Cell Phone magazine

Now the first thing that comes to mind when you have a look at the Samsung i8910 Omnia is that , it’s a stunning looking phone. Also the other thing that will attract most people is the 3.7 inch touch screen. Everyone who wants a large touch screen phone might want to check it out.It also has the usual Wi-Fi, GPS, quad band GSM, tri-band 3G, plus TV-out, UPnP, Bluetooth and Digital Compass

The screen itself is scratch resistant and a great viewing experience. The handset runs on the Symbian S60 version 5.0 operating system. Some of the main features include an excellent 8 megapixel camera, GPS, music player, FM radio and 8GB of internal memory plus memory card support. The Samsung i8910 Omnia also comes with a web browser, USB, Bluetooth, instant messaging, document viewer and video recorder.

The i8910 HD sets a number of important examples . It’s the first S60 5th Edition device from Samsung, it’s the first mainstream mobile phone to record HD video, and it’s the first Symbian device running on a next generation chipset (OMAP 3). At 123×58x12.9mm, it’s also a large phone, some 6mm longer and 3mm wider than the already-largish Nokia N97. It’s thinner though, thanks to the monoblock form factor – there are no sliding parts to fit in.

The i8910 HD’s size means that prolonged one handed usage, especially for those with small hands, is somewhat cumbersome. This is true of all touchscreen devices to an extent, but it is a matter of degree – the Nokia 5800, for example, is narrow enough that it feels more like a traditional phone and less like a PDA/tablet. At 144g, the i8910 HD is also significantly heavier than the typical mobile phone.

In style terms, the i8910 HD is typical for a high end Samsung device, with metal and hard, glossy plastics and with tempered glass covering the screen. It is a sleek and attractive device, apart from the perennial problem of fingerprints on the glossy surfaces. The overall build quality feels very good with no squeaking or flexing.

Now in respect to the camera the i8910 HD’s 8 megapixel still image capture is largely overtaken by the HD video recording, but is still very impressive in good light conditions. The presence of a single LED flash is very disappointing, it felt weak compared to some of the dual LED solutions that Nokia and Sony Ericsson have introduced in recent devices, plus the sensor isn’t anywhere near as good in low light as the Nokia N86 8MP. Attempting to shoot a subject in pitch darkness was, simply, an abject failure. Sony Ericsson have used a proper Xenon flash in their new Satio and I fail to see why Samsung couldn’t have done the same here, given the device’s size and price tag. A missed opportunity.

Other than a weak flash, I have two main complaints about shooting photos on the i8910 HD. Firstly, there’s a slight lag between pressing the shutter key (after focussing) and the photo actually being taken. It’s only of the order of a fraction of a second, but it does result in a few blurred photos at first until you learn to hold the phone steady for a second after the shutter is pressed right down. This should be something that can be optimised in future firmware.

Secondly, the OLED screen is absolutely at its worst on a nice sunny day with the sun behind you - exactly the same conditions which represent the optimum lighting for taking great photos. All of which is a bit unfortunate – Nokia has exactly the same issue with their OLED-screened N86 8MP, interestingly – I can’t help thinking that, gorgeous as OLED is indoors, a standard transflective screen should have been used for a camera-centric device. Compromises, compromises. With care though, taking a moment or two after pressing the shutter and trying to avoid ’sun right behind you’ situations, the i8910 HD is capable of working well as a camera and taking great photos.

Now people might ask if the Samsung i8910 is a good buy , well it definitely is and most people who are cell phone freaks might want to check it out.

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