Iphone 3Gs VS Samsung i8910 HD
The newly announced Iphone by Apple has once again created a product that everybody will be craving about. The Iphone 3G speed has many improved features over its predecessor. Having a better 3 megapixel camera which is able to shoot video is one example. But of course looking at other phones like the i8910, the camera is a joke. We have to put in mind that Apple is not really attracting its customers by releasing a new high-end device. Because no matter what the Iphone is not a high-end device. Apple has a way to sell its product in a more hypnotising way. It seems whatever Apple releases must be the best and definitely worth the upgrade. With new improved products coming out every 6 months, Apple has definilty found the way to sell what it wants. Now this is different in other countries like Russia or Japan and even Europe, the phone doesnt sell as much as in the US and even mac computers are not as used over there. Maybe everyone exept America has found that Apple is not the god of gadgets, and that there are better alternatives.
The Iphone though has sold like crazy and the App store is what to thank. Having just delivered 1 Billion downloads from it, it has definitly made the Iphone a popular device. Many companies now are opening up app stores for their platform. Nokia just released its app store called Ovi store which will let Symbian users download apps over the air like the Apple app store. You can even download specific apps based on your location. This is a nice feature but will probably effect only a small amount of apps. And even Ovi has a long way to go to even compete with Apple, but Symbian is the most used mobile platform in the world so they might have a chance to catch up.
The Samsung i8910 runs on Symbian which means that the Ovi store does run on it and you are able to download apps when connected to the internet. Samsung has also built its own app store but there is still some work to be done to make it fully functional (link).
So let’s talk about the differences between the Samsung i8910 and the Iphone 3G S. One is made by Apple and the other by Samsung. Samsung has been making phones a lot longer then Apple and thus has more experience and knowledge with what people want. Apple has to but they are still a little behind.
Spec wise: Here is a comparison.
Display:
Omnia HD i8910
| Type | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 360 x 640 pixels, 3.7 inches |
| - Accelerometer sensor - Proximity sensor for auto turn-off - Scratch-resistant surface |
Iphone 3G S
| Type | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches |
| - Multi-touch input method - Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate - Proximity sensor for auto turn-off - Scratch-resistant surface - Ambient light sensor |
Omnia HD i8910
| Primary | 8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash |
| Features | Geo-tagging, face, smile and blink detection, image stabilization, wide dynamic range, ISO 1600 |
| Video | Yes, HD 720p@24fps, D1 (720×480 pixels)@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording |
Iphone 3G S
| Primary | 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus |
| Features | Touch focus, geo-tagging |
| Video | Yes, VGA@30fps |
| Secondary | No |
Features:
Omnia HD i8910
| OS | Symbian S60 rel.5 | |
| CPU | ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz; 3D Graphics HW Accelerator | |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS, Email | |
| Browser | WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Opera 9.5 | |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | |
| Games | Asphalt 4 HD, incl. motion-based + downloadable | |
| Colors | Black | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support | |
| Java | Yes, MIDP 2.0 | |
| - Digital compass - MP3 player - DivX/XviD/WMV/MP4 player - Organizer - TV-out (for SD content only) - Turn-to-mute - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Voice memo |
Iphone 3G S
| OS | iPhone OS (based on Mac OS) | |
| CPU | ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics | |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email | |
| Browser | HTML (Safari) | |
| Radio | No | |
| Games | Downloadable, incl. motion-based | |
| Colors | Black, White | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support | |
| Java | No | |
| - Digital compass - Google Maps - Audio/video player - TV-out - Voice command/dial |
Conclusion:
As you can see the Iphone still has a long way to start competing with European and Asian phones. The i8910 is better, cheaper at $650 unlocked which means that you can use it with T-Mobile and At&t. The only thing that I prefer over the i8910 is the fact that Iphone has multitouch and the app store. But in almost every other feature, the Samsung Omnia HD takes it away by a mile.
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This review is a joke, the reviewer must be 12 years old. That Samsung phone is like a crappy Elvis immitator, compared to the iPhone. Also, the reviewer makes it sound as if the iPhone sells bad in the EU. Figures please cause that is a joke…
Has appstore = win
"As you can see the Iphone still has a long way to start competing with European phones."
You're wrong, Samsung is not European, they are Asian…
Just so you know the omnia hd has a 1280×720p resolution screen. Thats why it has the hd in the name. Its not just because it records in hd
Samsung is a South Korean company, you clod.
Nice article! My only question and this is a serious one, is where do you know that the Samsung i8910 being sold for $650? I want to buy it. The Google link at the end of the article is selling it for $820. On Ebay its in that upper range as well. Seriously let me know where, if you do know. I'd appreciate it.
Omnia HD is MUCH better than the Iphone, it's evident
Hey I bought mine at mobilecityonline.com But remember that it doesn't support US 3G for the moment. You will need to wait till the US version comes out.
Agreed. The only problem is that the app store needs to be a little more user friendly like the Apple app store.
WRONG : the screen is 640 x 360(1/4 of full HD), the HD in the name is ONLY because it records in hd at 720p at 24fps.
i don't like iphone cause it's crappy!
I purchased that version also, it works fine in the US.
I have at&t, and 95% of at&t's coverage area uses 1900mhz for 3g.
It works perfectly, I get 275 k/sec speeds, and great coverage.
There will most likely be no us version of this phone, so I would not wait around for one.
Hello. 275 k/sec is not that fast at all. It seems that it is using Edge speed. 3G would be in the 3mb/s range. Were did you get your i8910? Does it show a 3G icon on the top of the signal bar or right under it?
Hi guys, i find Apple more honest than Samsung. Example: the coreans say his phone records 720p at 24fps. LIE, it do it at 20 fps. the results are in fast motion being blurred, semi-transparent or unsmooth. They called it i8910 "HD" and remember HD doesn´t mean only video, it should be video and audio…his official spot is about videorecording an opera concert ! How ? with a AMR 8bit codec , LIE again, the results are horrible. I bought this phone unlocked u$s 799, now i want my money back and they say " sorry we can´t " Coreans swindlers, i go for iPhone.
No kidding…with 3G on the iphone I have seen download speeds at 1300kb/s and upload around 600kb/s I also would like to know if the i8910 really works for 3G in the US? If it doesnt then its not worth it for me.
First off. How good is the email client? Can I access my yahoo, gmail without having to go to the website? How good is the itunes interface? Will it show albums covers etc and keep all my songs the same way they are organized in itunes?
Does it have good apps like the iphones apps SKYPE, EBAY, PAYPAL, SHAZAM, PANDORA, etc?
Can tethering be done? How good is the MMS? Can I shoot video, take a picture and MMS or Email it easy?
Im just curious on these because the iphone seems to do them very well. I would be irritated if the samsung wasnt able to do these as good as the iphone.
The email client is good, you get direct notification if you have pop e-mail like the IPhone. Gmail is pop but not Yahoo (only if you pay for it). The music interface is good and really close to the interface found on the IPhone or the IPod touch with cover flow and some options to customize the sound. You have 5.1 surround sound option when listening through your headphone which is nice and really makes the sound better. The organizations of the music is maybe not as great as the Touches of the IPhones but it’s close. For the app store, Iphone is still dominant in this category. You can download all the apps you mentioned onto the i8910 but it will be harder to install them on the phone because of the lack of a steady and friendly UI app store. Ovi store has launched not long ago and is still under development but it offers Symbian users the ability to download app based on their location, categories and more. Tethering has been on almost every Symbian smartphone for a long time now, so Yes it is possible to use that with the i8910. MMS is the same and you can download an app that will make it like the IPhones texting app. But At&t doesn’t support it yet for the IPhone, you need to hack your IPhone to use MMS. For video recording the i8910 wins by far with an 8 megapixel camera and being able to record 720p, the IPhone can only record in VGA quality, and yes you can edit your videos on the i8910, even add titles and credits and video effects.
Now one important aspect about the i8910 is that it doesn’t meet up to the fluid UI the IPhone has and how easy it is to navigate through. The Samsung Omnia HD is maybe the top of the line on specs and hardware but the Symbian touch interface is maybe a let down for some. For me I have been using a Symbian phone for 3 years and prefer it over any other platform only because of what it offers and how easy you can change any aspect of it (themes, arrangement, apps, and more)
The i8910 doesn’t support 3G unfortunately here in the US. If that is a big concern for you, then don’t get the i8910. I’m getting it only because I’m moving to Europe soon and will be able to use the 3G+ service they have over there.
also the resale of iphone is far more better than samsung
Of what phone is better you depends entirely on what you need or want.
I have both, the iPhone, a Nokia, and looking forward to buy the i8910 as soon as it can run at 3g speed on a 850 network.
The iphone user experience is like driving a Rolls Royce, what it does do is always smooth, polished and perfect: This is because programs for the iPhone derive from the Mac OS, so all apps seems more polished, while Symbian, is like a dinosaur, that has been more years, maybe more liberal apps, like a Fring or Skype that remain permantly open and you can use 3g to speak for free (if you have flat rate 3g data plan), while the iPhone can't do this (only via Wifi, only when the app is open, and not Handsfree/Speaker phone), but all apps from Symbian seem from a pre-historic old, 1K RAM phone: Nothing is smooth, or intelligent in the User Interface and other stuff: There is no multi-touch on the Samsung.
Is like the diference between the Flintstone and the Jetsons, abeit a limited contrained future (iPhone), while the past was more liberal and open (Symbian).
Somehow it seemed that the Flintstone went into the future, and got a better screen, and camera, but still the keyboard is rubish without multitouch, there is no keyboard in portrait mode in the Samsung, so you have to turn the phone a thousand times, and you have to type like a Flinstone, 1 by 1, because if you haven't lift your previous finger, the system just throws anything but you key.
Even worst, while in my Nokia as soon as you start writting, as well as in the iPhone, the phones auto-complete things, because the i8910 takes you to another screen, there is no practical auto-complete.
I guess Apple showed the world with the iPhone the importance of software over hardware.
It seems to me that the user experience for the i8910, apart from the task-switching is more clack-clack-clack, as in the old cars….
To see this easily, and prove my point, before anybody thinks this is not true, just please look at both email programs, and you would understand what I am talking about.
Also, the render of the pages in web browsing in the iphone looks polished, the same as in a Mac or PC, and the scroll is absolutely free and fast flowing, while in Symbian and the i8910's web browser (except maybe for Skyfire), everything clack-clack and pre-history like.
Why do I complain?
Undoubtedly I would love to push Symbian to launch a better base to make smoother, nicer looking programs than the iphone, and make the i8910 much better than what it is now.
Settling for less is what it makes that they sit thinking that everything is perfect, when it isn't.
If you still have doubts look at the crappy clack-clack pre-fire-discovery pre-flintstone programs to paint with the i8910 versus this for the iPhone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ4C9zmStjU
Why if there has always being phone with touchscreens, it has to be the iPhone that gets the right app?
It is because all the app for the iPhone derive from the Mac, so instead of having few colours like the tipical Symbian Paint apps, this iPhone has the standard Mac infinite colour selection palette, plus transparency.
Programs in the iphone don't have to think about limitations for a phone, as much as the do have to think when making something for a Symbian phone in terms of how highly or ambitious they what to get.
I would love to have an app like this one on my i8910:
http://www.aesthology.com/organizer/
And the worst part of all: The i8910 not only has all the hardware to be the same, but a thousands time better!! (but it isn't)….. lets push Symbian to be better!! (and settling for less does not help!)
I agree with you and do really hope that Samsung pushes developers to make apps that can compete with apps in the apple app store. But for that they need to create a better, more user friendly base that everyone can create an app for. They have launched the SDK and they are having a competition right now for new apps to come out, but it seems that no one is really interested and that only true Symbian lovers are coding for it. Samsung or even Nokia need to find a way so that you can create an app that fits you and that you don't need to do much coding to get what you want. For the moment it seems that Samsung is working hard in this, introducing a stable version of the SDK is one example and also the best app competition. It's just a matter of unwanted time that everything in the Symbian world will start to shape up and meet the UI that everyone is craving about (Iphone). They are just slow. Samsung is also working on an app store themselves apart from the Ovi thing that doesn't work on the i8910.
wait wait wait wait wait….all i can read is samsung is hd and bad camera and more..
1:If you want a camera:go get one
2:if you want download with speed go get a computer
or wait 10 more years when mobile is better then these 2..
if not go get a SAMSUNG I8910 OR IPHONE.
i HAVE them BOTH, And Both is Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad
for that prise go get a nice camera and vcr and a cheap mobil to talk with and sms,and you are a winner
sms works nice with iphone cause of multitouch,but stil problems with other things…
and Samsung is better for more options…
So think of what you want to use it and go get one of these..
Now dont dont go get a samsung just because you want to use the camera,then you are a slave for the mobile bzzzzznesssssssss
if i have to say who`s best Well after thinking loooot Maybe Samsung,
ohmygod, and again much apple fanboiis like Trat.
i8910 gets a app store in some weeks, amr audio codec changed to aac codecs… what else do you want!
the only thing the iphone got is multitouch. so what you dont miss it when you dont NEED it!
I have a Samsung i8510 Innov8 and its the best phone I have ever had. (have had over 25 phones in 15 years) here in Europe.
American cellphone tech and availability is crap. America seems to be far behind in TV and cellphone tech.,
I had a 50 inch plasma screen in 2000 long before you could buy them in the USA. Same with cellphones. Amazing how archaic the USA is.
All the iphone surpporters have no idea just how far other phones go. The iphone 3Gs cannot begin to compare with the i8910. I have had the misfortune of using the iphoine 3Gs, and I've just recently bought the i8910. My advice? Destroy your iphone, and upgrade to the superior i8910. And what is all this talk about smoother iphone user interface? The simplicity of the iphone assumes that the user is goingt to be an idiot. How hard can it be to learn to use your phone? Simplicity=designed for idiots. The iphone is nothing more than a fashion accessory, muc like the motorolla V3 back in the day; beautiful, but hopelessly featureless! Hail to the new samsung hd.
well i spent 2 months searching for a phone that would do all i want, ive mainly had nokias in the past had nearly all the smart phones they have to offer so ive grown with symbian through all its bugs and probs.
nokia let them selfs down this time and it was obvious the samsun i8910 was the way to go if i wanted a symbian o/s
the iphone is a sleek good looking piece of hardware perfect in reality. What people only seem to care about is how many apps they can download and not actually what the phone can do for you! a good camera is a great tool to use to take those most memoriable pictures. now if you want a good looking phone thats got by far the best userinterface and lets face it mac spent there time on the Ui and not the actual product go get a iphone , but if you want a phone that will do all you need is more advanced in every way take the samsung! the iphone has so many annoying things is behind on technology yet is marketed so well we all overlook this
i my self detest itunes software its just terrible yet the iphone really forces me to use it i take pictures and record random videos on memorable occasions the iphone is nothing less than below par on both these, the amloed screen is so much more vibrante and full of colourwhen compared to that of the iphone, the wifi was stable unlike the iphone. both were fine when connecting via 3g and delivered similar speeds of download. Im a very heavy user of a phone its used nearly all my waking hours in some way from music to video to web to talk, the iphone. battery life as well i found far better in the samsung over the iphone and the battery is removable so you can always carry a spare which is handier than you seem to realise. over all yes they are both good phones but the samsung has the technology and the iphone the UI make your own choices but the samsung in my opinion just edges te iphone off top spot and with symbian becoming open source i can see huge improvements within the os
You, sir, are an idiot.
I am getting rid of my 3GS to get one of these – need that camera and video – who cares about waste of time mini apps!
ESSAY!
I had the iphone for a while before my i8910. The UI and the app store is what makes it a killer phone. But I use my phone now more often then I used to with the iphone because of the camera, the screen (you need to see the AMOLED screen it is just awesome), and the symbian platform (although they are slow and apple has a better UI then the i8910). There are more third party apps on the i8910 that you can't find on the Iphone. In the end it depends on your liking. Both phones are good, but i'm using the Omnia HD now.