Nokia Lumia 900 vs Samsung Focus S

[VernonEL]

Get the 900

One more thing I wanted to compare: Which phone has the better screen? Brightness, color accuracy, etc?

AMOLED + Nokia Clearblack vs Super AMOLED plus?

I've seen comparison videos between the Focus S and Titan where the whites seem to be very blue on the Super AMOLED display, does the AMOLED display have the same problems?

Like Winterfang stated just a couple of posts up, the Focus S has the better screen.
Of course this purely from a specifications standpoint; I have not handled the Lumia 900 yet.
The Focus S has one of, if not the, best screens of a Windows Phone right now. I can say with great confidence that it is better than that of the Titan (although the Titan's is very good for an LCD by HTC). The initial screen debate between the two devices had to do with the S's screen brightness overcompensating for ambient light, and the extra setting adjusting the display intensity when viewing a page with a light background. This certainly was an issue when first released, but several updates have been pushed out for this, and the display is now incredible!

So now that the Lumia 900 is looking like it will be released on April 22 do I buy the Focus S?

Nope. Don't get the Focus S now. I am very happy with mine, and am only upgrading to the 900 because it will only cost me a hundred bucks, but I do feel that the 900 will be the Windows Phone to beat this year. It does have the same basic specs, but the addition of the LTE radio, coupled with the gorgeous head-turning design, bring it up several notches. I don't often tell people to wait for a device, but in this case it seems rather easy to justify.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

I've seen the Focus S first hand and the display really is a thing of beauty. I've watched all the videos on the Lumia 900 and the screen looks just as incredible, so I'll just do a comparison when it comes out (not that it's THAT big of a deal).

Okay good, that was my plan. Thanks for the advice.

 

[AbsoluteZerow]

How come no one is informing the OP about the Focus S' display issues? The ones you have to manually fix to get the screen looking "just right"? Out of the box form, the screen is pretty lack luster. Blue tint all over the place on white colors, horrible random auto dimming (which I still encounter even after doing the manual changes), and finally the typing sound keyboard bug that Samsung & ATT seem to not give a rats booty about. Sadly, both the Focus S and Titan have issues that aren't/won't be fixed by AT&T and vendor. I'd say wait for the Lumia 900 solely based on the non existent response from Samsung. But the reality is, AT&T is the one delaying updates to phones, not the vendors.

Don't get me wrong though, the Focus S is very nice and the display is also very nice. Personally though, I preferred the Titan's screen because the colors seemed more natural and properly represented real colors. The Focus S is very vibrant, which is where it faults, its TOO vibrant.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Wow that is somewhat disappointing. I see that the Focus S's white colors are not very accurate and come out a bit more blue. i wonder if it's the same with the 900's AMOLED screen...I think based on what people have said I'm going to wait for the Lumia 900 mostly based on their exclusive apps and great support of their products. Plus, this is a flagship phone; They are going to make sure everything is how it should be. Looking forward to it's release (whenever that is) so I can buy it for 50$ :]
How do you think the call quality will be on the 900?

 

[scrawnyfella]

Personally i would go for the Samsung. Nokia has really fallen behind over the years

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[dkp23]

I think the blue tint for white is a battery preservation setting on your phone. There is an option that is automically on out of box that adjust white screen since the white screen will drain the battery faster. I believe if you turn this off, your white screen should look fine.

I rather have the battery saver on to preserve battery though, but i turn off auto brightness.

 

[VelJharig]

Like Winterfang stated just a couple of posts up, the Focus S has the better screen.
Of course this purely from a specifications standpoint; I have not handled the Lumia 900 yet.
The Focus S has one of, if not the, best screens of a Windows Phone right now. I can say with great confidence that it is better than that of the Titan (although the Titan's is very good for an LCD by HTC). The initial screen debate between the two devices had to do with the S's screen brightness overcompensating for ambient light, and the extra setting adjusting the display intensity when viewing a page with a light background. This certainly was an issue when first released, but several updates have been pushed out for this, and the display is now incredible!

Hmm... I'm missing why you and Winterfang think that the Focus S has a nicer screen than the 900 based on specifications. Both are AMOLED non-pentile (RGB stripe) displays at 4.3". Samsung advertises some advantages for their SuperAMOLED line (integrating the touch layer into the screen rather than an overlay), and Nokia advertises their ClearBlack display as offering better anti-glare characteristics. If you were comparing the Focus S to the 800's screen (which is an AMOLED pentile display), then I could see the reference to the better screen, but I don't think there's any significant difference in the AMOLED specifications between the Focus S and 900.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Now that people can have their hands on the Lumia 900, which is better?

 

[coffeemike]

Now that people can have their hands on the Lumia 900, which is better?

I stand by my previous answers - I can't tell you which is better, you have to be the judge of that. (I actually came to the forums today to see the followup on this thread.)

For *me*, I'm happier with the 900, no question. It's a larger, heavier, feels-solid device. LTE is scary fast. The radio is strong, so I have no reception issues at my office (every other cell phone I've had does, not a knock on the Focus S particularly).

I haven't had a need to use Nokia's dedicated apps other than touching up a couple of photos, so while they're I'm sure great, they aren't a selling point for me. (Same with the Samsung apps, actually.)

So, you'll have to make a call. The Focus S is noticeably slimmer and lighter, feels great and imperceptible in a pocket, and is fast. The scrolling on the 900 is a little more languid, it feels like a solid phone, and has LTE. Screen size and brightness? I'll put them on a level field. I'm impressed with both.

Sorry to be no help. Let us know what you do decide! (And don't forget the Titan II!)

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Well I definitely appreciate that, this is a big decision for me. I know the Focus S's camera is better than the Lumia 900 (not to say the 900 is not competent) and I'm going off to college soon so a good camera would be nice, but there is not question the Lumia 900 has a great feel to it. The Titan II's camera looks incredible and it's a great all around device....I'll keep you posted on which I got and if I'm happy with it. I'll write a review as well.

 

[VernonEL]

Proven Wrong

Hmm... I'm missing why you and Winterfang think that the Focus S has a nicer screen than the 900 based on specifications. Both are AMOLED non-pentile (RGB stripe) displays at 4.3". Samsung advertises some advantages for their SuperAMOLED line (integrating the touch layer into the screen rather than an overlay), and Nokia advertises their ClearBlack display as offering better anti-glare characteristics. If you were comparing the Focus S to the 800's screen (which is an AMOLED pentile display), then I could see the reference to the better screen, but I don't think there's any significant difference in the AMOLED specifications between the Focus S and 900.

At the time that I had written my comparison of the screens of the S and the 900, I had not handled the 900, and stated clearly that I felt the S had the better screen based purely on specs. I have now been proven wrong.

The screen on the Lumia 900 is amazing. It is better than the screen of the Focus S. Not by much though. The 900 has slightly brighter whites, and slightly sharper colors. The differences are hardly noticable. Where is can be easily noticed is the blacks. The 900 displays black incredibly well. Nokia has done an incredible job with this! Still, one doesn't know what they are missing until there is something substantially better.

One more difference, although rather subtle, is the feel of the screen. The S feels more like a slab of glass, which can be expected. The 900 has more of something else. Describing it as "plastically" is far from the perfect description, but, sorry, that's the best I can come up with. Whatever one wants to call it, I like the feel of the screen of the Lumia 900 more than that of the Focus S.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

I just bought the Nokia Lumia 900!
It is a very nice device, not perfect, but very nice.
One question: How can I get my messages to vibrate and calls to be loud?

I'll check back in with a review in the next few days if anyone would like and tell you all if I keep the device after the 30 days

 

[RiseAgainst94]

My total storage says 13.61 and available 13.06, is that a little low?

 

[coffeemike]

Don't see a way to have vibrate only for some alerts - seems it's either loud, loud + vibrate, or vibrate only across the board.

Storage space is in line with what my phone says.

What color? Congratulations on your purchase! Do update with your experiences after a week or two of getting-to-know with the phone. And good luck in college!

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Wow, that is a real shame. I'm surprised by that...any phone i've ever had has had the ability to change messaging and calling notifications separately. Even non smartphones. My samsung mythic and last flip phone could.

Okay cool. That's fine.

The black version, put a screen protector on the back to cover camera band. I'll put a full fledged review up on a separate post in a few weeks. Thank you very much! Thanks for all the help.

 

[anon(5339784)]

The Focus S is better than the Lumia in both screen

I doubt that. For two reasons, the first is that they use the exact same screen, an RGB-matrix Super AMOLED screen, and since Samsung's Display division is (to my knowledge) the only one who makes RGB Super Amoled Screens in 4.3 inches, I wouldn't be surprised if they used the exact same screen.

The second one is that the Nokia has a ClearBlack panel, which significantly improves the visibility in sunlight.

But it has a better camera sensor (BSI).

The thinness I don't really see as an advantage. Sure, when phones used to be 18-30 mm's thick, a phone that was just over 10mm's was a big improvement in regards to pocket-bulging. But I find the smartphones too thin as they are now, as there is really no need for it from a practical point of view. It limits the battery size, and they don't even lay in hand anymore, but are "flying" between the fingertips and the palm, like a coaster, and I find them uncomfortable to use, so I see the extra 1-2 mm's the Lumia has, together with the rounded back and the grippy material, as an absolute advantage and pro, over the slippery and "flimsy" ergonomic of the Focus S. But to each their own, I'm just saying a few mm's less on paper don't automatically mean a "pro" or advantage, when the few mm's more on paper are no problem in the first place. But that's just my opinion.