Technology Explore

Samsung announces potential iPhone 3G killer, INNOV8 i8510

Samsung Electronics has officially confirmed the launch of their new high-end smartphone, the Samsung INNOV8, (model name: i8510, pronounced [in-uh-veyt]), one of the most advanced smartphones that we have ever seen, announcing itself as a potential iPhone 3G killer, a tough competitor rivaling Sony Ericsson’s C905, but also competing head on with the Nokia N96 and N95 8GB.

Samsung has globally launched the first 5-megapixel camera-phone in 2004, 7-megapixel camera-phone in 2005, and the groundbreaking 10-megapixel SCH-B600 in the Korean market in 2006. The launch of this long-awaited 8-megapixel camera-phone reinforces Samsung’s renowned leadership in the camera-phones market.

We guess that the “8″ in “Innov8″ obviously comes from “innovate” but also refers to the i8510’s highly advanced 8 megapixel camera. Its name might also be connected to the fact that this ultimate entertainment mobile phone is Samsung’s eighth mobile phone based on Symbian OS, the global market-leading open mobile operating system for mobile phones.

The 8 megapixel camera packed in this next-generation mobile phone is quite capable of replacing your digicam, featuring amazing capabilities such as: autofocus and a dual LED flash, plus an image stabiliser, panoramic stitching, face detection and a number of other clever features lifted straight out of Samsung’s dedicated digital camera range. The handset also acts as a digital photo frame, allowing users to display their favorite images.

The multimedia player in the Innov8 / GT-i8510 is, again, impressive, supporting DivX, WMV, MP3, H.263 and H.264 video plus MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR and RealAudio formats. The Innov8 is capable of recording VGA resolution video at 30 frames per second, or QVGA resolution at 120 frames per second and boasts built-in video editing and an FM radio with RDS, plus stereo Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio output socket. The Innov8 also has stereo speakers and surround sound.

The Samsung Innov8 supports Advanced GPS (A-GPS) and should work with Google Maps applications. The GPS automatically geotags pictures taken with the digital camera. The built-in accelerometer can automatically switch the Innov8’s display orientation, which can be useful if you want to use the Innov8 on as a digital photo frame.

Internal memory is either 8GB or 16GB (depending on version), and can also be extended by up to 16GB using a compatible microSD card. While most of the competition offers either lots of internal memory or a memory slot, the Samsung Innov8 comes with both.

This sleek slider handset sports a large crystal clear 2.8 inch LCD QVGA display, one of the largest in its class, and is the same size as the N95 8GB and N96, being capable of showing 16 million colors, thus offering a convenient environment when viewing content on the Internet or maps on the GPS navigation feature.

Also ideal for enthusiastic gamers, the Innov8 also comes packed with two interesting looking 3D games, FIFA 2008 and Asphalt. There are also numerous Symbian applications around so that you can extent the Innov8’s capabilities as you wish.

Besides all the above mentioned features, which are more than impressive, the i8510 is a dual-band 900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA device with quand-band GSM, EDGE and GPRS data. It supports WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 connections. The large 1200 mAh battery can power the Samsung Innov8 for up to 5 hours talktime on 3G, 8.5 hours on GSM with around 13-14 days standby time. It’s quite a large device at 107 x 54 x 17.2mm.

The Innov8 / i8510 is going to be launched in Europe in August, and then expanded to other markets worlwide during September. No pricing was specified but we would expect it to cost roughly the same as the Nokia N96 at launch, so expect to pay something in the region of £600 / €750 / $1000 or so for a SIM free model.