Introduction

Microsoft's campaign is underway across the board with Windows 8, RT and WP 8 and all eyes are now set on Redmond's allies for a demonstration of fire power. Following some early warning shots from Nokia and HTC, Samsung are now free to fire at will.



Samsung Ativ S official pictures

Their Ativ S was the first Windows Phone 8 flagship announced and, respectful of chronology, the first we're about to properly review. The Nokia Lumia 920, the HTC Windows Phone 8X and the Ativ S are often painted as allies - but that's mostly rhetoric. To a certain point, they have little choice but to unite against the Android and iPhone hordes. On the other hand, these fine smartphones will be sworn enemies fighting over every user drawn close enough by Microsoft's upgraded platform.

And by the way, Windows Phone 8's appeal is easy enough to understand. It is now a consistent cross-device platform that will get app developers interested. Multiple-core-chipset and screen resolution support will help Microsoft-powered devices stand next to their Android and iOS counterparts as equals.

OEMs on the other hand are also giving potential users a good enough reason to be excited. Just look at what the Ativ S is offering to those who are willing to go with Samsung.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support

Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support

4.8" 16M-color Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 720 x 1280 pixel resolution

Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 display

8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording

1.9MP front camera

Windows Phone 8 OS

1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset, 1GB of RAM

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band

GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support

Digital compass

16/32GB of on-board storage

microSD slot

Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic

Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

microUSB port

Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and EDR, file transfers

Impressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interface

Xbox Live integration and Xbox management

Data Sense

Class-leading JavaScript performance

NFC support

Samsung exclusive apps: Music hub, Chat on, Photo editor

FM Radio

Main disadvantages

App catalog falls short of Android and iOS

Competition has quad-core Krait CPUs already

Costs more than the Galaxy S III SIM-free

No system-wide file manager

No voice-guided navigation

No music player equalizers

No lockscreen shortcuts

So, there we are. The Ativ S is running an OS that has just had its potential unlocked by a major update. The hardware powering has been inspired by no other but Samsung's droid flagship, the Galaxy S III. OK, it's a different chipset, and a couple of CPU cores short, but most of the rest is there - from the HD Super AMOLED screen to the 8MP camera.

Windows Phone 8 has finally caught up with the industry leaders. There's a massive gap between Samsung's last generation of Windows Phone and the Ativ S. Goodbye, Omnia and, sorry to say, you won't be badly missed. They could've done better when naming the new lineup, that's for sure. But the fresh start most certainly called for a brand new name.



Samsung Ativ S live pictures

That's a minor point though - we can live with a name without a ring as long as the engine's got a hearty rumble. So, we're taking the Samsung Ativ S out for a spin and you're most welcome to join. Hit the jump to the design and build.