Samsung largest smartphone

Samsung unveils largest smartphone yet: Galaxy Mega

Samsung claims the device will have an HD screen that allows two applications to run side-by-side, including video, but no details have been released about whether this will mean 720p or 1080p.

The company launched its 5.3" Galaxy Note in 2011, creating the "phablet" market of mobile phones that have such large screens that they could almost claim to be tablet devices. But the Galaxy Mega is Samsung's largest mobile phone yet (confusingly, the upcoming Galaxy Note 8.0, although it has an 8" screen, is marketed as a tablet with the ability to make phone calls).

It will be equipped with an 8mp rear-facing camera and a 1.9mp forward-facing camera, a dual-core processor, up to 64GB of memory and will run Google's Android 4.2 operating system, known as Jelly Bean.

There will also be a clutch of new features including "Group Play", which allows up to eight devices to share content over a Wi-Fi network, "WatchON" to turn the device into a remote control for compatible television sets and "ChatON" to broadcast a stream of the device's screen to other users.

Samsung also claims that improved software will make the device more efficient and boost battery life.