Samsung Omnia II (CDMA)
Phone Scoop Review
Dec 15, 2009 by Eric M. Zeman
Samsung's second take at the Omnia adds tons of features to this Windows Mobile and TouchWiz-based device. The Omnia II earns high marks in calling and camera performance, but comes up short in a few other areas. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Omnia II is a solid Win Mo phone
This phone is wonderful.
Pro's
Screen is amazing. Its one of two AMOLED (the Rouge being the other) that Verizon sells. I can put movies on it and actually WATCH them because the screen is massive and flawless.
Swype is a refreshing way to text on a touch screen phone. You can do it one handed. Actually you have to do it one handed. I can type faster with Swype then my wife can on her Blackberry Curve II. I can't believe how accurate it is.
I added the spb mobile shell and it makes the home screen very customizable. I didn't care for the Samsung widget but that's easily removed through the "items on today" option under display. You can make it look like a regular Windows phone or use the Windows home screen and this is also a great interface.
Call quality is right up there with other phones I have owned (Blackberry Storm 2, Droid, Palm Pre, Blackberry Pearl 2, Iphone, HTC touch pro.) I can't say any of the above was any better.
If you hold down the middle button at the bottom it takes you right to the task switcher and it gives you the option to kill all open apps. You have the download this on and Android phone and is not even an option on Blackberry's. You have to close each app one at a time.
Phone is quick and responsive, not as fast as Android or even the new Palm Pre but Windows is not know for being extremely quick; however this phone is probably the fastest Win Mo phone I've ever seen and I've used probably 10 in the last 5 years.
Camera and Video capture is great, Samsung hit a home run here. The delay in the camera is almost non existent. Can't say that for the Droid. I have a three year old and they don't stay still very long.
Great apps in the Windows Marketplace!
Cons
Still wish it had a touch capacity screen but this resistance screen is the best I've ever used.
Internet is hard to Navigate sometimes but of the three browsers available for Win Mo (Internet Explorer, Opera and Skyfire) Opera seems to be the best.
GREAT PHONE !
I am very impressed with this phone, especially its great features. I reccommend it to everyone, it is perfect for my job at work too because of all it's features. Only thing I wish is that it could be on the Straight Talk plan - which is prepaid. I'm not doing too well financially and I heard you save over $1200 a year by doing the 2 year plan with StraightTalk. I'm pretty torn because I'm in desperate need to save money the smart way but I just love this phone so much! Any advice?
Omnia II packs a lot of features in a small package.
I purchased this phone the first day that Verizon released it and I have been very happy with it. I upgraded from the I760 which was a great phone also, but it was heavy (and it was time for âmy renew ever 2âÂ). Calls on the Omnia II are amazingly clear and when I paired it with my Plantronics 855 blutooth even it was noticeably clearer. The speaker phone is loud and clear. I tether this phone to my laptop and am pleased with the response from my laptop. Browsing from the phone is faster than it was on my old phone. There are a lot of great software apps on this phone also. Iâm amazed at the accuracy of the Nuance voice recognition. Swype works amazingly well. It didnât take long to learn (like 5 minutes). I text a lot and I have really enjoyed using itâ¦itâs fast, accurate and really fun to use. I thought I would miss having an actual keyboard but I havenât missed the keyboard at all. The screen is very clear and sharp and friends have noted that the screen looks clear and sharp. The phone fits well in my hand and because itâs thin and light Iâm carrying it in my pocket as opposed to using a holster. There are way too many features and applications to mention and I haven't been disappointed after using it over a week. This is a great phone. I looked at several other phones before getting this phone and the Omnia II is definitely the right Phone for me.
Great Windows Phone, Not for everyone.
Upgraded from the i910 Omnia. Couldn't be happier with the device. Thing is, I'm not an average phone user, which is why I (as well as most of you folks) got this phone in the first place. Android would be the obvious choice for most smartphone users, but I needed something that would replace my laptop on the go. The phone's got a great feature set (phenomenal camera, speakers, divx support to name a few) and very fast (when you have the processor speed on normal or high) for a windows mobile device, and it's not ugly...at all. It's not too flashy but not nearly as minimalist as recent HTC phones. Samsung's black and red theme they seem to use with everything now actually looks good here...but i digress. What I was getting at before was that this is really sort of a niche device, definitely geared towards windows mobile fans and business users above all else. Although TouchWiz is definitely a great UI, SPB mobile Shell suits most folks' desires for that Android-ish sort of interface with all your programs a click away. It works especially well on this phone, far better than it did on my 910. I'd recommend it if you like windows mobile but don't wan't to sacrifice network quality to get the HD2 (Resolution's the same, but the Omnia II has a smaller screen, so the pixel density is high. Also a plus). Also if you want a smartphone with an above average video camera, this is a good choice.
Very Happy with Omnia 2
I've had this phone for a over a month now. I can say that I absolutely love this phone! Granted, it may not be the fastest when it comes to the Internet use but I don't surf that often so it is not a big issue with me. I also noticed sometimes the phone seems little "laggish" but not all the time. I think it depends on what area you are in...for example: inside a building that can be hard to pick up services
This phone clarity is awesome! It also rings very loudly which I like that since I wear hearing aids and have been known to miss very important phone calls!!
The best part of the phone is the swyping!! I am a pretty fast texter but sywping is the way to do it!! You also have a choice by using like a keyboard by turning the phone side ways and it also works great!!
Overall, this is my very first smart phone and I have certainly enjoyed it!! You can do so much with this phone! By the way...it does have a tip calculator...it is under the unit converter! I thought the phone didn't have one till I discovered it by accident!! Got to have that tip calculator!!!
I think the phone is well worth it and I do recommend to do the tutorial on Omina 2 phones provided by the Verizon website....this is what helped me the most!!! You have to spend time with this phone to get comfortable with it!!!
Enjoy!!!!
Samsung Omnia II - Recently Purchased....
Just purchased the Samsung Omnia for free with my job's internet special. So far so good. Updated from the Samsung Omnia I so this is an improvement. Only 1 day after I ordered it I saw the Droid Incredible release date for April 29. I believe I have the 14-15 day return policy so we'll see. Anyways, I'm beginning to like this phone. In the beginning I was on the fence. 1st, there's no optical mouse like on the Samusng Onmnia. Everything has to be touched. Oftentimes I may be doing something with my other hand and cannot touch the icon / widget I want.. Optical Mouse comes in handy. Other than that, everything else seems to be ok. The big screen is a PLUS!! I am having problems finding a pouch for it.
PROS
Faster than the Onmnia I
Big Screen
Loud SpeakerPhone
Good call quality
Headset Jack
Different Equilizer settings for music player
Able to obtain more apps
GREAT PICTURES!!!! (This is a great camera phone, I'm anxious to hang out with my friends and snap some shots as I always do when they're drinking.)
Good internet speed w/ Opera
CONS
The video is kinda sucky when it's dark.
Unable to find pouch to fit in
Not really familiar with the Swype. Need to
read/learn more about it.
NO OPTICAL MOUSE
Needs Better Screen themes.
When I open new Texts, it doesn't display the new text first. I always have to scroll down to the last text.
Overall, I honestly need to spend more time with this phone. I currently have many Samsung items, Samsung Blu-Ray player, Samsung 24 In flat screen Monitor. So I figured I may as well stick with the phone. I will most likely respond back when I have more experience with it. I've only had it for a day now. So far, it's decent.. I got it for free so I really shouldn't complain. I'm anxious to get my hands on the Droid Incredible though. I used a Droid a friend has for Sprint and it's awesome. Very fast speed, information at a touch notice.
Impressions from a non-owner /On the Fence
I do not own this phone. I have played with it for a total of about 40 mins. I'm going to give some impressions & then if I do get the phone I will provide more detail.
My apprehension is because of a work-related email issue, not the phone itself. I am "on the fence" about getting this or an android phone. I'm not crazy about the Droid. I like the GUI on the Eris, but it lacks some things I would like - camera flash, video support(Flash), etc.
Impressions:
Good size. Easy to hold & manipulate. Buttons are responsive & located okay. Would need to use, carry in pocket,to be aware of problems.
Screen is good. Don't know if I can say it's as good as the Droid, or Ipod Touch, but it is very good.
Camera did a good job taking pictures in the store. Easy to use. Quick response for a cell phone camera. Slightly less lag than the Droid.
Swype is cool. Would need more practice, but did some "typing" & although counter-intuitive to T9, etc, I think I could pick it up quickly. The onscreen keyboard could be better. It would be nice if there were some sort of feedback - haptic, enlarged letters ala Iphone, etc.
Web. First time I've used Opera. Was slower than my Itouch on WiFi, but I expected that. Acceptable speed.
I've never owned a WinMo phone. This was better than expected from complaints I've read. O2 is "over-loaded" with things. I would need some serious play-time to figure out how to best customize for me, get a grasp on the Widgets, etc. The widgets seem overly complicated.
There are not many apps on the Samsung widget store at all, and not much useful.
"The cube" - this is, IMO, kind of worthless. Could be cool if you could customize it to hold things you use regularly, but I don't believe you can. It's not easy to manipulate. Maybe I just need time to get used to it.
This is brief, and not a review of all the features I would find important. Looking forward to reading some good reviews from owners.
Worst Phone That I Have Ever Used!
Pros:
Phone is full of great features, and it has the most beautiful screen of ANY cell phone that I've ever seen.
Cons:
The phone is not intuitive, and is clunky, slow, and the resistive touch screen is not very responsive. This phone is wayyyy too slow for the year 2009. If this was back in 2001, maybe.
I think that Samsung should be ashamed of themselves for offering this phone to VZW, and VZW should be ashamed of themselves for accepting this phone.
