Have you heard of the Samsung i900 Omnia? If you’re thinking about getting a Diamond, the Omnia is a similar device that you should at least consider. GSM Arena has posted a fantastic nine-page article comparing the two devices. Nine pages is a lot to read, so we’ve summarized it for you.
Form Factor/Hardware
Both devices have a similar form factor with a flush touchscreen and very few hardware buttons on the front. The Omnia weighs more and is larger in all dimensions because of the larger screen at 3.2″ versus 2.8″ on the Diamond, plus larger battery (1440mAh versus 900mAh).
The Diamond’s screen resolution is greater at 480×640, compared to 240×400 on the Omnia. The Omnia may have an advantage over the Diamond in one-handed usability, as it has an optical joystick that can be used to control a virtual mouse on the screen.
The Omnia will come in two versions: one with 8GB of internal storage, and one with 16GB. It will also have a microSD expansion card for even more memory. The Diamond has 4GB of storage and no expansion card slot.
User Interface
The Diamond has the highly-praised TouchFLO 3D interface. The Omnia features something called TouchWiz UI, which takes a “widget” approach to Windows Mobile - you can slide around various widgets and place them where you want on the Today screen. Widgets include a clock, photo browser, birthday reminder, FM radio, and others.
Other Features of the Omnia
Like the Diamond, the Omnia has a built-in accelerometer. But unlike the Diamond, you can flip the Omnia to landscape in any program and the screen will follow. On the Diamond, this only happens in certain programs.
Also, the Omnia has vibration feedback when you enter text on the keyboard, making for a more realistic keyboard “feel.” The folks at GSM Arena found this feature to make text entry more enjoyable.
Pricing and Availability
The i900 Omnia is expected to land as a triband and quadband GSM phone in the August-September time frame. It’ll be priced in the $750-$850 range unlocked.
Conclusion
GSM Arena didn’t arrive at a definitive conclusion, stating that each device has its Pros and Cons. What’s our take? The Omnia has a lot of really interesting additions - we like the optical joystick, the versatility of the accelerometer, and the larger battery. That said, the Diamond still appears to be the most refined of the two, with the highest resolution screen, smallest form factor, and implementation of touch features throughout the operating system.
Also, for a comparison of each phone’s specifications, check out this comparison chart.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
looks ugly