Samsung yesterday unveiled a bevy of new phones at CommunicAsia Expo in Singapore, adding four new models to its Omnia line of handsets. The company also released a new mid-range smartphone, the Samsung Jet and the 12-megapixel camera phone, the Pixon 12.
While the OEM did not release launch dates or carrier partnerships for any of the phones, it did post pictures and full specs on its Web site. Three of the new Omnia phones, as well as the Jet and Pixon 12, expand on Samsung’s portfolio of AMOLED touchscreen devices. The OmniaLITE has an LCD screen.
The Samsung Jet was the featured release of the day. The company bills the new phone as “smarter than a smartphone.” The Jet runs on Samsung’s in-house OS and features a multi-task manager and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, an 800 MHz application processor, Wi-Fi, TouchWiz 2.0 UI, a 5 mega-pixel camera, built-in GPS and DNSe & SRS Sound Effect technology.
The new Omnia models seem to be an attempt to attract a broad demographic by offering four slightly different models. The Omnia II and OmniaLITE are similar phones, building off the Impression and Delve form factors. The OmniaPRO B7320 features a BlackBerry-style form factor with a full qwerty keyboard on the front, and the OmniaPRO B7610 comes equipped with a slide-out landscape qwerty keyboard.
The Omnia line runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 but all of the new phones come Windows Mobile 6.5-ready. Initial reviews of the phones were mixed, with some reviewers citing slow responsiveness, which has been a running complaint of the TouchWiz UI running on Windows Mobile 6.1. There was no initial word on pricing.
Meanwhile, the Pixon 12 features a high-resolution 12-megapixel camera, a 3.1-inch touch screen, 720-by-480-pixel video capability, GPS, Wi-Fi, LED flash and 28mm wide-angle lens.
Samsung, which has been aggressively soliciting media attention with the unveiling of so many phones, capped its big day by ringing the NASDAQ closing bell.