Our i8910 HD next to a N95-1
Its been a few weeks now since I’ve have had the i8910 HD, which was originally an Orange branded unit we debranded. So far I’m impressed with this phone. The phone is fast, don’t let the 5800 XT Music Express put you off Symbian S60 v5. There is no lag with the i8910 Omnia HD. Its touch response like the iphone. Just as fast.
Our i8910 has XXIE6 firmware installed, Orange as usual did a poor job with their firmware. Removing popular applications, adding there own bloat ware and generally slowing the phone down. My impression of the phone was much less with the Orange firmware.
So far after also 2 weeks of using the phone, these are the things I dislike and like about the phone.
Our likes: The screen is very clear and very sharp. Black is really black, not a like grey. And white is white. (Not the iphones blueish white) GPS lock is amazing fast, the fastest I have seen on a phone and it receives full signal for me even indoors! Fast GUI with the snappy CPU and plenty of RAM. RAM – lots of it you can run over 20 apps+ Audio quality, Mp3/Acc etc music playback is very good. Video playback is very good, crisp and clear playback of many files. Xvids and DivX without any slow down. Good battery life, we clocked almost 6 hours DivX video playback. Beat that iphone Camera takes great phones Solid build quality, no a cheap feel Our Dislikes: Fingerprint magnet Firmware is a little buggy. For example the S60 v5 web browser can lock up the whole phone. Need for official updates No lens protector for the camera Video audio is an AMR 8 Mhz codec. Poor quality. Why can’t we have say D1 res video with an improved audio codec? Screen is not scratch proof glass. Did not ship with a music remote style headset. (With next track, stop pause and play buttons)
Our likes:
Our Dislikes:
We will go into the phone in more detail with a full review soon. But so far our rating out of 10 would be
On Orange’s Firmware
Open market firmware (No operator logo’s or customisation)
Did you have any problems with the calling as the other reviews have talked about or was that not an issue?
You guy’s really think the camera is that great?
I have the an unbranded i8910 (formally Orange UK) and i must say im very disappointed with the camera. Requires a very steady hand to caputre a good shot even in the day time.
As for night shots, well they appauling. Not a patch on the camera on my old N95 8gb.
Hi.
Have you tried installing and running Skype? Does it work? How is the quality?
Have you tried recording the conversations with some third-party software? Is it possible with this phone? Are there any hardware limitations?
No that must have just been with their beta unit. Call quality is good. No issues hearing others and others hearing me. Its quite clear.
Yes you do have to hold it stready. Also for indoor shots you have to use the mode setting. Setting indoors/party will give good indoor photos in poorer light. Also night shot mode takes a better photo than my n95/ I do admit it takes some time to get use too. The anti-shake setting also can make photos contrast to extreme I found. I think becasue it limits the ISO setting to ISO 50?
But all and all once your use to the camera it takes great pictures, I think for a mobile phone. Beats my n95 or i900 omnia
Hi Eugene, I have tried Fring beta which has skype. Its ok and the quality was ok. Not as good as skype on the PC. Recording the conversations, sorry I haven’t tried this as I don’t have a program that will do this. Can you point me in the direction of one?
You might want to try this one: it has a 14-day trial period.
http://www.killermobile.com/newsite/content/view/40/82/
As for Fring, it only offers SkypeOut, am I right? Is there a way to make Skype-Skype calls on Symbian S60 v5?
I’ve got a question about the screen;
On the Dutch i8910 HD forum there is a report on DUST getting under the screen! (http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/view_message/32086822)
And there are a couple more reports about it
Could anyone of you early-users confirm having the same problem or are these reports just incidents?
Kathleen, Netherlands
i can confirm dust under my screen on my i8910. Appeared after i spent the day on the beach. This was a problem with my viewty did not expect it with this phone.
You mentioned lack of remote style headset. I wonder if those nokia remote handset (like on N95 or 5800) work with i8910? Could someone try this, because you have N95 and then you probably have N95′s remote headset?
Hi!!! I’ve been waiting this phone since it was shown at WMC in Barcelona and i’m so excited about it, but lately, i’ve read that the audio quality recording really sucks!!! is it really so bad??? and could yo tell me please which other problems or bugs have you seen??? and can you give me your opinion, is recommendable to purchase it?? Thanks!!!
I don’t have any dust under my screen yet but I know exactly how this happens. It is to do with the way the screen is glued to the front casing. My problem specifically:
my current phone has a build quality issue where if you follow to where the screen meets the front silver bezel, there is ‘movement’ between the screen and the case on the top right hand side, like it hasnt been glued on properly. The other side is flush and does not move. This is where dust is getting in.
I found 1 spec of dust under the screen. Not sure if it was there from the start or not. But our Iphone 3g had the same issues. Dust appears under the glass.
I can’t find the N95 headset! But in our fourm someone tried, its doesn’t work
Yes, dispute its small flaws its the best phone I’ve owned to date.
ISend it back might be best. My 1 spec of dust its not a problem for me . Unless more dust appears.
I would also like to comment that compared to the 5800 XT Music Express, S60 v5 touch on this mobile is soooo much faster. I used a 5800 today and it seemed so slow compared to my i8910. The difference the 600mhz cpu and graphics accelerator make is obvious.
It’s a bad news that you can’t use nokia remote Does that means you have to pull your phone out of pocket/purse every time you want to play/pause or change the song? Can you do that with some hardware keys (like on some SE phones)? And does that mean if you want to plug your own headphones you must give up handsfree etc ?
yes you have to pull it out of your pocket to change the track or album. Since there is no remote yet..
It works perfertly with Motorola HT820 via bluetooth, you can change a track by simply pressing ‘next’ button at the headphone…
Any luck yet?
Henry: Thanks I forgot about bluetooth headsets!
Hey guys, after debranding and unlocking the phone, I can use it as modem and it works real cool ! I tried http://www.speedtest.net/ and it gave me download and upload speed of approxmately 1Mbps, much better than my n95 8gb, especially the uplink !
Can you please tell me if you think it was worth the trade from a N95 8GB you had? I have one righ now and I can’t decide if it’s worth to go for the i8910. One thing is for sure, I’m anxious to make my iphone friends envy!
Oh, and sorry for my bad english, I am from Brazil! Hope you understand.^^
gabriel it will knock spots off the nokia n95 ….deffinatelly get one ….you will not be dissapointed
Gabriel: This phone is in another class compaired to the N95. Like Daniel says, get it!
Thanks for the feedback guys!
hello. Now i own an n95 8gb, and i have to ask you before i’ll get my omnia hd, how is the sound quality and volume , compared with n95 ? The same ? How is the bass, do you feel it ? Thanks, and i’m waiting for answer.
hi all.. day before yesterday i’v debranded my omnia. right now, its awsome..it improvs battery life also.. orange craps are removed..
oh daniel.. its nice… i’v also used n95-8gb. but omnia hd is the best ph i’v ever used… sound quality is superb. base is also good. and the surround sound of headphone is really feel able.
hi there , you mentioned a wonderful gps fix. But nothing about wifi reception. Can you made a small test and compare to an integrated radio card into a notebook. How does it behave when the notebook is at low signal? Omnia is still there or not? Thanks!
I have a jabra bt3030 bluetooth headset with media control buttons (next, prev, pause, play) and it works! so I don’t have to touch the phone to move between tracks.
hello. tell me does the new firmware help with the devices video recording sound? i heard it changed from amr to aac which is much better. Also how long does the battery last in normal usage and standby? is there any other issues with the phone like with the phonebook, web browsing, camera, and lagging?
what other improvements are there with the new firmware? is the screen really bad under direct sunlight?
SS Please release new firmware for using Nokia 5800XM Full Remote Control Head set… ha ha ha(‘-_*)
i just received my samsung omnia i8910. and i too have the dust under my screen. it is very annoying and i don’t know what do about it. i bought it from handtec.co.uk and i just emailed them for a solution. did anyone find a solution to this problem?
Still be Quiet for Wire Full Remote Control Solution from SAMSUNG. That’s ashamed to Nokia 5800 Xpress Music man! ( I got both of them)
Hey guys, I’m really thinking about getting one of these bad boys, but the milion dollar question is: is the outdoor screen visibility that bad? For instance can u use the gps outside in the afternoon or it’s strictly invisible? Thx guys
well guys i have been lucky enough to try the n97 before i got this phone, and the n97 from the start was annoyingly arrogant. the widgets assumed it knew what was best for you, the key lock decided it was always better to unlock with no backlight, and the sync didnt allow u to turn it off, so i ended up with 3 copies of all my mp3′s which i didnt ask for let alone need. now onto this wonderful peice of technology, a.k.a i8910…..from the start the ease of use and simplicity was outstanding, it never assumed anything and did what i needed it to do. I also found taking photos with it fun, as there are soo many settings and configuration it blew my mind away. I very much enjoyed the panoramic option although be warned if u try doing a panoramic pic going up instead of left or right, then u got to be flexible. video/film play back is also very amazing, so sharp and i would quite happily say it is as clear as my toshiba laptop. not tried the recording sound quality yet, but i got the phone so i can make calls, listen to my mp3s and occassional play a game or film. and without a doubt this does it with ease clarity and style. last thing to say is for past 4 years up until the n97 i would never had tried a different brand but now, samsung has made me wonder what i have been missing. the i8910 is truely outstanding and can easily be compared to the iphone, which i borrowed a friends and the i8910 came out tops for me. ooooh i forgot i also like the movement controlled gaming feature, awesomeness personified!!!! well done samsung
hello, new owner of orange branded i8910. Battery life bad… Any tips? But main request is how to de-brand with latestnfirmware and how to install skype
Why is the call quality on some models terrible but others say theirs is really good ?
Samsung i8910 Skype does not work, please help: ( xxx122(eta)inbox.lt
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