Today at IFA in Berlin, Samsung lifted the curtain on its first Windows Phone 8
device, the ATIV S. This is just the first in a big lineup of new
hardware that’s coming with Windows Phone 8, but it’s a seriously
impressive opening salvo. Samsung built the ATIV S with the latest and
greatest technology, especially for anyone who want a superphone that’s
equal parts powerhouse and head turner.
Specs
Inside
the crazy-thin 8.7mm brushed aluminum chassis is a huge 4.8” HD Super
AMOLED display made from Corning Gorilla Glass 2 (read: tough to break,
but still light)and a rundown of killer specs: 1.5Ghz dual-core
processor, 1GB of onboard RAM, and an 8MP autofocus rear camera and
1.9MP front-facing camera. You’ll have the choice of two storage
capacities – 16GB or 32GB – and both models have a MicroSD slot for
expanded storage. Backing all of this up is a massive 2300mAh battery to
keep you rocking all day.
Look & Feel
Samsung
did a heck of a job packing the latest and greatest tech into the ATIV
S, but what’s even more impressive is how great the phone feels when you
pick it up. Despite having a 4.8” display, which makes the ATIV S one
of the bigger phones on the market, it doesn’t feel that big. I
attribute that to three things. The first is that the ATIV S is
impossibly thin – obvious, yes - but still important. The second is more
subtle; Samsung made the bezel of the ATIV S an oblong hemisphere
(hello, Art History degree, I missed you). In English that means that
the bezel actually bulges out slightly, then tapers more acutely to the
back. This makes the ATIV extremely comfortable to hold and keeps your
fingers off the screen when it’s in your hand (smart!).
The
third, and in my opinion most important, is weight and balance. When
designing a handheld device engineers walk a fine line – too light and
the device feels cheap, too heavy and it’s cumbersome. Samsung’s ATIV S
walks this tightrope with ease; it’s solid but not heavy, and it’s
perfectly balanced so your hand doesn’t get fatigued. I’ve been using
mine for a few days and not once did I have to do to the
“I-need-to-put-this-thing-down-and-shake-out-my-hand-because-my-fingers-are-going-numb”
thing.
Final thoughts
The ATIV S is
flat-out beautiful, and it has the guts to match. But what’s impressed
me most about the ATIV S is Samsung’s attention to detail. To get to
your Start screen, you hit a raised physical Windows button, not a
capacitive one. The speaker bar on the front and the back, as well as
all of the buttons, are aluminum, not plastic. And the display glass has
just the slightest of rounded edges. It all adds up to a device that
looks great, feels great, and performs great.
More
photos of the ATIV S below, including a few of the new device next to
Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 family. Let us know what you think!
Oh, one last thing before I go….be sure to check out Blogging Windows on Friday, August 31st for a look at the rest of the cool new devices being announced at IFA this week.
Top of the ATIV S. The big circle is the 1.9MP camera
Back of the ATIV S. I love the giant flash on this phone.
The
entire family of Samsung Windows Phones (minus the Focus Flash, which I
accidentally forgot to include!). From left to right, the original
Focus, the Focus S, Focus 2, and the new ATIV S.
Same set of phones in profile. The ATIV S is the super thin one on the right.
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