The Samsung Omnia M debacle: More expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S3
August 1, 2012 at 18:28 GMT | By Darlington Moyo
Regular readers will know how we have been critical of Samsung's Windows Phone strategy. For a while now, Samsung has treated Windows Phone like an ugly step-child, fed leftovers from the Android banquet table and clothed with second-hand hardware from Android and Bada devices.
The Samsung Omnia M makes it's debut today in the UK and is exclusive to Phones4u for a few weeks. The Omnia M is a Tango release, making it a low to mid range device at best. You can land a free Omnia M from Vodafone with a £26 a month 2 year contract. Orange are asking for £28.50 a month. Not bad you think? Not until you learn that it would cost you less to get a Samsung Galaxy S3 from the same retailer at £26 a month with a 2 year contract!
For the benefit of those that don't quite know how phone contracts work in the UK: You can get any phone for free on contract. Your monthly payment is determined by how much you are willing to pay upfront and how long your contract is, Free phones usually attract a minimum contract of 2 years.
We understand that the Samsung Omnia M is a new device and therefore the pricing will reflect that but more is it really worth more than the best Android device? Give us a break Samsung! We love Windows Phone but we are not stupid. The Omnia M comes with a 1GHz processor, 4GB storage, 384MB of RAM and a 4" Super AMOLED display. The Nokia Lumia 710 has far better specifications but only costs £7.50 a month on contract or £89 for an unlocked device. The Nokia Lumia 710 comes with Nokia exclusive apps such as Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport which you wont get with the Omnia M.
In India, the Omnia M will retails at around 17,990 INR ($320), while the Nokia Lumia 710 is priced at 13,999 INR (around $250).
WPCentral noted that the Omnia M, which just went on sale in Brazil is priced at R$ 799 ($389 US) while the Nokia Lumia 710, arguably a better device with its ClearBlack display (though smaller), 4GB more storage and superior design and build quality goes for R$100 less than the Omnia M, priced at R$700 ($341 US). WPCentral's headline simply reads: Samsung Omnia M Windows Phone priced to fail. I could not have put it better myself.
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Darlington is a self-confessed smartphone junkie. Some are convinced he has a Microsoft tatoo hidden somewhere on his body. When he is not writing about Windows Phone, he is reading about it. Current device » Nokia Lumia 920. Xbox Gamertag » MthOmnia - Add me