Gadgetory

the atif s it's been a long time coming but it's finally here Samsung's new Windows Phone is just now starting to trickle onto retail shelves though where one of its primary competitors the Nokia Lumia 920 has already had several weeks to gain some traction how does Samsung's offering stack up against its Nokia competition let's find out I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow and this is Samsung at Eve s versus Nokia Lumia 920 here on the demo table we've got the global version of the atif s which we just unboxed yesterday alongside the AT&T version of the Lumia 920 we're gonna compare them in five categories specs display build camera and software in that order on the spec side there are actually significant differences between these devices even though they're both very high-end smartphones their hearts are in the same place though almost every Windows Phone 8 device we've reviewed so far has been powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon s4 dual-core CPU running at 1.5 gigahertz and backed up by a gig of ram and that holds true for each of these there's also up to 32 gigs of storage out of the box depending on which at Eve S version you choose after those basics though the differences start piling up rather quickly the nokia device brings the obvious differentiation in terms of its eight point seven megapixel PureView primary camera whereas Samsung sticks with a more conventional 8 megapixel shooter more importantly the ative s features a removable back cover and a removable 2300 milliamp hour battery as well as a micro SD card slot with micro SDXC support or extended capacity beyond 32 gigs of additional storage we don't have battery performance results from the achieve s yet but early impressions are favorable more specifics coming in the full review the Lumia 920 features none of this it's 2,000 milliamp hour battery and 32 gigs of on-board storage are embedded and unchangeable our AT&T version here adds LTE support but that won't be true for purchasers and some other countries which implementation you favor will depend on your usage habits but in terms of and power there's no question that the achieve s is the more modular and adaptable of these two devices these two devices diverged significantly in terms of display technology the Lumia 920 features a 4.5 inch 1280 by 768 TFT LCD with Nokia's usual slew of branded features as well as a polarization filter incorporated partially to deepen the black levels that same filter also reduces the viewing angles significantly good for security on airplanes or trains when you don't want your neighbours spying on you bad for sharing with friends this panel has a pixel density of 332 PPI the atif s features a larger 4.8 inch panel the biggest we've yet seen on a wide release Windows Phone 8 device this is a Super AMOLED display that takes the resolution down slightly to 1280 by 720 and the pixel density down to 306 PPI what's all that mean well the same thing it usually does when comparing these technologies color saturation will be higher and blacks will be deeper on the 'ti of s a combination which really makes Windows Phone pop very nicely and that's especially evident on Samsung's larger panel when viewing photos or video though sticklers for authenticity might prefer the Lumia 920's more authentic color reproduction and when scrolling around the OS Nokia's pure motion HD plus technology might give the appearance of more smoothness any way you slice it though we're comparing apples and oranges here it boils down to a simple question of user preference the starkest contrast between these smartphones is in their physical design broadly speaking the Lumia 920 is a thick and heavy device at ten point seven millimeters and 185 grams and those substantial proportions really stand out when you're holding the Atif s at eight point seven millimeters and 135 grams in your other hand depending on which color Lumia you buy it's polycarbonate is either glossy or matte either way it's unapologetically plastic in a very high-quality way by contrast the achieve s masks its plastic construction folk chrome on the bezel and a hairline metallic finish on the back that does a better job of looking like real metal than anything Samsung's done before overall the Lumia feels like the higher-end device to us not just because it's heavier but because it's unique design gives it a subtle refinement unlike anything else on the market it aspires to be as the old tagline goes beautifully different while the achieve s is a very attractive device in its own right that fake brushed metal really is striking its design is comparatively quite generic if you ignore the Windows logos on the casing the atif S with the screen off could be any Samsung smartphone at a first glance next to the more aspirational Nokia design it makes a comparatively dull impression and overall from the somewhat mushy buttons to the lack of wireless charging support out of the box it's a less impressive device from a build perspective we've only had a short time to compare shots between the two cameras and we'll have more thoughts as well as video in our full review the early results shouldn't be too big a surprise though while the achieve s delivers good photos the low-light enhancement of the Lumia 920 can't be beaten that's not so much a dig against the achieve s as an acknowledgment that the Lumia 920's camera handily schools almost every other smartphone shooter in low-light in more moderate light the 920 suffered from some softness something we're expecting an impending software update to correct while the atif s delivered sharp warm results while windows phone looks and behaves almost identically across all varieties of hardware there are some significant differences in bundled software between these models the only baseline difference is one that all windows phones should incorporate soon the Atif s came to our door boasting a newer build of the OS offering support for Wi-Fi on in standby more importantly since the atif s is a samsung device it offers samsung's suite of custom apps like now chat on music hub and so on well we found some of these apps useful the now hub is a nice news and weather aggregator and the lockscreen wallpaper shuffler called live wallpaper makes for fun variety the samsung software suite doesn't hold a candle to the nokia collection on the Lumia 920 which offers robust GPS apps like Nokia city lens and Nokia Drive as well as a host of special titles to enhance the 920's camera functionality nothing against Samsung's mini diary or family story or its own fully featured photo editor which is quite nice but Nokia continues to hold the edge in terms of specialized apps for those who like raw numbers the devices scored a near tie according to the WP bench utility with the achieve s delivering at two 37.86 result and the Lumia 920 scoring two 33.5 those neck-and-neck scores are borne out in real world experience too with app launch times being effectively identical and browser comparisons showing nearly identical loading zooming and re rendering performance in all from a software perspective once again Windows Phone is Windows Phone running consistently well on both devices but while Samsung brings some interesting apps to the atif s experience it's still outclassed by Microsoft's preferred partner Nokia with its large collection of enhancements from one perspective the Samsung ativ s brings a 2011 sensibility to a 2012 Windows Phone lineup it's looks are more conventional it's camera is good but nothing really special and Samsung's relatively unremarkable custom software doesn't really help it stand either but the ateva does feature a larger display with wider viewing angles a removable battery and expandable memory and its looks might be a little conservative but that's perfect for someone not trying to make a splash the faux metal accents really make it shine which one you choose will depend on what your needs are if a close to stock Windows Phone 8 experience is enough for you and you want expandability and modularity with a classic look and a big screen the ative s is your ride if you're looking for a more robust custom app offering one of the best smartphone cameras in the business and build quality that tops almost anything else and you don't mind being locked into an embedded battery and non removable storage the Lumia 920 is probably more your speed from what we've seen so far either way you go you'll be getting a very refined Windows Phone 8 experience folks we hope that comparison was useful for you stay tuned to pocketnow.com where we have a lot more on the achieve s coming including our full review very shortly to make sure you don't miss it follow us at pocket now twits on twitter you can follow me i'm at captain two phones on twitter and make sure you listen to the PocketNow weekly podcast where we will be discussing the atif s in depth this week in the meantime throw us a like on youtube if you liked what you saw leave a comment on the post at pocketnow.com if you have something to say and you want a response from us thank you so much for watching and we'll see you soon