(Technical Markus would like it to be known that he realises iPhone lovers will hunt him down after this article, but he doesn’t care…)
Back when the Apple iPhone 3G was announced, a multitude of Apple fans went ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ and promptly fell into a blissful coma. But not everyone who watched it being unveiled was sitting there, wishing how much they had one.
Samsung, for example, were putting together something to kill it with.
And so, not long after the iPhone 3G was announced, the big Korean manufacturer announced their own touchscreen, media-friendly wonder-phone: the Samsung Omnia (oh ok, if you want to be strictly accurate, the Samsung i900 Omnia). Not only did it share a name with a fictional country in a Terry Pratchett novel (Small Gods, to be precise), it’s also packing some serious firepower.
And so, it’s only inevitable that these two mobile phones are going to be scrapping it out for the title of best touchscreen handset in the world ever. Which can mean only one thing, as brother faces off against brother (we-e-e-ell, kind of): it’s war. It’s Samsung Omnia vs iPhone in a battle for supremacy!
Cue the voice of the commentator from Gladiators:
The iPhone scores the first hit, thanks to its exquisite looks and massive screen. Oh, but it’s only a flesh wound, because the Samsung Omnia is nearly as pretty, and it’s a bit smaller. So the iPhone unleashes its interface, unique amongst mobile phones… and the Samsung Omnia takes another blow, but yet again, it doesn’t get knocked down, because it too has a unique interface. It’s obvious this battle won’t be decided by mastery of software, but by skills with a lightsab-
Sorry, wrong script.
It’s time for the battle of the hardware now, and the iPhone is looking smug, thanks to its new 3G antenna and GPS receiver. “Not many mobile phones have got them,” it thinks. Erm, except they have, and so has the Samsung Omnia! In the Samsung Omnia vs iPhone hardware battle, there’s only going to be one winner. The iPhone’s multi-touch withers in the face of the Samsung Omnia’s 5 megapixel camera. With flash.
Oh, here it is, the Samsung Omnia’s finishing move! A bucket of water over the iPhone. And since the iPhone can’t get its battery out it fizzles out and drops to the floor.
And then, with the battle of Samsung Omnia vs iPhone firmly decided, the victor takes its place as the greatest touchscreen phone money can buy.
Well, until the Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia and LG KC910 Renoir come out, anyway…
Grab yourself the exquisite Samsung Omnia, today!
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:07 am
With the exception of the camera the specs are fairly close, each having advantages over the other in some areas, but I’d go for the Omnia for two reasons:
I’m a heavy user and not being able to replace the battery in the iphone would cause me problems.
Omnia is SIM free. I work in Russia and calls to the UK via Vodafone are around £1.70 per minute, but using a ‘GO SIM’ card it only costs 23p. No such option with the iphone.
February 8th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
maybe in terms of hardware they’re very simalar but really its the software that can make a phone great and a few things that i really didnt like about the omnia were
- with default setup the touch screen is very unresponsive around the edges making it hard to use the keyboard
- very few of the apps are thumb frendly and you have to navigate most things with your nail if you dont wont to carry arround the clunky stylus
- the sms software is very annoying as if you type in more than 2 lines of text its near impossible to scroll up and down yor message as the scroll bar is tiny
not really used the iphone must but the user interface is much easier to navigate and looks atloy nicer, but as the iphone is locked to the o2 network where i live ill guess id stick with my omnia because i get no signal with o2