Samsung Omnia Pro (B7610)

STORES	£
Crescent Electronics	204.30





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Specifications
Camera sensor	5 MP
Weight	162 grammes
Dimensions (mm)	112.6 x 57.8 x 15.9 mm
Talk Time	6 hours
Standby Time	450 hours
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Internal memory	1 GB
Memory Card	microSDHC
SAR Level	0.671 W/kg
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Tristan François
Updated: January 06, 2010 - Test date: December 17, 2009

The Omnia Pro B7610 as a phone

The most basic thing you need a phone for is making calls, and the B7610 doesn't really excel. The speaker and the mic are both mediocre and don't always allow both parties to enjoy a clear conversation. It's a real problem that didn't get any better when we turned on the external speaker.

Managing contacts is straightforward and uses the Windows Mobile 6.5 system. It's a shame we can't say the same for messages.

Sending a text message to a new number (one that isn't stored in your phone book) isn't very easy, and if you don't want to use the physical keyboard, you'll need to get the stylus out. If you're in a hurry, you'll want to leave it out.

Samsung is continuing to expand its coverage of the mobile phone market with two handsets aimed squarely at professionals, the Omnia Pro B7330 and B7610.

We're testing the latter today, which includes a slide-out physical keyboard, while on the former it's underneath the screen, like on a BlackBerry. Given that BlackBerrys are amongst the best pro smartphones around--just behind Nokia's Eseries--Samsung has got its work cut out.

Long-lasting battery life doesn't come cheap …

… and we're not talking about price, but the size and weight of the handset itself. While RIM has put the BlackBerry Curve and Bold on a diet, Samsung doesn't seem to mind having a bigger phone and you can tell: the B7610 feels heavy in your hand and plugging in the hands-free kit is almost a relief. In terms of style, although the Omnia Pro has borrowed plenty of elements from the Omnia II, it reminded us most of some blocky Nokia handsets. We notice a slight wobble in between the screen and the keyboard, another thing it has in common with some Nokia smartphones. Although it's entirely made of plastic, the B7610 is reasonably well turned-out and it is the perfect example of a mid-range pro smartphone.

The black and crimson colour scheme can't hide the fact that the B7610 is thicker than the iPhone 3G S

As soon as you switch it on, it's obvious that this phone has inherited some of the Omnia II's qualities, including the screen. The AMOLED display works wonders and we are looking forward to seeing more of this technology in 2010 given how much easier it is to view, especially outside in bright sunlight. Another nice surprise is that the graphical part of the OS, although rather lightweight, is pretty attractive, even it soon becomes obvious that Windows Mobile 6.5 is running underneath. Unfortunately, TouchWiz is there too, along with the strange lateral bar of widgets.

The most interesting element, though, has to be the switch between the two modes: personal and professional. The first, which is more cheerful, has different widgets and shortcuts to the second, but you can still access the 'pro' features. To switch over, you need to press a single physical button on one side of the phone, allowing you to quickly toggle between persona and pro applications.

Samsung Omnia Lite vs Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 vs Apple iPhone 3G S

Unfortunately though, we were quickly disappointed by the interface when we started using it. It's not that the menus and features aren't well thought-out (they are), but that the B7610 really isn't very fast. It often takes several seconds to react, despite the fact the screen has visually acknowledged that you've tapped it--although then again, the screen isn't exactly the most sensitive we've ever seen either. This slowness is a real problem on a smartphone designed for business users: it's very frustrating to not be able to quickly check an important e-mail. We don't think that these problems are down to multitasking either, as we found them in a whole range of contexts.

Still on the subject of the interface, we also got the impression that the two systems had been bashed together rather quickly with some strange leaps between the Samsung and Windows Mobile elements that didn't seem to make using the phone any easier.

Opera Mobile on the left vs Internet Explorer 6 Mobile on the right: you can see which is better!

For browsing, Samsung has made the wise decision to include Opera Mobile. It's a good idea because, although Internet Explorer 6 Mobile makes up for some of the ground that Microsoft had lost to the competition, there is still a lot of work to be done. You'll still have to without Flash though. With WiFi G included, you can still surf the web pretty easily, as long as you keep the stylus to hand.

You'll also need that stylus when you get deeper into the software on the phone. As easy as it is to access some of the basic features using your fingers, plenty of the menus are complicated enough to require the stylus. The arrow buttons are also helpful, but are still not as effective as the stylus itself.

Managing e-mail accounts is fairly easy, apart from with Exchange, and like most Windows Mobile phones, synchronising with Outlook is also easy. The physical keyboard is an entirely different story though: although it's very wide, the individual keys are too smooth and hard making it easy to make mistakes that slow you down.

Message Interface

When it comes to multimedia, the B7610 can rely on the power provided by its more consumer-orientated ancestors and has no problems at all with re-encoding videos up 720p HD on the fly, but any higher resolutions are off limits. And it's good news, as the Omnia Pro supports MPEG4, H.264 and DivX video. We were also impressed with audio compatibility, where the number of formats is also growing, slowly beginning to rival a dedicated audio player. The audio output, a mini jack, is perfectly standard--although we can't say the same for the external speaker (see inset). It's the camera which spoils thinks though, as the 5 Megapixel sensor doesn't exactly produce excellent results. That's just about the least important point on a pro smartphone, though. Note that there's also an FM radio, which, as ever, needs you to plug in the headphones.

It's only rarely that the built-in accelerometer is used to turn the display round. Instead, you have to slide out the physical keyboard, which is something we're rather dubious about. Indeed, we're left wondering if the only thing the motion sensor is good for is the dice game, though be careful that you don't try so hard you end up throwing the phone itself.

Compare the Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 to other smartphones and digital cameras in our Product Face-Off

All that's left is the GPS, which, although it only offers geolocalisation (and not navigation) is very fast, as it manages to locate your phone in under a minute even without GSM triangulation.

So what about the battery life? A large battery coupled to an AMOLED screen: it's a winning formula that's propelled the growth of MP3 players, but it hasn't really worked here. The B7610 only manages to last around a day and a half. It's perfectly reasonable, but by no means a record. We're disappointed.

Pluses

Switches between professional and personal modes

Very bright AMOLED screen works even in bright sunlight

Respectable battery life

Lots of multimedia compatibility

Minuses

Mediocre earpiece and microphone

Heavy and bulky

Too slow and hangs all thetime

Samsung and Windows Mobile interfaces clash

Keyboard is too slippy, despite the size

The Omnia Pro B7610 goes after the Nokia E75 and the HTC Touch Pro 2, but Samsung comes away empty-handed. The interface will take more work, and other elements need optimising too, before this phone becomes useable. It's a shame, as the work/life interface divide and the AMOLED screen are both strengths.