14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung's roadmap for 2011 does no include only Android and bada smartphones. It looks like the Korean handset maker has quietly introduced the Omnia W with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in the UK.
The smartphone is available for £400 (US$635 or 467 EUR) unlocked and SIM free from Play.com. The price is definitely steep, especially in comparison with other Windows Phone Mango device that are about to make their debut in the UK.
However, it looks like SoMobile was able to find a better deal for customers who are willing to wait a bit longer. BuyMobilePhone.net offers the Samsung Omnia W for free on select plans starting at £15.68.
Customers can choose from a wide range of plans from multiple carriers, including O2, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone.
Unfortunately, the retailer tags the Omnia W with the “Stock Due Soon” label, which means that the smartphone is expected to arrive in store within the next few days.
On related news, Three UK confirmed the Nokia Lumia 800 for November 16, which is likely to be offered for free on select plans.
Between Samsung's Omnia W and Nokia's Lumia 800, we can safely assume that the better choice would be the latter, which comes with improved hardware.
Aside Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Samsung Omnia W offers GPS with Bing Map support and full SNS integration.
The phone is equipped with a 1.4 Ghz single core processor and packs 8 GB of internal memory and 512 MB of RAM. Obviously, the phone lacks a microSD card slot for memory expansion, like most Windows Phone devices.
Furthermore, the Omnia W comes with a brilliant 3.7-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with support for 16 million colors and 480 x 800 pixels resolution.
A few sensors are included as well, such as accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off and Gyro sensor.
Hopefully, more deals on the Omnia W will go live within the next few days to make it more competitive with other Windows Phone Mango smartphones available in the country.