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Samsung Omnia
Best Verizon smartphone with touch screen
- Full smartphone
- Opera Mobile web browser
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Windows Mobile Office for business users
- Windows Mobile slows down the user interface
- Headphone jack is non-standard size
- Touch screen can be finicky
The Samsung Omnia is Verizon's latest offering in the touch-screen arena. Unlike other models from Samsung, however, the Omnia is a full-featured smartphone. Experts agree that there is a lot of power under the Omnia's hood. Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1, it boasts 8 GB of internal memory (expandable to 24 GB via microSD slot), Wi-Fi connectivity and the convenient Windows Office Mobile suite. Business users will appreciate how well Windows Mobile integrates with many applications found on your PC. The latest build of this operating system is not without its flaws, however. A few reviewers contend that it can be slow when responding to touch commands, and it is not nearly as slick as the Apple iPhone 3G. Samsung utilizes the same TouchWiz customizable interface here as it does on handsets for other carriers, like the Samsung Behold and Samsung Eternity, but reviewers say it is disappointing together with Windows Mobile. A built-in optical mouse and removable stylus are also included with the Omnia to provide navigation options.
Physically, the Samsung Omnia is described by PC World as "elegant." A 3.2-inch display is only slightly smaller than that of the iPhone 3G. This screen covers most of the handset, which measures 4.4 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.5 inches. Critics assert that one of the most pleasing aspects of the Omnia is the integrated Opera Mobile web browser. Opera displays most full HTML pages flawlessly, and users can tap on a section of a website to zoom in. A 5-megapixel camera helps to round out the Omnia's multimedia features. A variety of user options exist to fine tune photos such as autofocus and scene settings. For texting purposes, the Omnia performs adequately, but some find the virtual QWERTY keyboard to be cramped. A standard 3.5-mm headphone jack is unexpectedly missing from the Omnia. A special Samsung adapter must be used to listen to music with an ordinary set of headphones. Call quality is consistently rated as good, and Laptop Magazine is impressed with battery life as well.
Perhaps the most immediate comparison reviewers make is between the Samsung Omnia and RIM Blackberry Storm. Reviewers are unanimous that the Omnia outperforms the Storm as a result of a more pleasant user interface. The Omnia is thought of as more robust than Samsung's Instinct, Eternity, and Behold, and has some features the Apple iPhone 3G lacks.
Thorough reviews of the Samsung Omnia are found at many online publications. CNET and Laptop Magazine offer comparative writeups that evaluate the Omnia next to some of its competitors (Apple iPhone 3G, Blackberry Storm). PC World and InfoSync cover some of the Omnia's features such as its web browser and design characteristics. PhoneArena.com gives us an extensive look at all of the Omnia's capabilities. Owners take part in CNET's community and provide somewhat detailed but succinct analyses of their experiences with the Omnia.
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Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET's Bonnie Cha points out that the Samsung Omnia might see a lot of comparisons to the BlackBerry Storm. Overall she would take this Windows Mobile device over the Storm, citing a better user interface and feature set.
Review: Samsung Omnia (Verizon Wireless) , Bonnie Cha, Nov. 25, 2008
This five-part analysis covers the ups and downs of the Samsung Omnia. Editor Stewart Wolpin particularly likes all of the business-oriented functionality built into the Omnia, but describes its touch screen as frustrating. He also prefers the Omnia to the BlackBerry Storm.
Review: Samsung Omnia (Verizon Wireless) , Stewart Wolpin, Jan. 14, 2009
3. PC World
This concise write-up highlights the Samsung Omnia's ability to handle all of the applications required of a smartphone. Although reviewer Ginny Mies appreciates the elegant design of the Omnia, she states that it can't quite surpass the Apple iPhone 3G.
Review: Samsung Omnia, Ginny Mies, Nov. 25, 2008
Although the Samsung Omnia tries to accomplish a lot and generally succeeds, Philip Berne finds its user interface to be annoying. A good camera and built-in Opera web browser help to offset this a bit.
Review: Samsung Omnia Review (Verizon Wireless), Philip Berne, Nov. 25, 2008
The Samsung Omnia is an award winner at PhoneArena.com. Editors here call the Omnia "one of the best smartphones currently available from Verizon" thanks to a large display and its capabilities as an all-in-one device. They like it better than the RIM BlackBerry Storm, but note its less than stellar reception.
Review: Samsung Omnia CDMA Review, PhoneArena Team, Dec. 5, 2008
6. CNET
More than 200 users have shared their opinions of the Samsung Omnia at CNET. An average rating of four out of five stars is exceptionally high for a collection of user rankings at CNET, as most sing the Omnia's praises. Some, however, find the Omnia's detachable stylus to be useless.
Review: Samsung Omnia (Verizon Wireless) , Contributors to CNET
