Samsung Omnia Review: Design and User Interface

Samsung Omnia Review: Design and User Interface
Page content

Samsung Omnia

The Samsung Omnia is named after the Latin word which means ‘everything.’ Based on its name alone, one can say that Samsung made the phone to have everything that a mobile phone user needs- from basic texting, voice calling and multimedia messaging, to more advanced features like Internet browsing and instant messaging.

Design (5 out of 5)

The Samsung Omnia, or simply Omnia, comes in a metallic bezel with a widescreen display for easier tapping and scrolling using the fingers. Underneath the screen are two buttons- End and Call, with a directional pad in between the buttons, used for selecting items. On the right edge of the phone are shortcut buttons for the camera and volume control. On the left edge is an I/O port for connecting, charging and syncing with a wired headset.

The screen has a size of 3.2 inches diagonally with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and is capable of supporting 65,000 colors.

The back of the headset is the battery cover made of plastic with a brushed, metallic feel that makes the phone look sophisticated. Also, at the back, there is the lens of the 5 megapixel camera with and LED flash.

User Interface (5 out of 5)

The Omnia is pretty user friendly making it very appealing to any mobile phone user. Users have the option of using the Samsung Today screen which displays important information such as submenu, a large clock, and icons for messages, call log and email status. The Samsung Today screen can be accessed from the settings page. Tapping on the main menu screen gives the users a page with 12 icons representing commonly used applications. There is also a Shortcuts page that the user can customize to include apps which they want to have quick access to. Likewise, users can access the Programs page that lists all the applications in the phone. Scrolling through the list can be done by swiping your fingers, just like the iPhone.

The Omnia scores a lot of raves with its haptic feedback which simply means that for every tap of the screen, the phone registers a slight vibration to indicate that the device has registered the user’s input. This is particularly useful especially for users who are often left wondering if the device has acknowledged his or her input particularly when using the virtual keyboard.

There are three text input methods in this phone- a full QWERTY keyboard, one that is half QWERTY meaning two letters on a key, and the typical phone pad similar to a regular phone. The phone pad however works best for those who often find themselves texting with one hand such as those who usually drive.

Features (5 out of 5)

Samsung Omnia Purple

The Omnia features a motion sensor that allows the device to easily switch orientation from landscape to portrait modes. A quad band GSM phone, the Omnia supports GPRS, HSDPA and EDGE connection. It also has Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth 2.0 for more connectivity options. It also has 16GB of internal memory.

The Omnia’s browser supports advanced HTML pages which are rendered impressively. The FM radio of the phone can support up to 6 frequencies in two groups, with a simple interface and the ability of recording FM stations. The Omnia also has Office Mobile capability allowing it to view and edit Office files like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, plus a PDF reader.

The Omnia also has a 5 megapixel camera that not only captures images but also is capable of recording and editing videos.

Performance (5 out of 5)

The Omnia’s camera is quite responsive and can churn out high quality images which is pretty impressive for a WM PDA phone which is not exactly known for producing high quality pictures. Users can get a lot of versatility with the camera phone as it comes with autofocus, LED lighting and anti-shake.

Playback of audio and video is also quite impressive as the Omnia makes use of the Touch Player that is easy to control with a simple swipe of the finger. The player also allows sorting of files according to genre, artist, and album, although the lack of an equalizer is quite disappointing.

Call quality is also impressive with the Omnia. The phone also opens applications quickly thanks to its 624 MHz processor. Users will find the Omnia responsive especially in opening one application after another.

The Omnia also has a pretty good battery life, with a talk time of more than 5 hours. The phone can even last up to three days without charging, which is remarkable given that many PDA phones usually need daily charging.

Verdict (5 out of 5)

The Omnia is without a doubt one of the best mobile phones in the market today. Its wide range of features, excellent design, user friendly interface and fast processor make it highly recommended to mobile users in need of a high performing Windows mobile phone.

If you are looking for an Android device, you could consider the Samsung Galaxy S or check out our list of the Top 10 Best Android smartphones.