Review of Samsung Omnia W (model I8350) - the first Samsung smartphone on Windows Phone. Review of Samsung Omnia W (model I8350) - the first Samsung smartphone on Windows Phone

One of the undoubted leaders in the mobile solutions market - Samsung - of course, could not pass by the new version of the Microsoft operating system for smartphones. However, to say that a lot of attention was paid to her is not worth it. Comparison with the line of Android devices in terms of the number of models does not make sense, even if you take into account all versions of the Microsoft operating system.

Continuing to get acquainted with solutions based on Windows Phone 8, today we will consider the only Samsung device on the local market with this OS version - Samsung ATIV S (internal designation - GT-I8750). It is unlikely that the manufacturer expects wide sales of this device. Rather, it is about maintaining the status of the company or supporting Microsoft. However, the model looks good against the background of implementations of other manufacturers and may be more interesting in some of the parameters.

Characteristics

The smartphone is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus platform. In this case, a dual-core SoC MSM8960 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz is used. The amount of RAM is 1 GB. The graphics module is represented by Adreno 225. The same processor is used in top models with WP8 by HTC and Nokia, so in general they will practically not differ in terms of computing performance. And in terms of graphics speed, the difference will most likely not be noticeable, since the screen resolutions of these devices are similar.

The Samsung ATIV S has the largest 4.8″ screen with a resolution of 1280 × 720 made using Super AMOLED technology among WP8 devices. This combination of diagonal and resolution looks great. True, different people may have individual characteristics of the perception of Pentile. Subjectively, the maximum brightness is very high, the device can be used in bright sunlight with little or no discomfort. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

The capacitive sensor works well. Support for ten simultaneous touches can be useful with such a screen diagonal, although, of course, it all depends on the applications.

Of the 16 GB of built-in flash memory, about 12 GB is available to the user. At the same time, it is possible to install microSD memory cards for storing multimedia information. Working with memory in this model does not differ from that of other devices with the Windows Phone 8 operating system. When connected to a computer, access to the smartphone's built-in storage is carried out in MTP mode. The user can overwrite any files, but the system and applications can only work with fixed formats located in certain folders.

The smartphone has one Micro-SIM card slot. 2G (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) and 3G (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) networks are supported. The maximum data receiving rate can reach 42.2 Mbps. In reality, everything, of course, will be determined by the operator and its network.

The device has a built-in Bluetooth 3.0 module, a dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11n wireless controller with a connection speed of up to 150 Mbps, and also supports NFC. For the coordinate system, compatibility with GPS and Glonass is declared. There is also a standard set of sensors and sensors, including a compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, orientation sensor, proximity sensor. The Micro-USB port is used for charging and exchanging files with a PC (the manufacturer, apparently out of habit, calls it “multifunctional” in the documentation).

The main camera has a matrix of 8 megapixels, autofocus and flash. It is capable of recording video in up to Full HD inclusive. The front is expected to be simpler: 1.9 megapixels, and video only up to 720p.

The manufacturer installed a removable battery of relatively small capacity in the smartphone - only 2300 mAh. For a model with a large screen, this may not be enough.

In general, according to the characteristics, the model in question can be attributed to the upper segment of devices on the Windows Phone 8 platform.

Samsung ATIV S Smartphone Specifications

SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960, 1.5 GHz, 2 Krait cores
GPU Adreno 225
Operating system Microsoft Windows Phone 8
Touchscreen 4.8″, Super AMOLED, 1280×720, capacitive, multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Random access memory (RAM) 1 GB
Internal memory 16 GB, microSD card slot
Communication 2G GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz, 3G UMTS 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
Data transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+ (up to 42.2 Mbps)
Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz), NFC
GPS, gyroscope, compass, orientation sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor
Cameras: main 8 MP (autofocus, flash), additional 1.9 MP
Removable 2300 mAh battery
Dimensions 137×70×8-9 mm
Weight 135 g

The table shows the specifications of the current high-end Windows Phone 8 devices on our market and the recently tested Nokia Lumia 720.

	Samsung ATIV S	Nokia Lumia 720	Nokia Lumia 920	HTC Windows Phone 8X
Screen	4.8″ Super AMOLED	4.3" IPS	4.5" IPS	4.3″ S-LCD2
Permission	1280×720, 306 ppi	800×480, 217 ppi	1280×768, 332 ppi	1280×720, 342 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 @1GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 @1.5GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 @1.5GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait)
GPU	Adreno 225	Adreno 305	Adreno 225	Adreno 225
RAM	1 GB	512 MB	1 GB	1 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	8 GB	32 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	No	No
Operating system	Windows Phone 8	Windows Phone 8	Windows Phone 8	Windows Phone 8
SIM format*	Micro SIM	Micro SIM	Micro SIM	Micro SIM
Communications		2G/3G, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC	2G/3G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC	2G/3G, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC
Battery	removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 2000 mAh	non-removable, 2000 mAh	non-removable, 1800 mAh
cameras	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.9 MP)	rear (6.7 MP; video - 720p), front (1.2 MP)	rear (8.7 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (2.1 MP)
Dimensions	137×70×9 mm, 135 g	128×68×9 mm, 128 g	130×71×10.7mm, 185g	132×66×10.1mm, 130g
Price**	N/A()	$171()	$112()	N/A()

* the most common SIM card formats are described in a separate article
** average cost at the time of reading the article

Compared with top models from other manufacturers on this software platform, the pluses include a large screen, a memory card slot and a large battery. The remaining parameters are practically the same - all models use the same SoC, have 1 GB of RAM, an HD screen, and a wide range of wireless communication adapters.

Equipment

In our case, a sample was tested, so the information on the configuration is based on the manufacturer's data. There is nothing unexpected in the kit in this case: phone, battery, power supply, USB cable, headset, quick start guide. The charger is standard - with a USB output and a current of 1 A. The headset has in-ear headphones and a remote control with a microphone and buttons on the cable.

Note that the tested copy differed from the official versions from the store with the inscriptions “Not for Sale” and other similar messages, and also did not behave very well - it spontaneously rebooted, lost the date and time settings. Unfortunately, the manufacturer could not provide us with another copy.

Appearance and usability

Despite the common features with the Galaxy line, Samsung ATIV S is still different from them. Unfortunately, the case material has remained unchanged - it is still the same plastic, despite the "metal/aluminum" coating on the frame and the back cover. However, the rejection of gloss on the rear panel and an almost imperceptible change in the shape of the case in total give a significant positive effect - the model no longer seems like an inexpensive plastic craft.

It should also be noted the successful choice of the color of the panel around the screen - metallic gray gives the device austerity and style. The dimensions of the smartphone for its diagonal turned out to be successful. Of course, the ability to work with it with one hand depends on this hand, but it is comfortable to hold the device, it does not slip out. In addition, remember about the relatively small weight of the phone.

The front panel uses a protective glass, so the manufacturer rightly abandoned the protruding frame. True, it should be noted that the speaker grille and the central button still protrude slightly above the glass surface. At the top is the earpiece, front camera and sensors. The device does not have any additional indicators. Under the screen - two touch buttons ("back" and "search") and a mechanical "home" (can also be used to bring the smartphone out of the locked state). The first have a bright automatic backlight that turns on when you touch the screen and turns off after a couple of seconds. The central one boasts only a silver operating system logo. To be honest, the combination of hardware and touch buttons seemed not very convenient to use, because you have to think about the applied effort. Perhaps the same type of controls in this sense would be better.

At the top end of the device there is a headset jack (3.5 mm) and a hole for the second microphone. A Micro-USB connector was placed in the center of the bottom end, and the main microphone was placed a little to the side.

At the top of the left side there is a volume control button. On the opposite side of the body is the power button, and at the bottom of the end - the camera button.

The button cases are also made of plastic, and they dangle noticeably. The power button is made almost flush with the body, which makes it difficult to work with it. The rest of the keys protrude slightly, making them easy to find by touch. Pressing is clear, the necessary effort is at a comfortable level.

The rear panel has an aluminum-like texture, which has a positive effect on the appearance. At the top of the panel is a slightly protruding window of the main camera. It uses a black background and an aluminum frame, which is somewhat out of the general style of the device. To the left of the camera is the flash LED. A little lower we see the manufacturer's silver logo, under it is another one, already the operating system.

Interestingly, the lid does not go all the way to the bottom of the case - about a centimeter is occupied by an extended glossy frame. Between it and the lid there is a decorative grille, part of which is used for the device's external speaker. Given that the grille has a slight bevel, the sound will not be blocked when the device is placed on the table with the screen up.

The smartphone has a removable cover, behind which there is a battery, a slot for Micro-SIM and microSD memory cards. The lid is held on by traditional latches. The memory card can be replaced without turning off the machine.

In general, the device makes a good impression. Despite the use of plastic for the case, the chosen colors and texture give the model solidity, slightly leveling the effect of "cheap plastic". At the same time, the smartphone's hardware buttons are not very convenient in everyday use.

Screen

The smartphone in question has the largest screen among devices with Windows Phone 8. A 4.8″ diagonal by modern standards allows you to comfortably use the device in many scenarios - from working with e-mail to watching videos. Although, of course, convenience is more dependent on the OS and applications. Here the situation is somewhat strange: there are no WP8 models with Full HD screens on the market at the moment, so the 1280×720 used in Samsung ATIV S is almost the maximum resolution (there is also a variant of 1280×768). The screen is made using Super AMOLED technology and has a Pentile pixel placement structure. It is almost imperceptible on the interface of the operating system and in applications, although users may have individual perceptions. Corning Gorilla Glass 2 helps protect the screen from rough handling. Subjectively, the screen seemed very bright, quite visible in the sun, with good viewing angles, with normal colors.

Alexey Kudryavtsev, editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections, conducted a detailed examination using measuring instruments.

The screen is covered with a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface and, judging by the reflection of bright light sources in it, it has an anti-glare filter. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 250 cd/m², the average was 130 cd/m², and the minimum was 20 cd/m². Despite not the highest brightness value, even in bright daylight, the smartphone can be used, as it helps less, in comparison with LCD, the reflection of OLED screens from dark areas. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. The low brightness mode allows you to use your smartphone without any problems even in total darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (second eye to the right of the front speaker). In complete darkness, the auto brightness function reduces the brightness to at least 20 cd/m² (comfortable level), in an artificially lit office, the brightness is set to 85 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment, the brightness rises to 190 cd/m² (why - something not to the maximum value). The devices register brightness modulation (trapezoidal pulses with almost 100% amplitude), but it has a high frequency (240 Hz), so screen flicker is not visible during normal use. However, if you try, you can detect flicker, for example, by waving a pencil in front of a white field on the screen (this is a classic "pencil" test for flicker).

This smartphone uses a HD Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:

For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. Brightness is mainly determined by the green component, so the luminance definition actually corresponds to the green subpixel density, and the fact that the color definition is lower (because the density of red and blue subpixels is lower) does not actually affect the image quality, since the color definition of human vision is also lower than the luminance clarity. However, this does not mean that the image on such a screen looks exactly the same as on a screen with the same resolution, but with the same number of subpixels of different colors. For example, at high magnification on PenTile RGBG, a fragment with two worlds looks like - with vertical black and white stripes through one pixel and with the same horizontal stripes:

It can be seen that the vertical stripes are displayed more or less well (although the large red and blue subpixels visually increase the jaggedness of the black lines), while the horizontal stripes are displayed much worse. A similar effect is present, for example, when displaying small black text on a white background:

However, the readability of such small text is in any case low due to the small physical dimensions on a screen with such a resolution and such a diagonal. As a result, PenTile RGBG can be considered a justified compromise between the cost of the screen and its consumer qualities.

The type of the screen determines the special properties: this screen has very good viewing angles - the white color only noticeably changes the shade when deviated at large angles, and the black color always remains just black at any angle, and it is so black that the contrast parameter is simply inapplicable in this case . When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is very good. Switching the state of the matrix elements is actually instantaneous, so the response time can be equated to 0. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function is 1.69, which differs from the standard value of 2 ,2, while the real gamma curve noticeably deviates from the power dependence:

Note that the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for light images in general and increases for dark ones. For example, this is how the dependences of brightness on time look like, obtained when switching from a black field in full screen to white and back (0-100) and when switching between shades of 25% and 75% in a similar way (according to the numerical value of the color - 25-75):

Therefore, the obtained dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) may not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential grayscale output on the entire screen.

The color gamut is very wide:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, the colors of normal images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. The spectra of the components are very well separated:

The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature is even higher than 8000 K, but on the entire part of the gray scale that matters, this parameter changes slightly, while the deviation from the black body spectrum (delta E) is less than 10, which is considered for a consumer device a good indicator, and the variation of delta E is very small:

Therefore, according to the visual assessment, there are no special complaints about the transmission of shades of gray.

As a result, the main and only significant drawback of this screen is that the manufacturer did not provide for adjusting the color gamut to sRGB.

Sound

The main speaker makes a good impression when listening to music. It has a high maximum volume, wide frequency range, relatively little distortion, and the grille does not block when placed face up on a table. Complex rich compositions, traditionally for mobile devices, are difficult for this smartphone.

The speaker also performed well. Of course, the transmission bandwidth is limited, but the volume is high, the speech is transmitted clearly. The microphone is quite sensitive, there is a noise reduction system. In general, we have no comments on the scenario of a telephone conversation. In this case, the limitations are more likely dictated by cellular communication, since the sound is much better in the same Skype.

There is nothing to say about the complete headset, since we did not have it. Checking the work with the HTC model showed that the sound is good and loud, you can use the microphone, the start / pause buttons and the volume control work (in the original - track navigation). Apple's options were less fortunate: only the headphones and start/pause worked. However, the sound quality and loudness were up to par with them.

Additional ringtones from Samsung seemed too "synetic". However, the ability to install your own audio recording on a call in Windows Phone 8 allows you to ignore this. The intensity of the vibrating alert can be assessed as average: it will not be easy to notice it in a bag or a deep pocket.

Camera

The device has a dedicated button to call the application "Camera", and it can work even when the screen is locked. Unfortunately, the button itself is not very convenient: it is small, and the second level of pressing (shoot / shutter) requires noticeable effort. And the unpredictable delay between pressing the button and taking a picture makes the job even more difficult.

The program for shooting is standard, there are no additional features (panoramas or HDR) in it. For video, you can select the white balance, video effect, and resolution. There are a few more options for photography, as well as a focus mode, ISO, exposure compensation and others.

It's one of the few devices where the front camera delivers good picture quality even in indoor environments in low light, which is important for applications like Skype.

The main camera has a matrix of 8 megapixels, autofocus and flash. It allows you to take pictures with a resolution of up to 3264 × 2448 and record videos in Full HD. The additional one is rated at 1280x960 and 720p, respectively. Video recording parameters are shown in the table. Examples of videos from the main camera are available via the links.

Please note that the sound is presented in mono version. The video is recorded with the orientation flag, so remember to hold your smartphone correctly if you want to watch the result not only on the phone, but also on other devices. Due to the relatively high bitrate, the video recording quality is at its best, we also note good fps stability.

Sample photos taken with the main camera are shown below.


Outside, partly cloudy

Outdoors, partly cloudy, after rain

bright sunny day

bright sunny day

Cloudy weather, light rain



Outdoors, different conditions

Indoors, with or without flash

Shooting text	With a flash at night

In general, the results are above average. Pictures are sharp, with good color reproduction and low noise levels.

Software

The device uses the operating system Windows Phone 8 in almost unchanged form. Additionally, pre-installed programs: ChatOn - Samsung's proprietary multi-platform messaging client, Live Wallpaper - lock screen saver setup program, MiniDiary - diary for daily entries (text, photos, pictures, voice notes), Now - weather, news, stocks, exchange rates and others, Photo Editor - photo editor.

If desired, the programs can be deleted, although this will hardly affect the free space in the phone's memory, since the utilities take literally several tens of megabytes in total. The Samsung Zone section of the app store has a few more free Samsung apps. Note the presence of standard Office and OneNote for this platform.

Everything else is traditional - phone, messages, email, camera, calendar, alarm clock, maps, shop, music, photos and videos. Recall that the maps support map and satellite modes, display traffic jams, offline mode with preloading maps of the desired regions, search by address and POI catalog, and allow you to calculate the route (on foot or by car, without driving mode).

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone is claimed to support operation in GSM/2G (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) and UMTS/3G (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) networks. GPRS, EDGE and HSPA+ technologies are used for data transmission, the latter provides a technical data reception rate of 42 Mbps. In testing in Moscow and the region in Megafon and MTS networks, results were obtained at the level of 3-5 Mbps for reception and 1-3 Mbps for transmission, which are quite typical for modern models with 3G. True, it should be noted that these results raise certain doubts about the support of HSPA +. From the point of view of the stability of voice communication and data transfer, there were no comments on the device.

The smartphone is capable of working in Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n networks in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. In the first case, the connection speed can reach 72 Mbps, the real performance is about 40 Mbps for reception and 15 Mbps for transmission. In the 5 GHz band, you can take advantage of two-channel operation with a connection speed of 150 Mbps. At the same time, the real performance will increase to 60 and 20 Mbps for receiving and transmitting, respectively. Testing was carried out in conjunction with the RT-N66U router. There are no comments on stability and range of work.

Through Bluetooth, the smartphone can work with headsets and speakers, including playback control, as well as share files. The download speed is about 180 KB/s. It was not possible to confirm remote work with the notebook, the Broadcom stack used on the PC did not see this service on the phone.

The smartphone is equipped with a GPS receiver, GLONASS support is indicated on the manufacturer's website. The system is quite stable in operation, navigation programs work correctly, the smartphone determines the coordinates quickly. The sensitivity of the receiver allows you to use it inside the car. True, not everything is good with the temperature regime: when using this scenario, the smartphone case got very hot, and on one of the trips with the Navitel program, it simply turned off after about an hour of operation.

Since our first introduction to NFC technology, the situation with programs for it in Windows Phone 8 has improved a bit. Of course, the limitations of the operating system have not gone away, but today you can find free utilities for reading and writing NDEF tags that allow you to work with text/links/contacts, dial a number, establish a connection with Bluetooth devices and run programs.

Performance

We have already said that in terms of platforms, devices on Windows Phone 8 do not shine with diversity. Top models from all manufacturers are based on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, so the performance of the Samsung ATIV S should not differ from the previously tested Nokia Lumia 920, except in some graphics tests, where a slightly higher screen resolution in a Nokia device can affect.

The lack of interesting utilities for changing performance is somewhat compensated by the general “poverty” of the Windows Phone 8 application store. However, it should be noted that we have not encountered a situation where the phone interface or application visually “slow down”. It is unlikely that this is due to the "optimization" of the operating system, but rather the fact that a pair of modern Qualcomm cores is enough for most scenarios for using a smartphone.

Therefore, this section is rather a confirmation that the manufacturer of the device has not “spoiled” anything, than a real comparison of different devices with each other to determine the convenience of working with them. This is confirmed by the following table, which presents the test results of devices that have been in our laboratory.

	Samsung ATIV S (2×1.5 GHz, Adreno 225)	Nokia Lumia 720 (2×1.0 GHz, Adreno 305)	Nokia Lumia 920 (2×1.5 GHz, Adreno 225)
AnTuTu	10616	6490	10903
MultiBench 2 CPU	17,924	11,635	17,748
MultiBench 2 Graphics	37,748	31,047	37,873
phonemark	947	556	943
WP Bench Free	242,99	177,98	229,84

A similar situation is observed in browser tests, most of which fall into the category of "computing".

This device has one gigabyte of RAM installed, so you can run the GFXBench 3D gaming graphics benchmark. In it, we got exactly the same results as in Nokia Lumia 920 - 5.2 fps in 2.7 T-Rex HD (onscreen) and 11 fps in 2.5 Egypt HD (onscreen), since the platforms for these models are the same. It seems that the developers of the test are still overestimating the capabilities of Windows Phone 8 devices, suggesting a computational problem too complex to play smoothly on current devices. During the test, heating was observed in the upper rear of the case, but the device passed the full cycle of scenarios without comment.

In addition, we tested the work in Asphalt 7 Heat, Assassin's Creed - Altair's Chronicles HD and NFS: Hot Pursuit, where the model in question performed very well in terms of speed. Although, of course, I would like a higher resolution screen or at least stronger post-processing.

The speed of working with flash memory via USB cable in MTP mode is shown in the table. A 32 GB SunDisk Ultra memory card was used in this test. The figures correspond to those received earlier for the Nokia Lumia 720.

	built-in memory	microSD
Recording	14.6 MB/s	5.7 MB/s
Reading	20.5 MB/s	17.7 MB/s

Work with the built-in memory is implemented well, but writing to an external card is relatively slow. It may be worth using a separate card reader if you need to transfer a large amount of data to it.

Video playback test

As we wrote in the previous article, testing devices with Windows Phone 8 in the video player mode is difficult due to the modest capabilities of the standard player and the lack of convenient alternatives. So our standard plate with the results of playing formats popular on the net looks a bit sad.

However, the hardware platform itself is capable of more and wins back on the MP4 container. It can play videos in it in formats up to 720p50 and 1080p30 depending on the codec parameters, including files prepared with profiles for Android, Apple and YouTube.

Using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Method of testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"), we checked how the video is displayed on the smartphone screen. Screen shots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and the frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps / from). The results of this test are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Screen
watch-1920x1080-60p.mp4	not playable
watch-1920x1080-50p.mp4	not playable
watch-1920x1080-30p.mp4	Great	few
watch-1920x1080-25p.mp4	Okay	No
watch-1920x1080-24p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280x720-60p.mp4	not playable
watch-1280x720-50p.mp4	Okay	No
watch-1280x720-30p.mp4	medium	No
watch-1280x720-25p.mp4	medium	No
watch-1280x720-24p.mp4	medium	No

Note: If both columns Uniformity And Passes“green” ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

With the exception of two files, the intervals between frames alternate unevenly. However, even in the case of 1080p at 24 and 30 fps, even frame interleaving is an unstable state, as some external and internal background processes cause the correct interleaving of intervals between frames to periodically fail. A 1280x720 file at 60 fps plays normally for a couple of seconds, then the picture freezes, and the regular player simply refuses to play 1080p files at 50 and 60 fps. However, in fact, the declared support for playing Full HD files is available, there are no complaints against the manufacturer. The only pity is that this smartphone is deprived of the ability to display images on an external screen.

When playing 720p video files (1280 by 720 pixels), the video file image is displayed one-on-one, exactly on the edge of the screen in true 720p resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen exactly corresponds to the standard one: in the video range (that is, in the range of 16-235), all gradations of shades are distinguished in the shadows and in the highlights.

Battery Life

The smartphone has a removable battery with a capacity of 2300 mAh, which is a little more than is usually found in devices of this class with Windows Phone 8. The ability to replace the battery, in our opinion, does not seem very important today, since increasing battery life in this way for the mass user relatively difficult. It is usually much more convenient to use one of the models of universal external batteries.

Full charge time from a 1A output power supply is 3.5 hours, which is relatively long. Using a more powerful charger in this case does not make sense, since the built-in controller will not use more current.

When testing the battery life, the display brightness was set to the “medium” position. This corresponded to 133 cd/m², which is more than the other participants in the table (about 100 cd/m² for the Nokia Lumia 720 and about 75 cd/m² for the Nokia Lumia 920), but is the closest value to the reference 100 cd/m². In addition, the reading mode was tested not only with the traditional "black letters on a white background" scheme, but also with an alternative "white letters on a black background" scheme (the second result is indicated in brackets). The fact is that for AMOLED screens, consumption depends not only on the set brightness, but also on the number of white pixels on the screen. For obvious reasons, you can’t do a similar operation to watch a video.

It is impossible to call these figures otherwise than a disappointment. Perhaps they should be attributed to the sample used, but if official devices have the same result, then the smartphone will have little chance. And it’s hard to say anything about AMOLED with these numbers, except that when reading, the use of the inverse circuit gave an increase of 20%. We will try to study the issue of consumption of different types of screens in the following articles on a more “friendly” platform. Fortunately, in real use, not everything is so bad. The device is able to work on a single battery charge for a couple of days, if you do not use it very intensively.

Prices

At the time of this writing, the average cost of Samsung ATIV S in Moscow was a little less than 14 thousand rubles. This value is comparable to the price of HTC Windows Phone 8X, it is lower than that of Nokia Lumia 920 and higher than that of Nokia Lumia 720. If you look only at the technical specifications, then Samsung is on the side of the screen size, support for memory cards, battery capacity. The Nokia Lumia 920 features a slightly higher resolution, LTE support, and wireless charging, but lacks a microSD slot.

So, in our opinion, Samsung ATIV S looks very good among these models. Given the close characteristics, the design of the model will have a great influence on the choice. It is impossible to give an unambiguous assessment here, and it is difficult to single out a clear leader. All models have certain features, and the user will have to evaluate their importance in a particular case on their own.

There is practically no point in comparing these solutions with Android-based models, since in this case the choice of the operating system is usually more important than other parameters. But if you look only at the specifications and price, then you can write down the leaders of the past generation as competitors, for example, Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X.

Outcome

Judging by the fact that Samsung has only one model on Windows Phone 8, the manufacturer prefers not to waste energy on this platform. The release of the ATIV S is more of a gesture of maintaining a relationship with Microsoft than a real bid for business in this segment. From the point of view of the platform, the model differs little from other devices of this level. Two fast processor cores, a gigabyte of RAM, an HD display, dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC - it all looks quite modern, but just like the competition. Perhaps the only significant plus is the slot for microSD memory cards. In addition, this model is the largest on the WP8 on the diagonal of the screen. But such features as a removable battery or a Super AMOLED screen cannot be called obvious pluses.

The case turned out to be quite interesting in terms of the combination of design, materials and colors, but the bad buttons spoil the picture. The screen has excellent viewing angles, but relatively low brightness - however, the peculiarity of the manufacturing technology still allows you to use the device in bright light. I liked the sound of the built-in speaker, although it is unlikely that at least for someone this will be an important parameter when choosing. The camera in terms of the quality of the resulting images generally corresponds to the level of the device.

In terms of performance, the smartphone does not differ from other models on the same platform. But in testing the battery life in the reading scenario, he did not perform very well. In this case, Samsung did nothing to expand the capabilities of the firmware. Perhaps it was still worth offering something interesting to users, especially since the company has a lot of resources and good ideas.

If you decide to purchase a device on Windows Phone 8, then you should add Samsung ATIV S to your consideration. Fortunately, there are not very many models on this platform, and they still have differences in technical characteristics. So it remains only to determine the parameters that are important to you personally and make a choice.

Sample photos taken with the built-in Samsung Omnia M camera

Battery

Those who think that Android is the most gluttonous OS are mistaken. In terms of appetite, Windows Phone still does it. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why this phone in "vegetable" mode with a SIM card cannot lie for more than two days. Moreover, if the “Sim card” is pulled out, then he can remain conscious for a week or even more. You can refer to a driver or a bad radio module of a particular model, but this is often the cause of gluttony for android phones, so the comparison is correct - platform representatives are on an equal footing.

In the mode of active use, the device is able to work for a day and a half - typical for budget smartphones.

Competitors

Almost completely similar to our guest in terms of characteristics, except for the installed OS, the Huawei Ascend G300 smartphone costs an average of 2 thousand rubles cheaper. There is even only 4 GB of internal memory, however, unlike the Samsung Omnia M, it has a slot for microSD memory cards. But the processor and graphics accelerator are too old for new items.

This smartphone made some noise at IFA 2012, when Samsung decided to show it a little before Nokia announced its devices, I remember that Microsoft was very unhappy with this act of the Koreans. The positioning of the device is quite simple - this is the company's flagship smartphone on Windows Phone, designed for those who have already decided on the platform and want to have the best set of characteristics.