Is Samsung Omnia Better than The iPhone for Indians?

The Indian market has been inundated with touchscreen mobile devices ever since Apple launched its iconic iPhone here in late August. South Korean electronics giant Samsung Group has launched the Omnia - a high-end entertainment phone targeted at consumers who do not mind spending excessively to get their hands on premium handsets.

The Samsung Omnia is priced at Rs 37,999 for the 24 GB version, while the 32 GB version costs Rs 39,999. Both pricing models are well above the standard iPhone cost as well as that of Nokia's N96. However Samsung remains confident of making a splash in the increasingly fashion-conscious Indian market.

The Omnia has a five mega pixel camera and is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The phone is completely touchscreen and also sports an optical mouse that allows easy navigation.

Other features in the Samsung Omnia include MS Office, which allows consumers access to documents in the Word and PowerPoint formats. Measuring 112 x 56.9 x 12.5 mm and weighing just 122 g, the Omnia has a high style factor and looks to target the youth segment in India.

Connectivity options include 3G, HSDPA, GPS, Bluetooth, WI-Fi, GPRS/GSM, USB, and EDGE. The phone also boasts of a battery life of 5.8 hours.

One area where the Omnia scores over the iPhone is the presence of a slew of options when it comes to sending and receiving text messages. For the text crazy Indians, the iPhone offers nothing. Sure, it is a great corporate gadget and may be even a great personal gadget, but the absence of multiple contacts for SMS and the facility to forward a text message make it a liability for Indians who are SMS obsessed.

The Samsung Omnia has all text messaging facilities including SMS, MMS, Email and Instant message. This feature may just tilt the balance in Samsung's favor as the holiday season rapidly approaches in India.