Samsung Windows Mobile. Review of Samsung Omnia W (model I8350) - Samsung's first Windows Phone smartphone

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

Continuing to get acquainted with solutions on Windows based Phone 8, today we will look at the only Samsung device on the local market with this version of the OS - Samsung ATIV S (internal designation - GT-I8750). It is unlikely that the manufacturer expects widespread sales of this device. Rather, it is about maintaining the status of the company or Microsoft support. However, the model looks good compared to the 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 an operating frequency of 1.5 GHz is used. Volume RAM is 1 GB. The graphics module is represented by Adreno 225. The exact same processor is found in top models with WP8 from HTC and Nokia, so in general they will hardly differ in computing performance. And in terms of graphics speed, the difference most likely will not be noticeable, since the screen resolutions of these devices are similar.

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 There may be individual differences in the perception of Pentile. Subjectively, the maximum brightness is very high; the device can be used in bright sunlight with virtually no inconvenience. Screen protection is provided by Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

The capacitive sensor works well. Support for ten simultaneous touches may 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 is no different from that of other devices with the Windows Phone 8 operating system. When connected to a computer, access to the built-in storage of the smartphone is carried out in MTP mode. The user can rewrite any files, but the system and applications are only able to work with fixed formats located in certain folders.

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

The device has a built-in Bluetooth 3.0 module, dual-band wireless wifi controller 802.11n with connection speeds up to 150 Mbps, and also supports NFC. The coordinate determination system is declared compatible with GPS and Glonass. Present and standard set sensors and sensors, including 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 an 8 megapixel matrix, autofocus and flash. It is capable of recording video in formats up to Full HD inclusive. The front one is expectedly simpler: 1.9 MP, and video - only up to 720p.

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

In general, in terms of characteristics, the model in question can be classified as the upper segment of devices based on the Windows Phone 8 platform.

Specifications of the Samsung ATIV S smartphone

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960, 1.5 GHz, 2 Krait cores
• GPU Adreno 225
• operating system Microsoft Windows Phone 8
• Touch display 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 transfer GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+ (up to 42.2 Mbit/s)
• 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 battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 137×70×8-9 mm
• Weight 135 g

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

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

When compared with top models from other manufacturers on this software platform, the advantages include a large screen, a slot for memory cards and a high-capacity 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 information on the configuration is provided based on the manufacturer’s data. In this case, there is nothing unexpected in the kit: phone, battery, power supply, USB cable, headset, quick 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 specimen was different from official versions from the store with the words “Not for Sale” and other similar messages, and also did not behave very well - it rebooted spontaneously, lost date and time settings. Unfortunately, the manufacturer could not provide us with another copy.

Appearance and ease of use

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

We should also note the successful choice of color for the panel around the screen - gray metallic gives the device rigor and style. The dimensions of the smartphone for its diagonal turned out to be successful. Of course, the ability to operate it with one hand depends on that hand, but the device is comfortable to hold and does not slip out. In addition, let's remember the relatively light weight of the phone.

Front panel uses safety glass, so the manufacturer quite rightly abandoned the protruding frame. However, it should be noted that the speaker grille and the central button still protrude slightly above the surface of the glass. At the top there is a speaker, front camera and sensors. The device does not have any additional indicators. Below the screen there are two touch buttons (“back” and “search”) and a mechanical “home” button (can also be used to wake the smartphone from a locked state). The first ones have a bright automatic backlight that turns on when you touch the screen and turns off after a couple of seconds. The central one can only boast a silver logo of the operating system. To be honest, the combination of hardware and touch buttons did not seem very convenient to use, since you have to think about the force applied. Perhaps, the same type of controls would be better in this sense.

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

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

The button housings are also made of plastic and are noticeably loose. The power button is made almost flush with the body, which makes it difficult to operate. The remaining keys protrude slightly, making them easy to find by touch. The clicks are clear, the required force is at a comfortable level.

The back panel has an aluminum-like texture, which has a positive effect on appearance. At the top of the panel there is a slightly protruding window for the main camera. It uses a black background and an aluminum frame, which somewhat stands out from the general style of the device. To the left of the camera is the flash LED. Just below we see a silver logo of the manufacturer, below it is another one, this time for 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 external speaker of the device. Considering that the grille has a slight bevel, the sound will not be blocked when the device is placed on a table with the screen facing 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 in place with traditional latches. The memory card can be replaced without turning off the device.

Overall the device makes a good impression. Despite the use of plastic for the body, the chosen colors and textures give the model solidity, slightly neutralizing the effect of “cheap plastic”. At the same time, the smartphone's hardware buttons are not very convenient for everyday use.

Screen

The smartphone in question has the largest screen among devices with Windows Phone 8. The 4.8″ diagonal by modern standards allows you to comfortably use the device in many scenarios - from working with email to watching videos. Although, of course, convenience depends more on the OS and applications. The situation here is somewhat strange: there are no WP8 models with Full HD screens on the market at the moment, so the 1280x720 used in the Samsung ATIV S is practically the maximum resolution (there is also a 1280x768 option). The screen is made using Super AMOLED technology and has a Pentile pixel arrangement. It is almost invisible on the operating system interface and in applications, although users may have individual perceptions. Corning Gorilla Glass 2 helps protect the screen from damage due to rough handling. Subjectively, the screen seemed very bright, quite visible in the sun, with good viewing angles, and normal colors.

Detailed examination using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev.

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

When manually controlling the brightness, its maximum value was about 250 cd/m², the average was 130 cd/m², and the minimum was 20 cd/m². Despite the not the highest brightness value, the smartphone can be used even in bright daylight, since OLED screens have less reflection from dark areas compared to LCDs. 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. Low brightness mode allows you to use your smartphone even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (the second peephole to the right of the front speaker). In complete darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment 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 increases to 190 cd/m² (why - not up to the maximum value). The devices record brightness modulation (trapezoidal pulses with almost 100% amplitude), but it has a high frequency (240 Hz), so during normal use the flickering of the screen is not visible. 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 an HD Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix organic light-emitting diode. 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 microphotograph:

For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. Brightness is mainly determined by the green component, so luminance clarity actually corresponds to the density of green subpixels, and the fact that color clarity is lower (since the density of red and blue subpixels is lower) does not actually affect image quality, since the color clarity of human vision is also lower than 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, this is what a fragment with two worlds looks like at high magnification on PenTile RGBG - with vertical black and white stripes every pixel and with the same horizontal stripes:

It can be seen that vertical stripes are displayed more or less well (although large red and blue subpixels visually increase the unevenness of black lines), while 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 screen determines special properties: this screen has very good viewing angles - the white color only noticeably changes hue 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 not applicable in this case . When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is very good. Switching the state of the matrix elements is actually carried out instantly, so the response time can be equated to 0. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index 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-law dependence:

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

Therefore, the resulting 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 display of shades of gray on the entire screen.

The color gamut is very wide:

Note that on wide-gamut screens, the colors of regular 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 may be higher than 8000 K, but throughout the entire significant part of the gray scale this parameter changes insignificantly, while the deviation from the blackbody 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 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 level, a wide frequency response, relatively little distortion, and the grille doesn't block when placed face up on a table. Complex rich compositions, traditionally for mobile devices, and this smartphone is difficult.

The earpiece also performed well. Of course, the transmission bandwidth is limited, but the volume is high and speech is transmitted clearly. The microphone is quite sensitive and has a noise reduction system. In general, we have no comments on the telephone conversation script. In this case, the restrictions are dictated rather cellular communication, because in the same Skype the sound is much better.

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

Samsung's additional ringtones seemed too “synetic.” However, the ability to set your own audio recording on a call in Windows Phone 8 allows you to ignore this. The intensity of the vibration alert can be assessed as average: it will not be easy to notice it in a bag or deep pocket.

Camera

The device has a dedicated button for calling the Camera application, 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 (shooting/shutter) requires noticeable effort. And the unpredictable delay between pressing a button and taking a photo makes it even more difficult.

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

This is one of the few devices whose front camera provides good image quality even in room conditions in low light, which is important for applications such as Skype.

The main camera has an 8 megapixel matrix, autofocus and flash. It allows you to take pictures with a resolution of up to 3264x2448 and record video in Full HD. The additional one is designed for 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 an orientation flag, so don’t forget to hold your smartphone correctly if you want to watch the result not only on your phone, but also on other devices. Thanks to the relatively high bitrate, the quality of video recording is excellent; we also note good fps stability.

Examples of photographs taken with the main camera are given below.

Outside, slightly cloudy
Outside, slightly cloudy, after rain
Bright sunny day
Bright sunny day
Cloudy weather, light rain
Outdoors, different conditions
Indoors, with and without flash
Shooting text	With flash at night

Overall the results are above average. The pictures are sharp, with good color rendition and low level noise

Software

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

If desired, programs can be removed, although free space this will have almost no effect on the phone’s memory, since utilities take up literally a few tens of megabytes in total. There are several more free ones in the Samsung Zone section of the app store Samsung programs. Note that Office and OneNote are standard for this platform.

Everything else is traditional - telephone, messages, e-mail, camera, calendar, alarm clock, maps, store, music, photos and videos. Let us remind you that the maps support map and satellite modes, display of traffic jams, offline mode with pre-loading maps of the desired regions, search by address and POI directory, and allow you to calculate a route (pedestrian or by car, without guidance mode).

Telephone and communications

The smartphone claims to support 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 providing a technical data reception speed of 42 Mbit/s. In testing in the conditions of Moscow and the region in the Megafon and MTS networks, results were obtained at the level of 3-5 Mbit/s for reception and 1-3 Mbit/s for transmission, which are quite typical for modern models with 3G. However, it should be noted that these results raise certain doubts about HSPA+ support. From a stability point of view voice communication and data transfer, there were no comments on the device.

The smartphone is capable of working in Wi-Fi networks 802.11a/b/g/n in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. In the first case, the connection speed can reach 72 Mbit/s, real performance is about 40 Mbit/s for reception and 15 Mbit/s for transmission. In the 5 GHz band, you can use two channels with a connection speed of 150 Mbit/s. In this case, the actual performance will increase to 60 and 20 Mbit/s for reception and transmission, respectively. Testing was carried out together with the RT-N66U router. There are no comments regarding stability and operating range.

Through bluetooth smartphone can work with headsets and speakers, including playback control, and also exchange files. The download speed is about 180 KB/s. Confirm remote work It was not possible with the address book; 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, and the smartphone quickly determines coordinates. The sensitivity of the receiver allows it to be used inside the car. True, not everything is good with the temperature regime: when using this scenario, the smartphone body became 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 acquaintance with NFC technology, the situation with programs for it in Windows Phone 8 has improved a little. 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, allowing you to work with text/links/contacts, dial a number, establish a connection with Bluetooth devices and launch programs.

Performance

We have already said that in terms of platforms, Windows Phone 8 devices are not very diverse. The top models from all manufacturers are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, so Samsung performance The ATIV S should not differ from the previously tested Nokia Lumia 920, except in some graphics tests, where the slightly higher screen resolution in the Nokia device may have an effect.

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

That's why this section is more likely a confirmation that the manufacturer of the device has not “ruined” anything than a real comparison different devices each other to determine the ease of working with them. This is confirmed by the following table, which presents the test results of devices that have been in our laboratory.

A similar situation is observed in browser tests, most of which fall into the “computational” category.

This device has one gigabyte of RAM, so you can run the GFXBench 3D gaming graphics benchmark. In it we got exactly the same results as the 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 test developers are still overestimating the capabilities of Windows Phone 8 devices, offering a computational task that is too complex to be played smoothly on current devices. During the test, heating was observed in the upper rear part of the case, but the device passed the full cycle of scenarios without any comments.

In addition, we tested the performance 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.

Flash memory speed USB cable in MTP mode is shown in the table. This test used a 32GB SunDisk Ultra memory card. The numbers correspond to those obtained previously for the Nokia Lumia 720.

Working 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 already wrote in the previous article, testing devices with Windows Phone 8 in video player mode is difficult due to the limited capabilities of the standard player and the lack of convenient alternatives. So our standard table with the results of playing popular formats on the Internet looks a little sad.

However, the hardware platform itself is capable of more and plays out 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 for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how video is displayed on the smartphone screen. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). The results of this test are summarized in the table:

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes“green” ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. "Red" marks mark possible problems related to 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 with 24 and 30 fps, uniform frame alternation is an unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames. A 1280 by 720 file at 60 fps plays normally for a couple of seconds, then the picture freezes, and the standard player simply refuses to play 1080p files at 50 and 60 fps. However, in fact, there is declared support for playing Full HD files; there are no complaints about the manufacturer. The only pity is that this smartphone is deprived of the ability to display images on an external screen.

When playing video files with a resolution of 720p (1280 by 720 pixels), the image of the video file is displayed one-on-one, exactly along 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 16-235), all gradations of shades are distinguished in shadows and highlights.

Battery life

The smartphone has a removable battery with a capacity of 2300 mAh - this is slightly 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 it increases the time battery life This way is relatively difficult for the mass user. It is usually much more convenient to use one of the models of universal external batteries.

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

When testing battery life, the display brightness was set to “medium”. This corresponded to 133 cd/m², which is higher 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 closest to the reference value of 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 the alternative “white letters on a black background” scheme (the second result is indicated in parentheses). 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, a similar operation cannot be done to watch a video.

It’s impossible to describe these indicators as anything other than 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 difficult to say anything about AMOLED with these numbers, except that when reading, using the inverse circuit gave an increase of 20%. We will try to study the issue of consumption in the following articles on a more “friendly” platform different types screens. Fortunately, in actual use it's not all that bad. The device can work on a single battery charge for a couple of days if it is not used very intensively.

Prices

At the time of writing, the average cost of a Samsung ATIV S in Moscow was slightly 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 characteristics, then Samsung is on the side - screen diagonal, memory card support, battery capacity. Nokia Lumia 920 has a slightly higher resolution, LTE support and wireless charging, but does not have a microSD slot.

So, in our opinion, among the data Samsung models ATIV S looks very good. Given the similar 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 identify a clear leader. All models have certain features, and the user will have to evaluate their importance in a particular case independently.

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

Bottom line

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

The case turned out to be quite interesting in terms of the combination of design, materials and color, but the picture is greatly spoiled by unsuccessful buttons. The screen has excellent viewing angles, but relatively low brightness - however, a feature of the manufacturing technology still allows the device to be used in bright light. I liked the sound of the built-in speaker, although it is unlikely that for anyone this will be an important parameter when choosing. The camera generally corresponds to the level of the device in terms of the quality of the resulting images.

In terms of performance, the smartphone does not differ from other models on the same platform. But in testing battery life in a reading scenario, it did not perform very well. In this case, Samsung did nothing to expand the capabilities of the firmware. Perhaps it was 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 running Windows Phone 8, then it’s worth adding the Samsung ATIV S to your consideration. Fortunately, there are not very many models on this platform, and the differences are technical specifications they still have it. So all that remains is to determine the parameters that are important to you personally and make a choice.

Today, there is more and more talk about a new mobile operating system Microsoft Windows Phone. From the moment when Nokia began releasing its devices on this operating system, it became even more popular, and more and more buyers began to pay attention to it. Other manufacturers also caught on.

For example, last year Samsung released a rather interesting smartphone model on the WP7 OS to the Russian market - a device called Samsung Omnia W, the first device from a Korean company on the Russian market.

The most interesting thing is that Samsung is a “multi-profile” manufacturer that supports the release of several platforms at once, including its own bada. This policy is absolutely adequate and the only correct one, since if one of the platforms falls in sales, then it will be possible to immediately redistribute attention and resources to another.

Today the most relevant is Android platform(according to statistical data, it accounts for the maximum number of devices and sales). What are the Galaxy S II devices or, for example, its predecessors worth? In addition, Google continues to cooperate with the Korean corporation, releasing smartphones under its own brand (and this despite the purchase of Motorola).

It is unknown how long such a “friendship” will last, so the Koreans decided to look around and prepare, just in case, other ways to develop their products. One of these ways can be called Windows Phone. Note that the new Microsoft platform is not yet as significant for Samsung as, for example, for the same Nokia or, but you should not forget about it, much less ignore it.

It is very important that the Korean company made its first-born on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, note, not for show, but put all its strength and soul into it, as a result of which this device became one of the best operating platforms on the market. Let us immediately note two important points - the Super AMOLED display and an acceptable cost with high technical characteristics. The result is a stunning result: the Omnia W device looks very harmonious and promising compared to other similar devices (for example, HTC).

A little about appearance
Note that the manufacturers did not experiment with the appearance of the Omnia W and made the smartphone very similar to the familiar Galaxy R, introducing only some differences. Rear end The phone is the same monolithic removable part: glossy plastic with a metal plate of a different texture attached to it. In general, the appearance of the device can be called controversial; there is a sense of searching for some kind of compromise, and sometimes it comes to mind that manufacturers forgot about some material, replacing it with a new metal that had not been used before, although many users consider this more of a plus than a minus.

The device is available in only one color - black. There is not much metal in the smartphone, or rather almost none (except for the insert at the back), the body is made exclusively of plastic, but the plastic is of high quality, and it is nice that it is non-staining. The assembly of the Omnia W can also be called high-quality: no creaking when pressed, no backlash, etc. In general, the appearance of the device can be described in one word - pleasant!

The Omnia W does not have a very large screen - only 3.7 inches, which makes the smartphone not look like shovel devices (which is usually found on Android devices), that is, this model is small, light, and very pleasant to hold in the hand . In terms of weight and thickness, everything is also harmonious: weight - 115.3 grams, thickness - 10.9 mm.

A little about technical characteristics
Currently, all Windows Phone OS devices run on the Qualcomm platform, and samsung smartphone Omnia W is no exception. The device uses the MSM 8255 chipset and a single-core 1.4 GHz processor (there is no talk of multi-core yet). But this does not in any way affect the speed of operation, which in this smartphone is at a very high level, especially since the Mango update also improved this indicator.

In terms of memory, the Omnia W does not stand out too much; one cannot be indescribably delighted with its volume (besides, it is not expandable). This can most likely be explained by the fact that Microsoft is promoting its own SkyDrive service in this way, but some will be overwhelmed by it: RAM - 512 MB, user memory - 8 GB.

In the device, users will find Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G support. The front camera and FM radio are still there, and the Omnia W smartphone can also work as Wi-Fi hotspot and supports DLNA. It's bad, but not critical, that there is no TV output.

Examples of photos taken with the built-in camera Samsung Omnia M

Battery

Those who think that Android is the most power-hungry OS are mistaken. In terms of appetite, Windows Phone still beats it. Otherwise, it’s difficult to explain why this phone in “vegetable” mode with a SIM card cannot last longer than two days. Moreover, if the SIM card is taken out, he can remain conscious for a week or even more. You can refer to the drivers or a bad radio module specific model, but even among Android phones this is often the reason for gluttony, so the comparison is correct - representatives of the platforms are on equal terms.

In active use mode, the device can last 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, a smartphone Huawei Ascend The G300 costs on average 2 thousand rubles cheaper. Even the built-in memory is only 4 GB, however, unlike the Samsung Omnia M, it has a slot for microSD memory cards. But the processor and graphics accelerator are a bit old for a new product.

Android 6.0.1
SuperAMOLED display, 5.5 inches,
1280x720 pixels (267 ppi),
"outdoor" mode
lack of automatic backlight adjustment
2 GB RAM,
16 GB built-in (10.8 GB available to the user),
memory cards up to 128 GB – in the version for China the RAM capacity is 3 GB
Chipset Exynos 7870, 8 cores up to 1.6 GHz,
GPU Mali-T830
Main camera 13 megapixels f/1.9,
led flash,
front camera 5 megapixels, also flash
Battery Li-Ion 3300 mAh,
video playback time – up to 22 hours,
Network work – up to 11/14/15 hours (3G/4G/Wi-Fi).
Extreme Power Saving Mode
Two microSIM cards
FDD LTE: 2100, 1800, 850, 2600, 900, 800 MHz; TDD LTE: 2300 MHz
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 2.0, ANT+, NFC
FM radio
Dimensions – 151.7x76x7.8 mm, weight – 169 grams
SAR value – 0.369 W/kg

Scope of delivery
Telephone

Battery Li-Ion 3300 mAh
Charger with USB cable
Wired stereo headset
Instructions

Positioning

The J line appeared in 2015 as a budget offer; it offers an alternative to the A-series, while the models themselves, despite similar sizes and screen diagonals, become simpler. This is the initial series with all the resulting shortcomings and the absence of “little things” that some may seem vital, but others, on the contrary, may turn a blind eye to. Having looked at the sales statistics for last year's J-series, I expected to see modest numbers for the 5.5-inch J7, since it had rather modest characteristics compared to the Chinese, and the price was comparable. But my expectations were deceived; the model sold well in its class and took first place. Why? The answer should be found in the fact that among 5.5-inch phablets there are a huge number of Chinese, offers from other companies, but there is always one hitch. The mass buyer does not know them, and, as a result, he has no confidence in such devices. An advantage for the J7 was the presence of a SuperAMOLED screen, which competitors did not have; many made their choice based on this.

In 2016, Samsung did not mince words and actually kept the J7 in the same form, leaving most of the hardware, carrying out a cosmetic design update, changing the battery technology and almost doubling the operating time. At first glance, this is the same, slightly updated model, the amount of RAM has increased, the screen remains the same. But it is the battery that makes this device stand out; its capacity has increased slightly, growing from 3000 to 3300 mAh, but the operating time in practice is twice as long. This is the first device in the Samsung line that uses a new type of battery, and at the same time its integration with the Exynos processor. We are accustomed to the fact that such features are always reserved for flagships and then they appear in budget devices, but now everything happens exactly the opposite. The technology is being tested on a mass model with a relatively low cost, in order to then add it to older devices, for example, Note 7. To some extent, this is Samsung’s response to the emergence of smartphones with 4000-5000 mAh batteries, and the answer is asymmetrical, since this The model has maximum survivability and offers record operating time. Moreover, it is a record not by the standards of its class, but within the entire market, without any exceptions. With this device I had to relearn and not charge it every evening. Firmware for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 exchanger

Receipt full access(Root) for Samsung Galaxy J7-6

Programs for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 in the file archive: system, multimedia, internet, various, office, navigation, working with the telephone part, demo versions, games, decorations

Programs for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 in the exchanger: utilities, games, decorations, various, translations, Internet, multimedia, office, other programs, fonts, themes for launchers

Articles (FAQ) on Samsung Galaxy J7-6

Movies, TV series, video clips for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 (video archive, exchanger)

Music and ringtones for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 (music archive, exchanger)

Buy or sell

Screensavers and wallpapers for Samsung Galaxy J7-6 (exchanger, catalog of pictures)

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online games for Samsung Galaxy J7-6

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Samsung PC Studio is a free utility that can manage the processes and files of your phone or smartphone using personal computer or laptop.

You can download Samsung PC Studio from the media library of third-party sites, because the Samsung development company has transformed its priorities regarding software development, and now Samsung PC Studio is no longer relevant, since it was replaced quite a long time ago by Samsung Kies.

Initially, the main goal of the utility was to transfer the functions responsible for the operation of the telephone to the computer. The system for connecting the smartphone to the hardware was implemented using a special adapter wire, through an infra-red port or via wireless technology"blue tooth"

What did the creators of Samsung PC Studio for Windows offer us?
First of all, this is connecting your computer to the World Wide Web through a communication device (that is, transforming the latter into a full-fledged modem) and synchronizing the data of the communication device with the PC. How could such features be convenient or, in other words, what were the advantages of using such software in comparison with similar software? The answer is obvious: in 2008 (when the utility was launched into mass use) you could access data from global network without connection to an Internet cafe or Internet payment cards. At that time, this was a revolutionary bonus when using a mobile device.

What could compare to the security of all stored data if the phone was, for example, damaged or lost?
No matter what happened to the device itself, information about all contacts from the phone book, the history of SMS messages, all media files were on the PC unchanged and completely safe. This function, by the way, is called “ backup"and in modern smartphones this happens most often by default automatically in background, without causing any inconvenience to the user and without raising unnecessary questions.

Download Samsung PC Studio on your computer for Windows 7 and 8 to make it as easy as possible to connect and manage mobile phone. Samsung PC Studio was capable of transferring files and processing them (video from the phone could be watched through the player on the PC). We can talk about other features of the program as long as we like, but we can’t help but touch on the very necessary and important ability to install applications on the phone. Prototype of an online application store.