14 DAY TRIAL // The new 8 Megapixel Samsung smartphone, called i8510 and unofficially unveiled about two weeks ago, is now confirmed by Samsung, together with all the awesome features rumored to be packed in it. The South Korean company has presented the i8510 at an event held in New York and it has also released press-photos with the handset.
The official name of i8510 is Samsung i8510 Innov8 (or simply Samsung Innov8 - coming from "innovate", of course). The smartphone will have an 8GB and a 16GB version, which is obviously a good thing.
The i8510 brings the following features: a 2.8 inch TFT display with 16 million colors and 240 x 320 pixels (pretty much like the display of Nokia N95 8GB), an 8 Megapixel camera with auto focus, image stabilizer, face detection, flash, geotagging and video recording (QVGA at 120fps or VGA at 30fps), internal GPS, Wi-Fi, accelerometer, TV out, DivX compatibility, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Music and Video players, Web browser, email, pre-installed 3D games (Asphalt and FIFA 08), microSD card slot (to expand the 8GB/16GB built-in memory) and a 1200 mAh battery - all in a slider case that, when closed, measures 106.5 x 53.9 x 16.9 millimeters (4.19 x 2.12 x 0.66 inches). The new Samsung runs on Symbian S60 3rd Edition, being the first S60 smartphone to pack an 8 Megapixel camera.
Samsung i8510 Innov8 also comes with quad-band GSM connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) plus dual-band HSDPA connectivity (900 / 2100 MHz). This means the smartphone can run on North America's networks, but only on the GSM ones, since the 900 / 2100 HSDPA frequencies are not operable there. But maybe Samsung will also make a NAM (North American) 3G version of the handset, to keep everyone happy.
In conclusion, Samsung's Innov8 will be a tough competitor for any of the new high-end mobile phones that came out until now or will come out from now on. Sure, the i8510 does not have a touch-enabled display, but besides this "drawback" the smartphone is inferior to no touchscreen device (theoretically at least).
For the moment, Samsung has not unveiled the price of its new monster smartphone, but it said the Innov8 will hit the European market in August, with a global release to follow in September. Well, the world is waiting.
