Samsung B7320 OmniaPRO

Full QWERTY keypad, GPS, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, audio quality, price

OS and interface outdated, average camera quality, only one color option (and it's brown!)

The Samsung OmniaPRO is a mid-range stylish business phone. It packs in features such as a 2.4-inch QVGA display, a full QWERTY keypad, GPS, Wi-Fi and a 3.2 megapixel camera. This 3G HSDPA enabled handset also supports push email solutions and leading IM programs. The phone runs on the WINDOWS MOBILE OS and offers full application and multi-tasking support. We did a complete review of this phone; read on to find out if it's worth considering over its established rivals.

Design & Construction

I've had to frequently clarify with the OmniaPRO onlookers that it is not one of Research In Motion's (RIM) popular business phones. The misconception crops up because of design factors like the candybar design, landscape display and a full QWERTY keypad below - more popular among the BlackBerry phones. The Samsung OmniaPRO does have the same basic design, but if you look closely there are enough differences that make it stand apart from any Blackberry out there.

The OmniaPRO has a flashy design for what is essentially a business phone. It comes with chrome-edged buttons, glossy panels, and the phone's body has an overall glossy brown paint job. Too bad if you like the features of the phone but the not the shade as brown is the only color option that Samsung offers with OmniaPRO.

The front side of the phone has the call speaker at the top along with the light sensor, an LED status indicator and a video call camera. Below these is the 2.4-inch display in landscape mode. Below the display one can see the prominent 5-way D-pad along with the soft keys, the home key, and the back key. There are also the Call and End keys on the extreme left and right, respectively. Below these is a full QWERTY keypad, which is also brown. The front side is surrounded by a glossy bronze colored frame, which is possibly the most attractive bit on the phone.

On the left side are the power and volume control keys. On the right side is a microUSB port below a plastic flap, meant for connecting the phone to a charger, headset or the data cable.

As it has become a norm with the Samsung phones these days, the build quality of OmniaPRO is fabulous. It is very light, plus the design and the curves made it great to hold in your hand or carry in the pocket.

Now, if only Samsung did something about that color...

Battery Life

The Samsung OmniaPRO comes with a 1480 mAh Li-Ion battery. The phone managed to last for up to 2 days on a single charge. The usage consisted of a few calls, messages, and music playback, browsing over EDGE and Wi-Fi and some amount of GPS usage. The display brightness was set to the default medium-level while testing.

Competition

The Samsung OmniaPRO goes against formidable rivals like the Nokia E63 and the BlackBerry Curve 8520, both of which employ a similar design and feature set and are priced at about the same level. The Nokia E63 is the cheapest among the trio and compared to the OmniaPRO it has a lower resolution camera (2 Megapixel), no HSDPA and GPS but has an arguably better OS and interface, better web browser and also a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 has the same set of disadvantages and to top that, it also loses on 3G completely. Further, it's available only with Airtel. It too has a better interface design and a 3.5mm headphone jack with the ability to play DivX and XviD files without having to convert them or use any 3rd party software to play them and for what it's worth, a display that is 0.24-inch larger than the OmniaPRO. And then there is the push email service.

The OmniaPRO might not have the same modern interface as the other two phones in comparison, but it more than makes up for it in terms of features. When compared, it makes the Curve 8520 feel overpriced and the marginal stretch over the E63 price worth it.


Verdict

The Samsung OmniaPRO is priced at Rs. 15,400 (MRP) but can be acquired for much less in stores. Considering the features and performance on offer, I feel the price is really good. As a business phone, the OmniaPRO works very well. Even for someone who does not want a business phone the mix of features at the price will make OmniaPRO seem very tempting.