Samsung OMNIA HD i8910 Review

Introduction:

Our patience has been rewarded. We have just received a final version of one of the most interesting cell phones as of now – the Samsung OMNIA HD, also known as i8910 HD depending on the region it sells. Actually we like the OMNIA HD better, because it sounds far more intriguing than just another name with numbers in it. We are going to take a closer at the phone a bit later. First, let us remind you what is so fancy tickling about the phone. It is all in one device sporting the largest (3.7-inch) AMOLED screen to have ever been integrated on a cell phone in recorded history. It features 16 mln. colors and 360x640 pixel resolution, just like the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. Moreover, its 8-megapixel camera that allows HD video capture and playback makes it a pioneer among all the cell phones on the market. The device sports DivX and Xvid video support. The OMNIA HD runs on a Symbian OS modified with manufacturer’s TouchWiz 3D interface, so it’s also smart indeed. On top of that it features Wi-Fi with DLNA, 7.2 Mb. capable HSDPA, GPS, HDMI, accelerometer and comes with either 8 or 16GB built-in memory and expansion slot to allow use of an up to 32GB card. Last, but not least the manufacturer have managed to pack all these features in a 12.9 mm. thin body.

What's in the box?

• Samsung OMNIA HD i8910
  
• Charger
• Stereo headset
• microUSB cable
• CD with software

Design:

Most people who have seen the phone go on with “Jeez, now that´s one huge screen!”. You hardly need be worried or startled though. Holding it in your hand the phone feels solid, despite it´s almost entirely made of plastic. Its size and weight are balanced really well, it´s thin and the 3.7-inch touch sensitive AMOLED display makes it quite comfy to use. The latter features capacitive technology, meaning you should touch the screen using your fingers. In addition, there is light sensor located next to the video call camera. Just as expected, the screen delivers beautiful, saturated colors albeit in artificial lighting only. Unfortunately, you can hardly see any details on the screen if you take the phone outdoors in bright sunlight, especially if you happen to forget to wipe the fingerprint-smudged surface clean. There are three hardware keys on its front side, the send/end buttons and another one that calls up the main menu. They are fairly large and have good travel, so you feel that quite distinctly.





You can compare the Samsung OMNIA HD i8910 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The volume rocker, microSD slot, screen lock/unlock button, microUSB port and camera shutter are located on its left and right hand sides, while 3.5 mm. jack and both stereo speakers can be found on its top and bottom.



We need to point out that plastic surface on its back side simply adores fingerprints. Our other negative comment here is the back cover opens way too easily, there is no apparent lock mechanism and we felt as if it was about to come off anytime. It´s possible that the issue affects only the unit we tested. What else is there onto the back panel? One of the most interesting and important features of the i8910 HD – the world´s first 8-megapixel camera that supports HD video capture (720p equal to 1280x720 pixels). You can take a look at the sample pictures and a video in the multimedia section of this review.