Review: Samsung ATIV S, A Galaxy III With A Twist

The Samsung ATIV S was technically the first Windows Phone 8 device to be announced, surprising those of us keeping all of our attention on Nokia and HTC. In the months since the announcement, we’ve found ourselves left waiting for the ATIV. While other Windows Phone 8 handsets are making waves, there’s nary a ripple from the ATIV here in the United States.

Fortunately, some kind soul at Samsung decided we’d waited long enough and sent us a review unit. How did it hold up?

First Impressions

The first thing you think when you see an ATIV is “That’s a Galaxy S III.” Seriously folks, the dimensions are slightly different, with the ATIV being 5.40 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches and the S III being 5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches, but we’re talking a difference of decimals. You have the same plastic body, shade of silvery gray, central physical button flanked by two capacitive buttons, AMOLED display, button layout, cameras in the same positions, and even the same Qualcomm chip powering it all (saving for the quad core version of the S III). Frankly, my first reaction was one of ennui.

I think Evil Willow said it best: “Bored now.”
[Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer via iPhone Headlines]

Except there’s a reason Samsung is neck and neck with Apple for everyone’s hearts and minds, and that’s because people are happy with the line. The S III is an insanely popular phone and for good reason. While it makes sense for Nokia and HTC to throw different case ideas at a wall to see what sticks, Samsung doesn’t have to worry about reclaiming any sort of mind-share. Additionally, that “boring” Samsung body has some things going on that Nokia and HTC just don’t, as you’ll see below.

Plus, by sticking with an existing hardware design, Samsung can keep prices down, which is always good.

This is Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 device, but not the first Windows Phone unit made by Samsung. I had previously reviewed the Focus Flash, a budget device that felt low-end despite some high-end components. This is another way that the Galaxy S III bodysnatching helps; despite a plastic build, no one thinks of the S III as cheap.

The Software

We haven’t had a chance to fully review Windows Phone 8, and I’m not going to be the one to do so here. I will, however, touch on some of my main issues as they relate to the ATIV S.

Windows Phone 8 is absolutely not for everyone.  If you’re already invested in another operating system, I can’t use this device as a compelling case to switch. After all, you can get the same hardware with Android.

The biggest issue most people take with WP8 is the lack of apps, and the main one that impacted me was Pandora. While the app is coming soon, that’s not good enough. Throw in the fact that MetroRadio, the third-party app for accessing Pandora, absolutely refused to work on my review unit, and my frustration grows. My other killer app on any platform is a siddur (Jewish prayerbook). The one I have used on almost every mobile platform (including ancient PalmOS) was available, but was not free like it is on Android and iPhone.

Still, what’s 99 cents between coreligionists?

Throw in that my bank’s app doesn’t let me make deposits with the camera, and I suddenly find myself with a phone that I can’t see myself using day-to-day.

One huge advantage of WP8 is the inclusion of Office. I find data entry on the ATIV S easy and love the ability to create full documents. I’d love it if Apple did the same with Pages and if Google Drive had better offline support like this.

Microsoft has made a big deal out of the “Kid’s Corner” feature, where you can lock your phone down and give it to your kid. This is not a killer app for me, and I have a problem with the very concept of handing an expensive electronic device to my children. However, it’s a clear sign of the multi-user support built in.

WP8 is absolutely a great phone for social networking, as long as we’re talking Facebook and Twitter. Support for those networks is baked right in and works great. I’ve spent way, way too much time in the “Me” tile, quipping and checking responses. Indeed, this may be an egoist’s ideal phone, as Samsung has built in a way to read your own Twitter/Facebook feed. There is a more powerful Facebook app, but I find it weak compared to every other client out there.

What if you use Google Plus? Such rare snowflakes are left out. However, also left out are users of every other flipping Google Service. As someone who has been using Google Play heavily, that’s frustrating as hell. Google Voice will forward calls and texts, but that’s about it. More frustrating is that Google is cutting Exchange support for consumer users, meaning you better know how to configure IMAP if you want to use Gmail on an Windows Phone device or spend a lot of time in the browser. Don’t bother with the browser for Google Maps though, because they don’t work.

Bing Maps is perfectly usable, but the turn-by-turn GPS is not anywhere near the level of Google Navigation or even Apple Maps (hard as that might be to imagine). Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 devices include Nokia Drive, and it’s a much better option. IE Mobile though, is pretty snappy.