Samsung i8910 Omnia HD preview: Getting closer

The world's first 720p HD video recording on a mobile phone was top of our list of trend-setting features revealed at this year's MWC in Barcelona. But even if you take HD from the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD you will still have enough skill and guts to go around. It's Symbian-powered, it's touch-controlled, it's a monster of a cameraphone. For all we know, a device like that is always worth another look.

So, here's the deal. We're not just taking another look at the Samsung Omnia HD, we hope it's a closer, and more revealing look. A second preview is a rare honor but then, the Samsung Omnia HD is a rare piece of technology.

The Omnia HD is getting closer to release and the new unit we have is much different than the real early bird we checked out back in February. It's been a while, so here's what Samsung have been up to with the Omnia HD.

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/1900/2100 MHz, GPRS/EDGE class 12, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions and weight: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm, 144 g
• Display: 3.7-inch 16M color capacitive AMOLED touchscreen, 640 x 360 pixels
• Memory: 8/16GB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• CPU:ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz processor; Graphics HW Accelerator
• OS: Symbian S60 5th edition
• Still camera: 8 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection, smile shot, image stabilizer, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), ISO 1600
• Video recording: HD 720p@24fps, 720x480@30fps, QVGA time-lapse and slow-mo video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi with DLNA support, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, TV-out (SD content)
• Misc: Accelerometer for screen auto rotate and turn-to-mute, proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off, magnetometer for digital compass, handwriting recognition, FM radio with RDS, DivX/XviD video support, subtitles support, virtual 5.1 channel Dolby surround (on headphones), web browser with Flash video support, office document viewer, motion-based 3D games
• Battery: 1500 mAh battery

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD is getting closer and closer to its release

To get it straight, the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD (or just i8910 HD in select markets as of lately) hasn't lost a bit of its HD magic. The 720p video playback and recording are all intact and can be enjoyed in their full shine on the more mature device we're testing this time around.

The same goes for the 8-megapixel snapper that sports autofocus, digital image stabilization, geo-tagging, beside face, smile and blink detection. Along come the enormous 3.7" capacitive AMOLED touchscreen and the other goodies that complete the Omnia HD. Like the touch-optimized Symbian OS and TouchWiz 3D, WLAN support and built-in GPS.

Now, before you start wondering what the fuss is all about, we're focusing on the evolution of the Omnia HD. Other than the design and hardware changes, this preview is looking closer at the interface and the coexistence of Symbian and TouchWiz. Prepare for great video playing and plenty of video and still camera samples. We've tried to make it less talk, more action, so let's roll.