Gadgetory

so the same thing always happens when a new device launches the media gets review units ahead of the official launch and we get to use them while we write our review then the press embargo lifts every outlet posts their reviews and videos at the same time writers and commenters go back and forth and it's a huge frenzy of opinion and buzz for about a day and then it all goes away sure there's some follow-up coverage but after that initial blast almost no one revisits the device to see how well it's aged because we're all onto the next big thing already so let's do something about it let's take another gander at a smartphone that some might say hasn't even gotten off the ground yet I'm Michael Fisher this is the Samsung ativ S and this is episode 16 of pocket now's after the buzz we've been doing after the buzz for about a year now which gives us a pretty good sense of how well different platforms ripen over time with a larger ecosystem more visibility and near constant stability on most devices Windows Phone 8 appears to be aging like a fine wine and the achieve s Hardware continues to prove itself a good match for Microsoft's underdog OS the problem at least here in America is that no one knows what this device is because it's not currently offered by any major carrier and despite the novelty that the status of a hot overseas phone normally carries the phone is so understated and designed that no one really even notices it on the street the achieve s may well be the most under celebrated flagship in Windows Phones history if that hardware isn't too groundbreaking on the inside as we told you in our full review in December the 1.5 gigahertz Qualcomm s4 SOC 1 gig of ram HSPA bluetooth 3.0 NFC and 16 gigs of on-board storage are all pretty vanilla by Windows Phone standards though the atif s stood out then and continues to stand out thanks in part to its large 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display micro SD support and a removable 2300 milliamp hour battery that makes it a lot more versatile than the Lumia 920 and HTC 8x the device is comprising the bulk of its competition since the landscape hasn't changed much since December the atif s continues to dominate the Windows Phone 8 space in terms of sheer specs and adaptability unfortunately the phone is covered in a thick sheath of unimposing normalcy that obscures those powerful innards after five months of exposure to newer better hardware design the chassis that we first considered elegant in its reserved faux metallic sheen now appears somewhat staid and dull it's still beautiful in its own way that hairline aluminium finish on the plastic battery cover is still far and away the best fake metal we've seen but it's aging more rapidly than we expected and the glossy finish definitely doesn't do the device any favors in the in hand feel Department in the long term you'll be wiping it down constantly as it acquires more and more skin oil from a build perspective the atif s stands out from the pack less and less with each passing month that is until the screen flares to life it may not pack the pixel density of today's 1080p goliaths but this panel continues to serve Windows Phone beautifully in all its super saturated 720p glory it's still the biggest screen out there for Windows Phone from a major manufacturer and we think it still does the best job of bringing Microsoft's Metro UI to life as for the OS itself in Windows Phones effectively skinless environment the only thing differentiating devices is the custom app selection here there's bad news and good news the bad news is that Samsung's app repository in the Windows Store the predictably titled Samsung's own is just as fallow as we left it in December having added only one or two titles over the five months in between that's a pretty weak showing and perhaps it's reflective of the somewhat passionless relationship between Samsung and Microsoft at least in terms of Windows Phone the good news though is that in the time since our review Nokia has released its excellent here sweet to all Windows Phone devices including the achieve s that means here maps here drive beta and here transit all run on the Samsung device and they run quite well that's not a development unique to the achieve s but it significantly improves the utility of all Windows Phone 8 devices so it's a very important and welcome development we just wish Samsung would start bringing its own improvements to the Windows Phone portfolio one of the takeaways from our previous review was that if you like Windows Phone you'll love running it on the achieve s and that continues to hold true today Windows Phone works well together with Samsung's beefy hardware and the fact that you can carry spare batteries and memory cards to enhance the device continues to set it apart our GTI 8750 version of the Atif S doesn't pack LTE but we're not gonna dock points for that as we're sure the American carrier version will assuming it ever lands on us Shores performance over HSPA+ and AT&T was slower than our experience on t-mobile's network though we had coverage in more places and almost never fell back to edge which was nice talking on the achieve s is fine though we were remind the unit's light and insubstantial build quality every time we spoke as our voice resonated with something inside the unit giving us a somewhat hollow sound in our own ear callers said we sounded fine though and noise cancellation appeared to work well given enough light and color to work with the achieve s camera which is the same as the galaxy s 3 s and Note 2's continues to hold up well even against modern competition like the HTC One Lumia 920 and Galaxy s4 the lack of a 13 megapixel sensor isn't hurting it much this 8 megapixel unit can really turn out some wonderful you have slightly oversaturated photos given the right condition the camera offers nearly the same expand ability as other windows phones via its lens functionality but there's very little in terms of Samsung specific customizations overall the camera module continues to do well despite being over a year old after nearly half a year the atif s is a mixed bag we're concerned that Samsung hasn't released fixes for a few nagging issues like the display auto brightness fluctuation problem and we're pretty sure the phone will never truly get its day in the Sun here in the states even if the rumor of Sprint picking it up is one of its first Windows Phone 8 smartphones is true it'll be an older device on a third place network that's not a recipe for a blockbuster that lasts it's a momentary stay of execution for a could have been superstar about to be relegated to the mid-range the ative s is a great example of what could happen if Samsung and Microsoft ever decide to team up in a big way considered alongside the rest of the current Windows Phone lineup the team s more than holds its own it brings a touch of conservatism and pragmatic utility to the otherwise bright and colorful Microsoft Windows Phone portfolio and that in itself continues to be valuable we just wish the phone had really had a chance to shine in the States and we wonder what it's probable fizzle means for the future of Samsung windows phones folks that's going to do it for this episode of after the buzz to see our videos as soon as they go live subscribe to our channel here on YouTube also drop us a like if you enjoyed the video leave us a comment if you have something to say visit us at pocketnow.com for much more coverage on the 80s and other mobile devices and stay tuned for a lot more thanks for watching we'll see you next time