Review of the Omnia HD
Here at Mobiles.co.uk we have been lucky enough to get a full hands on play test with the Samsung Omnia HD before it is officially due to launch in the summer. One of the most eagerly anticipated devices in mobile phone history, read on for our thoughts on what is sure to be contender for phone of the year.
The first thing that strikes you with the Omnia HD is its size; the phone is by no means small. The front is dominated by the huge 3.7 inch display which is nicely framed by a silver metallic r strip. In the top left corner we find the video calling camera, directly above the screen sits the earpiece and beneath we find the three physical buttons. On the back of the phone we fin the camera lens which again uses the silver metallic material as a sort of border, on the left side the memory card slot and volume keys and on the right the camera button, micro USB slot and screen lock key. The design of the Omnia HD works well, combining the classy metallic silver frame and camera with a high quality, highly polished black plastic material to great effect. At 12.9mm the phone is remarkably thin considering the features included and at 144g has a reassuring weight to it without being too heavy.
The reason for the uncompromising size of the Omnia HD all becomes clear when you switch on the phone. The screen on the Omnia HD is of the AMOLED variety (as seen on the Tocco Ultra) which provides a truly stunning visual experience. The increase in size really shows off what an OLED display is capable of. Colours are rich and sharp, everything is crisp and vivid and at times you feel like you could reach out and grab what's on screen. If the Omnia HD is anything to go by, OLED technology is definitely the way forward for mobile phone displays. The fact that the majority of the front consists of the screen is a joy to behold.
The touchscreen on the Omnia HD is capacitive meaning it reacts to your finger. While this eliminates the use of a stylus or similar accessories, it means that icons stick to your finger like glue. Swiping across the screen always registers and everything is effortless with the minimum of pressure required to perform an action. The touchscreen on the Omnia HD is fast and intuitive and not once did I find myself having to retouch the same icon. The phone runs on Symbian series 60 5th edition, as previously seen on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The touchscreen Symbian interface is easily laid out meaning you can pick up the Omnia HD and start getting the most out of it straight away. Menus and shortcuts are easily customisable and the number of third party applications is growing nicely in time for the phones summer launch. The home screen adopts the TouchWiz interface with the task bar on the left the home for shortcuts such as the music player and clock which can then be dragged and dropped on to the home screen. Lastly the Omnia HD also plays host to an LG arena style cube which lets you flick between the Symbian menu, TouchWiz home screen and your photo contacts.
The Samsung Omnia HD gets its name from its video capture capabilities. The i8910 records video in high definition at 720p, a world first for a mobile phone. The boost in quality is only really apparent when watching video playback on an HD ready TV but it is worth it; the increase in quality is staggering. In recent mobile launches we have seen manufacturers adopting VGA quality as standard for video capture but now that Samsung have raised the bar once again, it's time for the other big players to play catch up.
The Omnia HD also features one of the most impressive cameras seen on a phone to date. The 8.0 Megapixel camera features autofocus, face detection and smile detection. The large touchscreen interface is very user friendly; the centre provides the main viewfinder which is framed on either side by a row of settings including shooting mode (multi shot/ smile shot etc.), scene, picture size and focus (auto focus/ macro mode etc.). Tapping the required icon opens up the menu with icons clearly labelled and big enough so that they are easy to access with your finger. The camera on the Omnia HD is perfect for casual users and the more dedicated enthusiasts alike. Point and shoot images show incredible levels of detail and clarity and for those willing to delve a little deeper and set the camera up to match the scene and conditions, the results are even more rewarding. The gallery is also equally impressive; the main over view gives you thumbnails of all your files whilst double tapping will show the image in full screen. From here, simply swiping your finger across the screen allows you to flick through your gallery. The built in accelerometer is also fast with little delay in matching the screen to the orientation of the phone.
The i8910 features HSDPA connectivity and Wi-Fi for high speed web access. Clicking on the web browser icon brings up a list of options such as bookmarks, history options and the ability to enter a new web address. Choosing the latter opens up a small pop up window which asks whether you want to use your network data access or a Wi-Fi connection. Once you have selected and been taken to the web page, you are presented with an easy to use and incredibly clear interface. Initially you get a tool bar of options which sits on the right but this can be hidden in favour of a full screen view. This is where the large display again comes into its own; holding the Omnia HD on its side activates the accelerometer and gives you the web page in full wide screen. Navigating around is a simple case of dragging your finger across to scroll down or across the web page. To zoom in and out simply hold your finger on screen until a zoom cursor appears then roll your finger forwards or backwards to zoom in and out.
In terms of multimedia, the Omnia HD picks up where its predecessor left off. Support for pretty much every audio format under the sun proves the Omnia HD's worth as a portable music player. The music player sorts by artist, album, track or genre and also lets users create playlists. The speaker, situated at the bottom of the phone, is loud and clear enough to play your music through, though for the best experience plug in the bundled headphones. When it comes to video, the Omnia HD is head and shoulders above the rest. The i8910 supports DivX, Xvid and WMV which covers all the major movie file formats meaning you can load the phone with movies without overloading the memory. Not that this is an issue with 8GB internal memory and a memory card slot. Put simply, watching videos on the Omnia HD is a joy.
At first glance the Omnia HD is a slightly daunting proposition due to its uncompromising size but as soon as you switch on the phone and start using the incredible touchscreen, Samsung's decision makes perfect sense. The OLED screen looks amazing and is capable of displaying unparalleled levels of detail, colour and clarity. What is even more pleasing is the fact that behind the beautiful display the Omnia HD is just as impressive to use. The touchscreen is responsive and user friendly, the camera is one of the best camera phones out there and the HD video capture turns mobile video recording on its head. Add to this already impressive feature list huge internal memory, a wealth of connectivity options and a Symbian operating system that is only going to get better with time and Samsung have a potential world beater on their hands.
Expected to launch in late June, the Omnia HD promises to be a strong contender for phone of the year and has set its sights on the title of top touchscreen mobile phone.
Dan, Mobiles.co.uk
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