Samsung's Galaxy Mega 2 to be Released this Week

AT&T recently announced that it would start offering the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 on October 24, making it the first carrier to offer the new smartphone in the U.S. market. The device is considered by some product reviewers to be an incremental upgrade over its predecessor, the Galaxy Mega.

The Mega 2 has a six-inch 720 x 1280 pixel screen, a 1.5 GHz processor with 1.5 GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.4 (a.k.a. ‘KitKat). It has an 8 MP camera with LED flash and 4X zoom on the back and 2.1 megapixel camera on the front.

The Mega 2 has some slight differences when compared to the deluxe version of the Mega. On the minus side, its processor is a hair slower than the Mega’s 1.7 GHz processor. The newer model’s six-inch screen is smaller than the Mega’s 6.3 inch display. On the plus side, the Mega has no front camera and comes with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) although it can be upgraded to KitKat. Otherwise the two versions are pretty much equivalent.

AT&T will offer the Mega 2 under a few optional plans. You can get the device for $475 with no annual commitment or $150 with a two-year commitment. There are also 18 and 12-month payment plans.

Only time will tell if the Mega 2 does well or not, but from the outset, it seems like it faces an uphill battle. It’s only slightly better than the Mega, so it won’t be as compelling for those users to upgrade.

Furthermore, it’s not as feature-rich as some other Samsung phones available through AT&T. Other than having a five-inch display (which has far better resolution at 1920x1068), the Galaxy S4 has a faster processor, more RAM and a far better quality back facing camera. The ‘no-annual commitment’ price is about the same, but you can have the Galaxy S2 on a two-year plan for half the upfront cost as the Mega 2.

That’s not to say the Mega 2 is a bad device. It has a large display that should appeal to ‘phablet’ users and many great features, like the ability to multi-task in a split window without interruption. It is still a tad on the pricey side, however. If AT&T can sweeten the deal a little bit, it should be able to find more takers.