Samsung Galaxy Mega review

Contacts

Given the sheer size of the Galaxy Mega, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was just a small tablet, but in reality it is just a massive smartphone, which means it has the ability to make phone calls.

To navigate all your friends and colleagues, Samsung provides its uninspiring yet highly functional Contacts app. All your contacts are arranged in a long, high contrast list, adorned with either a tiny contact photo, or a cartoon face.

We get that the Koreans might be aiming to make it seem a little playful, but in reality the cartoon face seems a little creepy. We were also a little disappointed that, given the massive screen real estate, that the images aren't any larger.

Tapping the little thumbnail brings up a mini contact-card that shows you all the ways that you can contact that person, via Call, Message, Email, WhatsApp, Facebook etc. From the main list, it is also possible to Call or Message contacts by swiping left or right, saving valuable seconds.

As you can now guess, the Samsung Galaxy Mega can pull in your contacts from Facebook and other social accounts, should you have the correct application installed- Facebook doesn't come preinstalled, rather it is available on the Play Store.

Social integration leaves a lot to be desired on the Galaxy Mega, as it does on all of Samsung's devices, with the HTC One and other Sense devices being an almost perfect example of what we feel social integration should be like.

Contact linking is handled very well, we found that the majority of contacts were linked up well, and on the odd occasion that we had to link them up manually, suggestions were very accurate. Browsing the Contacts app was smooth, and the larger screen meant that moving by selecting letters on the right was a little more accurate.

It also possible to remove contacts from the list that don't have phone numbers, a feature that is very welcome, de-cluttering long lists. Contacts can also be grouped, creating Family and Close Friends groups, that makes seeing and messaging them en masse a lot easier.

Calling

The Phone app brings up a rather large dialler app (that is shrunk when the Mega is put into one handed mode). The dialler is fairly attractive with the big blue buttons contrasting well against the black background.

The dialler also supports smart dialling, a feature that is only really notable down to its exclusion on certain phones (iOS and Windows). Dialling 323, for example, will bring up 'Dad' like it would have done on old feature phones.

It will also bring up contacts that have a 323 number combination within their contact details. As a feature, it is one of those that really help make a UI feel intuitive.

When it comes to calling, we would really suggest that you invest in some sort of headset, as you really will look and feel a bit stupid with the Galaxy Mega pressed against the side of your face. The one that comes bundled with the Mega is more than up to the task, but you might want your own.

Call quality was decent, so no problems there. As for signal holding, we found that the Galaxy Mega matched what we expected, so again we have no complaints.

Samsung's 'Adapt Sound' from the Galaxy S4 is also included on the Galaxy Mega. Pop in a headset, or some headphones, and the Samsung Galaxy Mega will tailor the sound to suit your ears. 'Soft sound' and 'Clear sound' are also available.

One feature we have praised Samsung's Galaxy devices on before, still makes a very welcome appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Mega. After the call has ended, the screen brings up three options; Message, Call or Video Call.

This is ideal if you've agreed to text over some details, or suddenly realised you forgot to mention something. We use that all too often....

If you hadn't gathered from that, or the front facing camera sensor, the Galaxy Mega includes the ability to video call a contact.

We've mentioned once or twice before, but we don't entirely see the point of this given that we haven't a clue who makes video chats through the phone app. Skype and other apps are a lot easier to use, and with Skype contacts syncing with other contacts, you can Skype-call them direct from the contact screen.