Product Listing

Samsung INNOV8 - A Pictorial Review

By Seow Tein Hee - 8 Oct 2008

Features & Performance

The Full Package

With the INNOV8 being placed under its Infotainment category, Samsung did well to fulfill the entertainment part with the inclusion of a myriad of multimedia file format support. On the audio aspect, the list includes MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AMR and RealAudio, which are quite the standard affair for most Symbian S60 devices nowadays. The real deal came from the its DNSe 2.0 sound quality which scored very well with ours ears.

In essence, the bass levels were strong and clear on each track, with no discernible crackling at loud volumes. However, our main gripe came from the INNOV8's speakers, which were unable to project its audio delivery as clear as what we've heard with the bundled 3.5mm audio jack. Of course, being Bluetooth 2.0 compliant with A2DP, there's also the Bluetooth stereo route to go, but our suggestion is to stick with the 3.5mm audio jack for optimum audio quality.

Video, on the other hand, was a mixed affair. The INNOV8 supports the usual suspects such as H.263, H.264, WMV and MP4 like Nokia's high-end series, the Nokia N96 that was just recently launched. But what gave it a slight edge (and probably its downfall too) was the inclusion of the DivX standard on the INNOV8. With the DivX (and Xvid) format appearing on its recent devices such as the Omnia, it did open up more avenues for consumers to double up their mobile phones as suitable portable media players too.

Not surprisingly, Samsung has included the DivX format within the INNOV8, but not the Xvid format though. Whilst many might applaud the inclusion of an additional video format playback within a S60 device, the deal breaker came when we tried to do a quick test of the video frame rates. More often than not, you'll have to utilize the DivX Convertor Mobile to tweak your videos to the suitable DivX format before you can transfer and view your videos on the go with the INNOV8.

For DivX videos, you'll have to utilize the bundled DivX Mobile Converter first, and unfortunately, it's a time consuming process which takes up to almost an hour for a 300MB file.

Hiccups aside with the DivX format, we utilized our standard video tests with a video clip optimized for the S60 platform. The INNOV8 was able to handle high speed chases with minimal frame losses and lag during its video playback.

To fulfill its positioning as a high-end device, the INNOV8 also comes with a slew of wireless connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and of course the now commonly found GPS with A-GPS. Each INNOV8 comes bundled with a 1GB microSD card that contains the NavFone GPS software by Agis, and comes with Singapore, West and East Malaysia maps. More importantly, there's also a one-year voice guided navigation license provided within the box. We brought the INNOV8 out for a road test, and with A-GPS active, a satellite lock was achieved in no more than 1 minute, which in our books, was an above average result.

There were some cause for concern from our readers about the HSDPA connection icon located at the top left, just below the network bar. To clarify, what you see here is the icon with stripped arrows, which indicates there's no active data connection. If you were connected onto the HSDPA network, you would see a solid arrow instead of the stripped ones.

Applications are also aplenty on the INNOV8, with bundled software such as Fring that allows you to access multiple instant messaging services such as MSN Messenger, Google Talk and even allows you to utilize Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for internet calls. For the gamers, there's a full version of Asphalt 4 and FIFA 08 to keep you glued to your device on the road too.

The Symbian S60 platform comes with a myriad of 3rd party applications, and to get you started, Samsung included Fring, Asphalt 4 and FIFA 08, with more to download on the web.

Yet with all the features laid out, the real question is how the INNOV8 is able to handle the load with its 1200mAH battery. Unfortunately, due to its positioning as an 8-megapixel camera phone, we foresee that users might be more trigger happy with its camera function than otherwise, and this would definitely compromise on its battery life. True enough, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, after around 2 hours of music playback and around 50 shots on the highest resolution, the INNOV8 faltered at slightly more than a day.

With its 1200mAH battery, the INNOV8 was able to keep us entertained on a full charge for slightly more than a day.

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