Apple iPhone vs. Samsung Omnia HD

VS.

Samsung and Symbian's latest attempt at an iPhone killer is the Samsung i8910, better known as the Omnia HD.

The iPhone 3G, released back in June '08, and the Samsung Omnia HD, just announced this past February but not slated for released until sometime soon (any day now, really), are both GSM and HSDPA capable devices. The Omnia HD (at 4.84" x 2.28" x 0.51" and 5.08 oz.) is a little taller, narrower, thicker, and heavier than the iPhone 3G (at 4.5" x 2.4" x 0.48" and 4.7 oz.).

Both devices have capacitative touchscreens with 16 million colors. The Omnia HD, however, has a slightly bigger screen (3.7" to the iPhone's 3.5") and it has slightly higher resolution than the iPhone as well (360 x 640 pixels to the iPhone's 320 x 480). The display screen features on both phones are similar, with both having a built-in accelerometer, a scratch-resistant surface, and a proximity sensor for automatic turn-off. The iPhone, however, also has an ambient light detector and a multi-touch input method, whereas the Omnia HD doesn't seem to have either.

The Omnia HD is one of the only smartphones (if not the only) we've seen that, similar to the iPhone 3G which comes in both an 8 GB and a 16 GB model, has 8 GB memory capacity with a microSD card slot (a feature the iPhone lacks) capable of expanding the device's capacity to 16 GB. Also regarding memory, both devices have nearly unlimited phonebook/contact space, but only the Omnia HD also has the same virtually unlimited capacity for call records, with the iPhone only storing approximately the most recent 100 dialed and received calls.

While both devices sport Lithium ion batteries, the Omnia's is inordinately more powerful than the iPhone's, giving 13.5 hours of talk time and 600 hours of standby time to the iPhone's measly 5 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby.

Sound is one other area where the two devices differ considerably, for while both of them have speakerphone, only the Omnia HD's is stereo speakersphone. And while both devices have a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, only the Omnia HD has a Digital Natural Sound Engine (aka DNSe 2.0) and virtual 5.1 Dolby surround sound. And that brings us to the Omnia HD's real iPhone-killing weaponry.

For where the Omnia HD really shines is in its audio/video capabilities. It has an 8 megapixel digital camera with autofocus, geotagging, LED flash, and a score of other features. The Omnia HD is also reputed to be the world's premiere smartphone with high-definition video recording capability. It even boasts a secondary camera for videocalling. In these features, the iPhone 3G and its meager 2 megapixel, featureless camera with no video capabilities can't even compare.