Samsung Omnia W ~ Review

Samsung Omnia W is part of the second batch of Windows Phones that are about to hit the market in time for the holidays, and judging by the “W” in the title, it is supposed to fit in the midrange spectrum of Samsung's WP portfolio.

The handset might actually be the Europe/Asia version of the Samsung Focus Flash for AT&T, as it sports the same 3.7” Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, 8GB of storage and 5MP camera with LED flash.

These specs, however, place it in the upper mid-range category, plus the handset runs the latest version of Windows Phone and sports a brushed metallic back cover. Are these features enticing enough to jump on the Mango gravy train? Read our preview to find out...

Design:

The Samsung Omnia W is a compact little handset save for the 0.43” (10.9 mm) profile, which is still decent. It is also very light at 4.07 oz (115 g), despite the metal element in the back cover, and pretty comfortable to hold and operate with one hand thanks to the tapered edges and the reasonably-sized screen.


The Samsung Omnia W is a compact little handset

The 3.7” Super AMOLED (not Plus) display is a good differentiator among the other new Windows Phone handsets that are about to flood the market soon. Its nice, saturated colors are quite appealing. The 480x800 pixels resolution should result in 252ppi pixel density, which is quite good, but due to the Pentile matrix, it is way less.

The display sports the usual for AMOLEDs pitch blacks, high contrast and very good viewing angles, but the colors displayed are on the colder side, again something that seems inherent to Super AMOLEDs, making white appear blueish.


	Front facing camera

Overall the design of the Samsung Omnia W doesn't stray away from the Windows Phone guidelines, offering the obligatory three navigational keys below the screen, with a physical Home button, and a dedicated camera key plus LED flash to accompany the 5MP shooter on the back. The chassis is a tad bland but pleasant to hold and look at, and if the phone was offered in other colors than black it would even be a looker.