31,490.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 is a dual-SIM device that has a 5.8-inch screen with qHD(540x960 pixels) resolution. It is powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor alongside 1.5GB RAM and features an 8-megapixel rear camera, as well as a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The phone comes with 8GB expandable storage and has a 2,600mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 sports a 6.3-inch 720x1280 display and features the same camera as that of Galaxy Mega 5.8. It is powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. The Galaxy Mega has 1.5GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and A-GPS. The phone comes with a 3,200 mAh battery and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage capacity and has a microSD card for expanding the storage up to 64GB.
The GALAXY Mega smartphones will offer split screen capability for a variety of applications including email, messages, 'MyFiles,' 'S Memo,' 'S Planner', amongst others. The devices will also feature the much touted 'Air View' feature, that lets users preview information in emails, photos in Gallery, and speed dial contacts without opening them.
Do you think Mega will able to leave mark as Galaxy S's and Note series? Leave your comments below
The Sony Xperia L was launched back in March, and the handset is now available in some European countries through Sony’s official Sony Mobile Store, the device is now available in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The Sony Xperia L is powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and processing comes in the form of a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with a clock speed of 1GHz, there is also 1GB of RAM.
Other specifications on the Sony Xperia L include 8GB of built in storage, plus a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB cards, the device also comes with a 4.3 inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixel.
The Sony Xperia L features an 8 megapixel camera with Sony’s Exmor RS sensor, and it also comes with 8GB of built in storage, plus NFC and it will be available in a choice of black, white or red.
The Sony Xperia L will also be available in the UK from tomorrow from a number of online retailers, the SIM free version of the Xperia L will retail for around £228 including taxes, you can find out more details over at Clove.
The Sony Xperia L is the latest smartphone to slide in at the bottom end of the Japanese firm's range, launching alongside the mid-range Xperia SP to complete a trio of handsets headlined by the Sony Xperia Z.
It's the natural replacement for the Xperia J, which launched at IFA 2012 alongside 007's Sony Xperia T - handsets which bear a strong resemblance to the Xperia L in terms of design.
There's no exact Sony Xperia L release date for now, all we've been told is that it will arrive during the second quarter of the year. The price has also been confirmed: £229 SIM free, but we're waiting for the contract prices to turn up.
When we said it borrows design cues from the J and T we weren't kidding, as it's difficult to tell the trio apart.
Sony has stuck with the same curved rear made famous by the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc on the Xperia L, instead of cladding it in the straight-edged, glass finish found on the Xperia Z.
A noticeably plastic finish greets you when you pick up the handset, but it feels sturdy and there was little flex in the body - meaning the Xperia L doesn't feel too cheap.
The curved, soft touch plastic rear does mean the Xperia L sits comfortably in the hand and offers a good level of grip.
It's a well balanced device and although it may look chunky at the ends, it's positively slender in the middle measuring in at 130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98mm.
Something which the Sony Xperia L has borrowed from its high powered brother is the distinctive power/lock key located half way down the right hand side of the handset.
Also on the right side is a volume rocker switch and a dedicated camera key, all of which are easy to hit one-handed.
Up top there's a 3.5mm headphone jack while on the left is a microUSB port.
The front of the Xperia L is dominated by its 4.3-inch FWVGA display with the standard Android keys appearing onscreen instead of below it.
With this is mind we were disappointed about just how much bezel was left under the screen, with the chunky plastic adding what appears to be unnecessary bulk to the phone.
The screen itself is a pretty decent offering, especially if the Xperia L does come in sporting a sub-£200 price tag, with colours appearing vibrant while text and images look pretty sharp.
Of course on closer inspection you'll be able to define pixels, but with a decent viewing angle and a bright, 854 x 480 resolution it's difficult to fault it at this price point.
On screen the action is provided by Android Jelly Bean, version 4.1.2, with a 1GHz dual-core processor running the show under the hood.
General navigation is snappy and we were able to move swiftly through homescreens, of which you can have up to seven, and dive in and out of the app list without too much hassle.
The responsive touchscreen means the Xperia L doesn't have trouble registering your various pokes and prods, which also helps to enhance the user experience.
Sony has applied its own layer of gloss to Jelly Bean, with its a homescreen editor function allowing you to quickly and easily manage your widgets, apps and shortcuts as well as changing the phone's theme and wallpaper - making it that bit more personal. Lovely.
The custom user interface also sees the addition of the handy quick settings toggles in the pull down notification bar, allowing you to control things such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC without having to dive into the full blown menus.
Applications aren't quite as speedy though, with most taking a second or two to load up with more demanding apps such as the camera sometimes taking even longer to sort themselves out.
We never encountered a drastic delay, but it is a contrast to the relatively fluid app list and homescreens.
The keyboard is relatively basic but this isn't a bad thing at is allows for well spaced keys and acceptable next word prediction resulting in us typing pretty quickly.
In terms of photographic ability Sony has equipped the Xperia L with an impressive 8MP rear facing camera which also boasts a single LED flash, 720p video recording and HDR and panorama modes.
You also get a front facing VGA quality snapper on the front of the Xperia L, but it's the offering round the back which helps the handset stand out from the competition.
As we've mentioned the camera app isn't the quickest which can be a little frustrating, espeically if you're trying to nab a quick pic - with a tardy auto-focus not helping either.
The inclusion of a dedicated camera key on the right of the handset means it easier to access the application and snap photos, as you don't have to mess about with the on screen shutter.
Pictures were acceptable but we weren't blown away with the quality, although to be fair the Sony Xperia L we were in an oddly lit location which probably didn't help things.
You can whip the rear cover of the Xperia L off, but do this carefully as the case is hooked over the top and bottom of the device and a sudden application of brute force could spell the end of the plastic case.
The rear cover is available in three colours; black, white and red, with the white version of the handset also sporting the same coloured finish on the front.
Under the cover you'll find a microSD slot and a removable 1,750mAh battery. Pop the battery out and there's access to the SIM card slot too.
Sony has squeezed 8GB of internal storage into the Xperia L, although only 5.5GB is free, so you may be grateful for the microSD option.
As this is a Sony handset it also comes with the firm's various bells and whistle in terms of pre-installed apps (or bloatware, depending on your views).
There are dedicated Walkman, Album and Movies applications plus Sony's Music and Video unlimited streaming services are also plonked onto the Xperia L.
If you're a fan of gaming then you'll be pleased to learn the Xperia L also supports PlayStation games via the PlayStation Mobile app.
Sadly there was no content pre-loaded onto the handsets we go hands on with, so we were unable to test out its media capabilities.
We also lacked a web connection which meant we couldn't surf the internet, but we did note the Xperia L only has the Chrome browser - no stock Android offering in sight.
Early verdict
The early signs are positive for the Sony Xperia L which brings a decent set of features to the bottom end of the market and although it won't be as cheap as the likes of the ZTE Blade 3, Huawei Ascend G330 and Nokia Lumia 520, it will still register as affordable for a lot of people.
Generally it copes with everything pretty well and while there is a hint of slow down every now and then that's expected from cheaper handsets.
We look forward to getting the Sony Xperia L in for a full review to see how well it handles media and the world wide web - we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Sony's Xperia series of Android smartphones is slowly but surely gaining momentum as newer models in all price brackets are beginning to flood the market. The latest is the Xperia L handset that’s all set to replace the Neo L, the successor to the Neo V. A lot has changed since then and specifications and features that were once considered brilliant for this price segment does not hold any ground today. Let’s hope Sony has kept that in mind when designing the Xperia L.
OS – Android 4.1 with Sony’s custom skin The Xperia L will ship with Jelly Bean 4.1 out of the box along with Sony’s custom skin. The handset should also be easily upgradable to 4.2 down the road. The UI should be very similar to the one’s we’ve seen on the Xperia Z and ZL.
Cellular connectivity – 3G but no LTE There really aren't any smartphones available today in this price bracket or lower that don't support 3G. The lack of LTE isn’t much of a downer as many of the high-end phones launched in India lack LTE support too.
Slim and sleek design
Display – 4.3-inch TFT LCD Here's where Sony would have to really fight for its right to be taken seriously. With devices like the Micromax Canavs HD and the XOLO X1000, both of which have HD displays, the Xperia L falls a bit short in this respect. There's nothing wrong with the size of the screen as larger screen devices are more cumbersome to handle, but the lack of BRAVIA Mobile Engine could be an issue.
Form factor – Definitely an upgrade from the Neo L Taking its cue from the Arc, the concave back of the handset should make it easy to grip. While Sony seemed to think that a completely flat rear surface would be ideal (see Xperia Z), the curved nature also adds a little finesse to the overall design of the handset. The protruding power/sleep button is all chromed out and adds a touch of class and ease of accessibility to the form of this slim handset. The subtle light indicator at the bottom of the device is also a good idea. Overall, we feel it’s a big step up from the down right plasticky Neo L.
Connectivity – Fully loaded The Xperia L features dual-band Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot creation, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, NFC and USB 2.0. GLONASS for navigation will be sorely missed though.
SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 400 Loaded up with a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz, 1GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 GPU, speed shouldn't be a problem. However, once again, lower priced options with quad-core processors like the Canvas HD are available. We'll have more to say once we've run benchmarks on the Xperia L and compared them to those of the lower priced devices.
Internal storage – 8GB, further expandable You're provisioned with 8GB of internal storage on the Xperia L, out of which about 5.8GB is available for users. This can be further enhanced with the use of microSD cards going up to 32GB in capacity. That's quite a bit for all intents and purposes.
The camera is the main USP of the L
Cameras – 8MP shooter with HDR video The Xperia L’s main selling point is the camera. The 8MP shooter supports HDR for stills as well as video, just like the Xperia Z. While this is all fine and dandy, we don’t understand why Sony has limited the video recording to just 720p. Most phones in this price range can easily manage 1080p video, so why cap it knowing the SoC can handle it? This is one area which could be a make or break for most buyers. The front-facing camera is also a disappointment. The Xperia L still uses a VGA sensor when the rest of the world has moved onto 1.3MP and above.
Sensors – Only proximity, compass and accelerometer The Xperia L is missing a Gyroscope, but everything else is present.
Battery – 1750 mAh Li-ion battery The battery has been bumped up to 1750 mAh capacity, which, given the resolution, should easily last you for an entire day.
The bottom line Sony’s new Xperia L is definitely not as exciting as its higher-end cousin, the SP. If phones like the Canvas HD, Galaxy Grand and the XOLO X1000 didn’t exist, then yes, the L would have been a very good option. But sadly, that’s not the case. The L certainly has better aesthetics as compared to its predecessor, but it’s far from perfect. At its expected launch price, there are not one but several gaping holes in the specifications list that stick out like a sore thumb. The screen is the most disappointing part. Not only is it not HD, it also lacks the BRAVIA treatment. The lack of full HD recording will also be missed and we could have done without NFC and taken GLONASS instead. We just hope that Sony soon drops the price of the L like it did with the SP, else it’s going to be a tough sell.
