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Samsung Unveils 5.8-Inch, 6.3-Inch "Mega" Phones

(CNET) – Samsung has unveiled two new smartphones that push the envelope of screen size in the smartphone space.

Dubbed Mega, the two devices Samsung showed off today come with the customer's choice of a 5.8-inch screen or a 6.3-inch option. Both devices come with Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a dual-core processor. The higher-end 6.3-inch option comes with a 1.7GHz processor, while the 5.8-inch version has a 1.4GHz chip. Both handsets have 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras and 1.9-megapixel front-facing cameras.

Samsung's Mega 6.3 handset will deliver 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, with up to 64GB of capacity with the microSD slot. The smaller option comes with 8GB of storage.

Rumors had surfaced earlier this week that Samsung was planning to launch new handsets that would boast ultra-large screens. Samsung at that time declined to comment on whether it was planning to launch such devices.

Although Samsung boasts about the Mega's thin design and software features, the real impact the devices will have is in the evaluation of screen sizes. To put their sizes into perspective, Apple's iPhone comes with a 4-inch screen. The latest Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch display.

But before you get too excited about the Megas, be aware that for now, Samsung is only promising that they will be made available in Europe and Russia starting this May. The company said that their availability will vary by market and they will be rolled out gradually over time.

(TM and © 2013 CBS Interactive, Inc. and CNET, a CBS-owned company. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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