Samsung ATIV Odyssey Windows Phone Review

While Samsung was kickoff out of the gate announcing their Windows Phone eight device, the ATIV S, the company seems to be struggling down the stretch.  With delays in the ATIV S's release and a rather express market place, the Samsung ATIV Odyssey might alter the tide with Samsung's Windows Phone lineup.  At least in the U.S. marketplace.

The ATIV Odyssey joined the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 822 at Verizon Wireless giving the company a little more diversity in their Windows Phone lineup. The ATIV Odyssey may non accept the pop of the Nokia or HTC devices just it's still a decent Windows Phone.  But at a release toll of $49.99 (free at Best Buy), it may struggle with the competition and in keeping Samsung'south foot in the Windows Telephone market place.

Comfortable fit, quality Super AMOLED screen, NFC support, call blocking, Data Sense, respectable battery life, microSD card expansion, surprisingly nice camera outdoors and good call quality	Capacitive buttons can exist a piddling overly sensitive, 8GB of storage may not entreatment to everyone, and nether whelming camera performance in low calorie-free atmospheric condition.
The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is a overnice, mid-level Windows Phone.  While it has some overnice features the phone lacks a spotlight characteristic to give it a competitive border over similarly priced Windows Phones.  The ATIV Odyssey is very like to the Samsung Focus 2.  Maybe too similar for those looking for something fresh and innovative in the Windows Phone.

Video Overview of the Samsung ATIV Odyssey

The Body

Out of the box, the Samsung ATIV Odyssey feels comfortable in the hand and reminds united states a lot of the Samsung Focus 2, both in design besides every bit overall feel. The tell of the tape has the ATIV Odyssey coming in at two.5x4.82x.43 inches and weighing a meager 4.four ounces. This is very comparable to the Focus 2 that measures 2.47x4.97x.43 inches and weighs 4.3 ounces.

And information technology'south non just the physical dimensions the Odyssey seems to share with the Focus 2. The Odyssey shares similar chrome accents and button layout with power and photographic camera buttons on the right side and the volume rocker resting on the left. Joining the volume rocker on the left side is the microSD expansion slot.

Along the top of the ATIV Odyssey is your 3.5mm headphone jack, to the bottom is the micro-USB port and wrapping upward the design tour you accept a 5MP rear photographic camera and 1.2MP front facing camera.

I exercise like the dark gray color of the ATIV Odyssey over the white finish on the Focus 2. As with previous Samsung Windows Phones, the ATIV Odyssey is somewhat of a grease magnet. There is a slight texture to the battery cover that gives the ATIV Odyssey a little grip ability but you lot'll find yourself wiping the screen to get rid of the smudges oft.

While the design is more "old school" or mayhap the "same former aforementioned quondam" from Samsung, it works. The volume rocker and photographic camera button are raised just slightly to give them distinction while the power push is slightly recessed to avoid accidental activations. Samsung stuck with the two-piece blueprint and while the ATIV Odyssey does experience well built, it lacks that solid experience the uni-body Windows Phones (HTC 8X, Lumia 920, etc.) has. Granted with the ATIV Odyssey'southward pattern you tin can admission the battery without the need for power tools.

As far every bit pattern goes, the ATIV Odyssey doesn't intermission new ground which may hurt the attractiveness of the telephone. If you liked the feel of the Focus ii, y'all'll like the ATIV Odyssey. The just nit with design that I can think of is that Verizon wasn't bashful virtually the style in which they displayed their logo. At that place volition be no mistaking it as a Verizon telephone.

The Display

The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is fitted with a 4" Super AMOLED screen that is protected by Gorilla Glass two. The screen quality is what we would expect from an AMOLED screen. Deep colors, darker blacks, and nice contrast.

While the four" screen doesn't have as much real estate every bit the Samsung Focus Due south, it has enough elbow room to avoid that cramped feeling. The screen is very responsive to the affect and I did not experience any stutter or lag time when scrolling.

Where previous Samsung Windows Phones seemed dim indoors when the brightness was set to automated, the ATIV Odyssey did not inherit those bug. The screen performed nicely when moving to and from various light levels. Outdoors, the ATIV Odyssey performed on par with other Windows Phones. The bright outdoors did launder out the screen but a scrap simply information technology was all the same viewable.

All in all, the iv" Super AMOLED screen on the ATIV Odyssey is dainty. The rich colors on the AMOLED screen gives images a piffling more pop, the screen is really responsive to the bear upon and the automatic brightness keeps things well lit indoors and out.

The Hardware

The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is powered by a 2100mAh battery and driven by a 1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon processor. Both perform nicely giving the Windows Phone enough battery life to brand information technology through the day under normal use. Normal utilise being a few phone calls, game play, email activity, a niggling web surfing, etc.

As with any Windows Telephone, bombardment life is dependent on how you utilise your device. A lot of information utilize, keeping the screen on the brightest settings, etc. will drain the ATIV Odyssey'due south battery quicker, just as it would any other Windows Phone battery.

The ATIV Odyssey does take NFC back up along with the customary Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Gyroscope and Compass. The ATIV Odyssey is too 4G LTE capable.

Beyond the bottom of the ATIV Odyssey'southward face up you'll find the typical capacitive Dorsum, Start and Search buttons. These buttons are really sensitive to the touch and have haptic feedback. Feedback that can exist a little abrasive and thankfully you tin disable that in the ATIV Odyssey's settings.

While the ATIV Odyssey has 1GB of RAM, many will grimace at the phone only having 8GB of storage, but information technology does have an hands accessible microSD card slot. The ATIV Odyssey supports cards upwardly to 64GB and that should help ease the cramped feeling 8GB has.  Still, it would have been nice to have seen the ATIV Odyssey fitted with 16GB of storage.

For the most part, the hardware aspects of the ATIV Odyssey has that stock feel to information technology. Much like a standard model of an automobile. It performs nicely but without many bells and whistles. The NFC support and expansion card slot does requite the ATIV Odyssey a little spunk just it's hard not to recall the ATIV Odyssey needs a hardware characteristic that can make the phone stand up out a petty better.

The Camera

Samsung opted to fit the ATIV Odyssey with a 5MP rear facing camera and a 1.2MP front facing photographic camera. In a nutshell, the ATIV Odyssey's photographic camera performed surprisingly well in well lit environments and non then well as the light faded.  It's a enjoyable photographic camera for outdoor employ but don't concur your breath hoping for skillful, depression light photos.

The Odyssey is fitted with a 35mm f2.five lens that captures sharp images.  It'due south not the fastest of lenses but outdoors information technology performed well.. The software provides y'all with a decent range of camera settings that cover:

• Focus Mode: Normal or Macro
• Anti-Shaking: Digital stabilization
• White Balance: Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Florescent, Tungsten
• ISO: Car or 100-800
• Exposure Bounty: -2 to 2 stops
• Effects: Twelve in all ranging from Sepia to Cartoonize
• Resolution: 2592x1944 down to 640x480

You don't have a panorama or burst setting, nor whatsoever settings to adjust sharpness, dissimilarity or saturation. I didn't experience any focusing problems save for one: macro. While you lot have a macro focus setting, when in apply the Odyssey won't focus much closer than a pes away from your subject. When you use normal focusing, you can creep a little closer (say about 8 inches) from your subject.

Quick note on the anti-shaking settings. This is dissimilar from the optical stabilization y'all find on the Nokia Lumia 920. This is basically a software stabilization where the ISO is bumped to allow for a faster shutter speed, which in turn reduces any mistiness photographic camera movement can cause. The Lumia 920's organization utilizes mechanical organisation to go on the photographic camera steady.

Video settings for the rear photographic camera are a little more than conservative covering white balance, effects and resolution. I have to acknowledge, it'due south kind of neat to shoot video using the different effects. Settings for the forepart facing camera are limited to resolution only.

Paradigm quality for both the video and all the same images was rather solid when you had ample light. My only nit was that color saturation was a little on the low side. With the slower aperture, f2.5, and but being able to shoot at ISO 800 the ATIV Odyssey isn't well suited for low light images. The Odyssey does accept a LED low-cal to serve every bit a photographic camera flash but these picayune lights really brand for improve flashlights than camera flashes.

The effects settings did assist the camera'south appeal, although the Cartoonize looked more similar the Polarize effect than a cartoon.  The samples above, clockwise starting in the upper left, are no-filter, done out, polarized and cartoonized.

The front facing camera is decent, about a notch or two below the rear camera, which is typical comparing a one.2MP camera to a 5MP. For video calls or monolog videos, it'll do nicely. For picture/video taking you'll need to stick with the rear camera.

While nosotros had our reservations on the ATIV Odyssey beingness fitted with a bones, 5MP rear photographic camera it performed well in situations where you have aplenty lighting. The slower f2.5 lens and limited ISO ceiling of 800 really hinders the Odyssey's camera for low light photos. The camera will rely on a slower shutter speed for proper exposure which in plow volition consequence in softer images due to motion blur. If the photographic camera is the most of import gene in your Windows Telephone option, the ATIV Odyssey isn't the most versatile cameras out in that location but when it hits on all cylinders the photos aren't too shabby.

The Telephone

As far equally the phone aspects are concerned, the ATIV Odyssey is on par with any other Windows Phone nosotros've seen. Call quality was reliable and the speakers (ear and back) had ample book.

Y'all do have a few settings that help the ATIV Odyssey stand out. At that place'south a telephone call blocking setting that lets yous block all unknown calls or specific phone numbers. Blocked numbers become straight to vocalization mail.

Yous likewise have an Extra Setting for echo cancelation and an Boosted Telephone Setting called voice privacy. We're not likewise certain what phonation privacy setting actually covers.  Turning it off really doesn't have any noticeable effect and we have reached out to Samsung for clarification.

The ATIV Odyssey has forty-five ringtones along with the vibration alert. I'grand non too large of a fan of the vibration alert on the Odyssey. It seems also high pitched and while a little abrasive, information technology does resonate plenty to be felt when yous carry the phone in the pocket. However, if the ATIV Odyssey is sitting on your desk, you won't hear the vibration at all.

If the telephone performance is the determining gene for the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, information technology shouldn't be a concern. The ATIV Odyssey performs well every bit a telephone. The call blocking characteristic is also very welcomed and should exist standard on all Windows Phones.

The Software

Software on the Samsung ATIV Odyssey is your typical Windows Phone 8 OS (build 10211 'Portico'). You lot do have a small collection of Samsung apps installed that include a photograph editor, live wallpaper, and mini-diary. You also have the Verizon Navigator, NFL Mobile, Slacker Radio, My Verizon Mobile, and Data Sense installed.

The photo editor is your basic editing app that lets y'all perform small-scale adjustments to your photos. Live wallpaper is an interesting app that lets you choose up to twelve photos from your Pictures Hub and rotates them as lockscreen wallpapers.

Not only do you lot have Microsoft's backup service, only Verizon as well adds a Backup Assistant Plus service. This is a free service from Verizon to back up your contacts automatically.

Of all the pre-installed apps Data Sense may be the best of the agglomeration. Data Sense is a information usage app that not only tells you how much information yous have used but besides allows you lot to prepare data limits and map out local WiFi hotspots. Data Sense also charts your usage by where you lot are using the data (e.g. app downloads, music, shop, photos, etc.). As with the telephone call blocking feature, Information Sense should be an app found on all Windows Phones regardless of carrier (although carrier cooperation is required to make full utilise of it).

The ATIV Odyssey has a decent selection of pre-loaded apps. The downside being that these pre-loaded titles take up memory and you really don't have much of that to begin with. Luckily, if you lot don't see yourself using these apps they can exist uninstalled to free upwardly memory and then there'southward ever the expansion menu to assistance increment the ATIV Odyssey's storage.

The Conclusion

The Samsung ATIV Odyssey makes a groovy starting time impression. It's a well built, comfortable in the manus, mid-level Windows Phone. It does lack a "wow" factor and is maybe besides reminiscent of older Samsung Windows Phones such every bit the Focus 2 and Focus.

While appearances may non turn heads, the ATIV Odyssey performance moves along with Windows Phone 8 and a one.5Ghz dual core processor. Battery life is respectable, making it through the day on one accuse and the screen reminds us why we like the AMOLED technology. You lot can add NFC support, call blocking, and a expansion card slot to the "plus" column as well for the ATIV Odyssey. The camera has potential but performance takes a nose dive as your lighting fades.

All in all, the ATIV Odyssey isn't a bad choice for a Windows Phone and Verizon has added another solid Windows Telephone to their lineup. Unfortunately, it's not the only game in town and the alternatives may make the ATIV Odyssey a harder selection to brand. While the ATIV Odyssey is a nice Windows Telephone, you may be able to get more than bang for your buck with the other Windows Phones in Verizon'southward lineup. The ATIV Odyssey is currently running $49.99 after contractual discounts at Verizon. The HTC 8X is currently running $99.99 and the Nokia Lumia 822 is currently free.

Just looking at the Lumia 822, it has a 4.3" screen, Gorilla Glass 2, 8MP rear camera, 16GB of storage, NFC support, microSD expansion and the intangible of Nokia support. Then there'due south the HTC 8X that is but slightly more expensive, has similar features to the Lumia 822 but lacks the retentivity expansion just does have the BSI camera sensor (keen for low calorie-free shots) and Beats Audio.

Onetime is new over again: ATIV Odyssey (Fifty) for Verizon, Focus 2 (R) for AT&T

Looking at the contest, it's hard to make an argument for the ATIV Odyssey outside of personal appeal. Make loyalty or just a preference to how the ATIV Odyssey feels may give information technology an advantage but it's going to be hard to pay more for a Windows Telephone that seems to accept less than the alternatives.

We don't recollect choosing the ATIV Odyssey is a bad choice and none of the downsides to the telephone are crippling. It'south just that the alternatives seem to be more feature rich and capable Windows Phones. The ATIV Odyssey is a proficient phone but I just tin't help but think it was the easy manner out for Samsung to get a Windows Phone 8 device on the market.  Solitary, it'southward a capable, nicely featured Windows Phone.  Compared to what else is on the market, information technology kind of gets lost in the shadows.

Samsung could have given the Odyssey more than retentiveness, a more versatile camera or a more innovative design to assistance the phone's appeal.  I most wish they had have built the Odyssey based off the Focus South because at least so yous'd have a larger screen and thinner form cistron to hang your chapeau on.

The Samsung ATIV Odyssey is available here at Verizon Wireless.

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