Optimus or Omnia

[sm07]

Having a look at mobicity.com.au, I'm having trouble choosing between the Optimus 7 and the Omnia 7 (there's $10 difference and both are under $400 brand new).

The Omnia 7 has the AMOLED screen (which looks sweet), an awesome camera but only 8GB of storage.

On the other hand, the Optimus has a standard LCD (not so nice) but has 16GB of storage, hardware buttons and a slightly better design (IMO).

Right now I'm leaning towards the Optimus. Is it worth giving up the AMOLED screen for the increased storage and better design? Also, does the Optimus fare well camera-wise?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Winterfang]

Optimus user here, This phone is the ****. One point that doesn't get advertised much about this phone is the battery life.

It will last you for a full day with heavy use, and the screen is nowhere as nice but is really bright. LG apps are pretty cool, like Panorama shot, Time and Clock and Play to. ( you can bring your videos and phones one your TV from Wifi )

 

[Kebero]

I believe that the Omnia 7, like the Focus, has a user-accessible microSD slot, allowing you to expand the memory up to 40GB total. The microSD card you use is not hot-swappable, however - you have to reformat the phone with the card installed, and it cannot be removed without a hard reset. My Focus currently has a 16GB card installed and it works great. With the expanded storage, the AMOLED screen, and the ability to use Galaxy S standard height, extended life batteries (such as the one from Seidio), I think the Omnia is the better choice.

 

[sm07]

It doesn't have a microSD slot EDIT: Found the Optimus online somewhere else. It's the frontrunner, again, though it's not in stock at this present moment.

I had a look at both in person today and I kinda liked both of them (maybe the Optimus slightly more). The camera is apparently better on the Omnia though, according to Engadget, and that AMOLED screen is really, really enticing. It also seems to have more accessories (eg. extended battery, as you said).

On the whole Optimus battery life thing, apparently the Omnia also has a 1500mAh battery too? I'm thinking if the Optimus comes back into stock I'll grab that, but if not I'll go for the Omnia. I'll either get an awesome screen or expanded storage.

Of course, if anyone else has a strong feeling either way, feel free to post. I probably won't be purchasing it for a little while (want to sell my old Pre first)

 

[Gmotagi]

Omnia is a really really nice phone. If you need tons of storage get the other but 8 is enough for a good few albums etc.

 

[Kebero]

The Omnia 7 doesn't have a user accessible microSD slot? I guess the Focus looses out on the build quality (I'd prefer the metal) but wins out with the expandable memory.

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[selfcreation]

omnia..

unless you go on a 2 week long jogging sessions and dont want to hear the same song every 6 dayz ,,

lol

 

[Winterfang]

Ok I'm gonna be honest with you. The Omnia 7 is one of the few Windows Phone that I have never touched.

But I'll give you the pros and cons of my Optimus 7 since I had mine for more than 3 months now.

Pros.

1- Battery life: yeah yeah both phones has the same 1500 number but let me tell you something. I charged my phone yesterday at 11:00 AM and gave it fairly good use, tons of apps switching, checking facebook, angry bird rounds, lots of web browser etc... It's 9:52 AM today. Wanna know the percentage of the battery?

Is half. That's right, it can get you like 2 whole days of normal use. ( One day of heavy use )

2- Design: You had seen the phone is person, This phone is just a thing of beauty and it feels nice on the hand, the camera lens are protected and has a nice quality feeling.

3- Lack of issues: I haven't gotten any major bug or deal breaker with my phone so far. Some Omnia 7's have issues so be sure to get the right one..

4- LG apps: Those are not your typical crapware, you won't be deleting them. The work awesome and their Weather app was my choice for a long time.

5-The camera is not as bad as you think, the photos are more than decent and perfect for Facebook uploading. Video recording is also good

Short movie fully shot on LG Optimus 7

Is an entire movie shot on this phone.

6- Games load fast and play smoothly. ( In fact everything is super smooth )

7- Build quality: Is mostly made of plastic but it pretty durable, not squeaks when you hold it, no lose parts and it has a nice metal casing in the back. It also sports Gorilla glass.

YouTube - ‪LG Optimus 7 windows phone still works after car ran over it‬‏

In this video there's an optimus 7 that has being ran over by a freaking car, yet still works.


Cons: now not everything is fine and dandy in Optimus land.

1- They are no accessories for this phone: It's so hard to find a decent cover that I feel like I don't even have a real phone in my hands.

2- The metal case on the back is really nice but it tends to make the phone slippery, I have never dropped the phone but It's not because of the lack of trying.

3- The screen is good but it's not Omnia 7 good.

4- HD video is pretty good, nice colors but it tends to be choppy at times.


Anyway it's by no means a high end phone but everything on it works great. Highly recommended.

 

[sm07]

Managed to find a live version of the Omnia in two stores. Major screen burn on both (well... not major, but you can see the words "WINDOWS PHONE" on almost every screen). Kind of a turn-off - I know it isn't likely to occur normally, but AMOLEDs, from what I've heard, are more likely to have issues than a standard LCD.

Really appreciate your writeup, Winterfang. I like the super solid feeling of the Omnia but I've got no complaints about the Optimus. The design is much better. Plus, I HATE capacitive touch buttons. So, long story short, I'm heavily leaning towards the Optimus. It all depends on availability.

I wanna try and go for a phone that'll last this time (after the Pre... massive waste of money). So I don't mind swapping the AMOLED for a standard LCD. That "gorilla glass" video was reassuring Think I might just go find a generic pouch that I can slide the phone in and out of. I'm not too worried about accessories.

I'm guessing that video had heavy colour correction? It was impressive though. I looked up a sample on Youtube and the colours look normal, so that's fine.

 

[sm07]

Thanks for your advice, guys. I wanted a phone that'd last (not like the Pre, guh), so I grabbed a new, still in box Optimus 7 on eBay. Needless to say I'm pretty excited. Should arrive sometime next week.

The 16GB, as well as the non-AMOLED screen sold it for me (plus, winterfang put up a pretty good argument ). I didn't want to risk getting burn-in after a year or so. I checked out available specs for new devices coming out this year and they were mostly the same. I couldn't care less about gyroscope, front camera and 1080p, so I think I made the right choice. Thanks again!

 

[jimski]

Welcome to the WP bandwagon. Now go enjoy your phone. Have only read good things about the Optimus7.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[Winterfang]

Congratulations my fellow Optimus 7 owner. Is truly a device you fall in love with, I hope that like me, you also get random compliments from strangers for having such a pretty device

Welcome to awesome.

 

[Jay Bennett]

Interestingly I got the chance to try out my Uncle's Optimus 7 this weekend and comparing it to my Omnia 7 I was impressed, it looks like you've made a good choice there. The 16GB storage would be a huge bonus to me, but in every other aspect I'm afraid I prefer my Omnia.

Re the point about screen burn, remember those demo devices sit on the same image for ages, my Omnia is now 9 months old and no screen burn whatsoever.

I will point out the only bad thing about the Omnia 7 (apart from the limited 8gb storage) is that there is a small, occasional bug when playing music in that it can skip/stutter at the end of a track, I discuss it on this week's podcast. Annoying but worth it for the build and screen quality.

 

[sm07]

Yeah, fair enough, in fact it was the Windows Phone logo that's shown during the demo video (which probably plays for hours on end). It's an amazing screen but I decided not to risk it - I know it's really, really, incredibly unlikely, but after the Pre... I just want something that's guaranteed to last a couple years. The 16GB storage was also a pretty big factor in that respect.

Also, the Optimus just looked nicer IMO, but trust me it was a pretty difficult choice between the two :/

 

[selfcreation]

16G or better screen? ,, 100% better screen!! why? ,, hmm cloud service!!?? so internal memory is not as importent as some noobs might think.


but seriously if u haven’t gotten a wp7 yet id almost want to tell you to wait for X-mas for the second Generation of wp7!!!

 

[sm07]

16G or better screen? ,, 100% better screen!! why? ,, hmm cloud service!!?? so internal memory is not as importent as some noobs might think.


but seriously if u haven?t gotten a wp7 yet id almost want to tell you to wait for X-mas for the second Generation of wp7!!!

I think you'll find that internal memory is more important than you think. Here in Australia unlimited data plans are incredibly hard to come by. The plans we do have aren't super cheap, especially for people who don't have a huge monthly budget (I'm on 200mb/month). So the cloud isn't really a viable option. Also, internal memory is simply faster.

Even if I did wait for Christmas, I still would have gotten a last-gen WP7 device. I don't think I can justify spending over $500 on a phone, at least not at this point in my life. I also don't want to get locked into a plan, paying $50/month when I can get the same value for $10-$20. I don't mind being a generation or two behind as long as it still works and it saves money. Still own a 3rd gen iPod touch, and it works brilliantly.

 

[Winterfang]

When does you phone comes man? be sure to share your experiences with us.

 

[Jay Bennett]

16G or better screen? ,, 100% better screen!! why? ,, hmm cloud service!!?? so internal memory is not as importent as some noobs might think.

I'd like to think I can safely proclaim myself to be not a "noob" and I can assure you the internal memory size is a genuine issue when it comes to installing games, storing music, and having the space available to record videos etc

 

[selfcreation]

well im not evan at 50% yet and i have a BUNCH of stuff on my phone . more then i need any ways lol. when i finish a game i just uninstal it , if i ever want to play again ill just re-instal. as for music and stuff i just re-sync it every night as i charge it , to change up my music a little. (need to charge it every day so w/e lol ) and i have WIFI all over my building at work so i conect all over the place

I guess some people need the internal mem more then others.

 

[sm07]

I guess some people need the internal mem more then others.

I guess if you're fine with the whole re-syncing thing it's not an issue. For me, if I fill 8GB with apps (unlikely, but hey) I don't really want to have to keep removing them to take a few photos or listen to some new music. And hey, the extra internal memory future-proofs it a bit.

If everything goes fine, my phone'll be here tomorrow (I forgot to ask for the tracking number, sigh)