Making The Case For Samsung ATIV S
Hardware
Fresh off the remarkable quarter powered by the Galaxy S III, Samsung is prepared to release their first Windows Phone 8 device, the ATIV S. Its 8.7mm thin body with brushed aluminum finish belies the fact it houses the largest Windows Phone 8 screen of any device at 4.8”. The screen is using Samsung’s beautiful and rich HD Super Amoled display technology. The ATIV S does support NFC and MicroSD card support up to 64 GB. The only flagship device that includes MicroSD support. If you’re looking to move to a bigger screen, need as much storage you can get or if thinness of design is high on the priority for a consumer this is an obvious contender for their dollars.
Software
Packing Windows Phone 8 as a great starter Samsung has went the extra step to include a few other nuggets. Samsung is bringing their Chat On, All Share, NOW and the Samsung Hub. As much as Samsung has played up the ability to use S-Beam on the Galaxy S III it seems like a no brainer for Samsung to continue to play to the social crowd. They have experience with NFC (S-Beam is NFC based) and they know how to market simple scenarios in a way that the consumer gets it. Heck, it’d be a great idea for Samsung to include S-Beam with the ATIV S and play up the fact they can exchange things with Galaxy S III users. Considering Samsung has sold over 10 million units of the device in its first 100 days that’s a lot of clout to throw around. One interesting note I’ve discovered is the inclusion of something Samsung calls Family Story.
Differentiating Features
The aforementioned Family Story:
No matter where you are, with Samsung Family Story you can
always keep your family and friends updated.
Simply connect privately in your family’s digital space and
share memorable moments across your Samsung smart devices.
It only takes seconds to set-up and the memories will
last a lifetime.
Wrap Up
Samsung is now positioned firmly as a heavyweight in the mobile space. They know how to work with carrier partners to get their phones some shelf space and are not afraid to price aggressively when the situation calls for it. The ATIV S may not bring best-in-class features like the Lumia 920 or carry the backing of Microsoft’s designation as a signature device but make no mistake the ATIV S will sell and sell well. I can’t get past the fact Samsung would be missing a huge opportunity to stake a claim to Windows Phone dominance by not bringing the things like Share Shot and S-Beam to the table. Yes S-Beam is basically "Tap + Send" but branding matters. How Samsung positions the ATIV S relative to the Galaxy S III will tell us alot about their commitment to Windows Phone. I’m looking forward to finding out.
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About The Author
As soon as they show on Verizon I’ll be getting a few
Suggestion:
You guys should check your facts. You repeatedly state that the ATIV S is Samsung’s first Windows Phone. It is actually their forth (Samsung Focus, Focus S, and Focus Flash)
Lol, I just re-read it and you said WP8 device
Now I feel dumb :p
I would get it, I’m just as they got me with there 27inch windows 8 all in one, but I’m head over hills on love with the sexy lumia 920, I think I’m going for the white girl or the red one
Samsung already has those programs (ChatOn, AllShare, Now). Not all are supported on all phones. It is that lack of support for the system that would worry me when choosing phones. They haven’t been pushing carriers to get these out and the fact there is only the flagship phone announced now leads me to think that they just want to dabble in the space. Plus, it’s a huge phone. It’s a two-hander to use isn’t it?
I want this phone for the storage but I want Nokia Maps instead of Bing Maps. Does anyone know if the new Bing Maps will remove that annoying required touch for each turn by turn?
@Dj-No worries. I had to read the passage again to make sure I specified wp8.
@Ustudio-By not being colorful and choosing to go with gray and a thin body while packing that large screen is how Samsung intends on differentiating. If a ton of people bought the Galaxy S III fans of that phone that were waiting on WP8 could choose to go this route.
@Luter-I think Samsung could really push for dominance if they solidified their differentiating features on both Android and WP8. That would mean everyone other than iPhone users would be able to share great features and Samsung benefits from this. I forgot to mention S-Voice, and unless that is based off Android specific APIs should be included in their WP8 offering.
@Brian-32GB is more than enough for me and I want the premium experience which is why i’m choosing the Lumia 920. I’ve decided that having one device to house my media (music, tv and videos) isn’t the most effective use case for me. I’m probably picking up an iPod for that.