Galaxy Mega 2 launching this week

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 is launching in the US at AT&T on October 24, after it was officially launched on several Asian markets. AT&T has just announced that it would start selling the Galaxy Mega 2 starting Friday with various data plans. The Galaxy Mega 2 price will be $150 with a 2 year contract, $19.80 per month with Next 18, $23.75 per month with Next 12 and $475 off-contract. While the Galaxy Mega 2 is a bit pricey, it doesn’t sport flagship specs nor an outstanding design.

Being the successor to last year’s Galaxy Mega, the Galaxy Mega 2 sports a slightly smaller, 6 inch 720p display. The Galaxy Mega 2 specs include a quad core 1.5 GHz CPU, backed by 1.5 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory, expandable via microSD card. The Galaxy Mega 2 camera is an 8 MP rear shooter with LED flash and a 2.1 MP selfie-camera. The Galaxy Mega 2 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat, with the usual TouchWiz UI that brings a one-handed mode, private mode, dual windows, ultra power saving mode. You will get a 2800 mAH battery in the device, which should make for a day or so of mixed use.

Samsung has had enormous success with the new Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge. The Galaxy Note 4 is praised for its great screen, fast charging and long-lasting battery life, while the Note Edge brings a hanging screen to the picture. The Galaxy Mega 2, on the other hand, is a mid-range device which doesn’t bring anything new to the Samsung portfolio, save for the large screen real estate. While the phone is a bit pricey, we are curious to see how it will be performing in the long run. The Galaxy Mega 2 will have to face competitors like the innovative Sharp Aquos Crystal which has just been launched and you can get it for $150 contract-free, and it sports similar specs to the Galaxy Mega 2.

Samsung has been pretty absent from the mid-range market recently, but it seems that its absence won’t be for long, since the Galaxy Mega 2 will fit right into this category. If you like phablets and enjoy using the one-handed mode TouchWiz can offer, the Galaxy Mega 2 is a decent mid-range option. For those of you who value design and performance more, maybe you should check out the Galaxy S5 or the Galaxy Note 4, which are high-end flagships. While the Galaxy Mega 2 isn’t the worst Samsung can do, we would have liked to see at least a few design tweaks compared to the first generation Galaxy Mega. Samsung is continuously and rapidly expanding its portfolio to meet the growing competition, but maybe the Galaxy Mega 2 isn’t the way to go. The new clamshell Galaxy Golden 2, on the other hand, seems like a promising device. What do you think about the Galaxy Mega 2? Would you rather get the phablet or opt for a different one?