Forgive me for not jumping on the iOS 8 bandwagon, because as needed as the new features might be, they’re not anything extraordinary. Really, there’s only so much that can be said about it, and most of it has already been said. But this new 7-inch display smartphone from Samsung? That’s something to talk about right there. I mean, I guess I could say I’ve seen it coming a mile away, but still, I just can’t believe they actually did it.
When did 7-inch screens go from being tablets to phones?
Perhaps the real downer is that this phone, called the Samsung Galaxy W, really doesn’t have anything to offer other than being unusually large. It doesn’t have amazing specs to offer, it doesn’t have an exceptional camera, and the resolution isn’t good either. It doesn’t even run on the latest Android software; this phone runs on Android 4.3, but at least you can use LTE on it. It's just big.
For whatever reason, I’m baffled, even if slightly. I knew that Samsung was pushing the limit with the Galaxy Mega 6.3, but this Samsung Galaxy W just seems a little out there. It’s not a Galaxy S, it’s not a Galaxy Mega, it’s not a Galaxy Note, and on top of that, Samsung has already had a Galaxy W on the market before. So what is this thing, besides an overly expensive tablet? Wasn’t the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (International) also able to be used as a phone, and cost nearly $200 less? That was kind of ridiculous enough as it were, but at least the Note 8 came with a stylus. The Note 3 comes with a stylus, and it’s over an inch smaller than this phone.
Is this phone really any good?
We all know at this point that if anybody is going to just slap a phone together and throw it on the market, it’s going to be Samsung. So, really this shouldn’t be a surprise. Despite that knowledge, it is pretty baffling that this phone kind of came out of nowhere. I understand that there are some people that might love to have a phone this big. I mean, we have had 6.9-inch displays before, which isn’t really that much of a difference, but still. This is crossing a very specific line! This isn’t a phablet, it’s not a phone, it is a tablet with talking capabilities. It is borderline ridiculous to see something that huge propped up against your head. Maybe it’s one of those history repeating itself type things, because I thought that was done and over with back in the 80’s.
I guess not.
I don’t know. This isn’t that big of a deal, I just hope that this trend stops here at this low-end (but large) smartphone. I would really, really hate to see other flagships actually get that big in a few years’ time. Obviously there is plenty of room in that large shell to stuff in some good specs, but I do find myself wondering if this is maybe the beginning of the end. Samsung did it, they won. They have a real tablet-sized phone. Is the race over then? Can we start racing back to more normal sized smartphones now? I certainly hope so.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy W? Let us know in the comments below!
Images via CNet, Digital Trends
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