Samsung have pinned all their hopes on the i8510 and basically played the same game as Nokia did a while back with their N95. The INNOV8 is a perfect solution for someone with deep pockets and high requirements in terms of phone functionality. So this audience won't really mind the i8510's price tag that is as hefty as 700 Euros. But for this money you will get a handset with an unparalleled functionality. Why? As far as camera goes, the only phone that can get close to the i8510 is the Sony Ericsson C905, but its quality is not as stellar and the video department is significantly hobbled, just like on most Sony Ericsson branded phones, though. Plus it is scheduled to hit the market a bit later, its price/quality ratio is far from ideal and it can't offer as many features onboard. All in all, the C905 is in a completely different league. While some might argue that Nokia has some phones that can well take on the i8510, the truth is, they aren't as fashionable as Samsung's latest and greatest offering and their feature packs a bit thin on the ground compared to that of the INNOV8.
Another thing of note about the Samsung INNOV8 is that effectively it's the first S60 phone that doesn't follow in the footsteps of Nokia - on the contrary, Samsung have managed to come up with something of their own, and this phone has turned out to be the most feature-rich solution to date on top of that. And since it will get some competition more towards February 2009, it will get the best of the Christmas fever. Plus its price tag may well lose some weight by February, which will serve as another boost for its sales.
If you take a gander at Samsung's previous S60 phones, you won't see anything that is even remotely close to the i8510. In fact, they have never been on top of the heap before - their offerings have always shown up after Nokia's and therefore haven't garnered much following at all. But now it's different. While Nokia can't possibly see a sensible threat to their portfolio in this one-off release that hasn't evolved into a whole new line-up yet, Samsung have finally brought in a breath of fresh air into the S60 market. Seeing Samusng's latest activities in this segment, specifically the launch of the L870 (that, supposedly, will become an affordable and reasonably functional S60 offering housed in a metallic casing), we can say for sure - they have come into this market with some serious intentions.
So, the bottom line is this: the Samsung i8510 is the most feature-packed phone to date and will keep this title until February 2009. Also, it's the market's first 8Mpix phone that is already out there, and now all other top-of-the-line solutions will have to meet this standard. Furthermore, adding to the i8510's uniqueness are the touch-sensitive controls and some neat features for the touch-pad that will come along later on. That said, Samsung have managed to pull off a small revolution in this segment - now all perfectionists out there can finally get a perfect phone that fits the bill and there are no alternatives whatsoever.
Also we can't overlook the i8510's audio quality and especially our RMAA tests that can reveal a lot of interesting things to those who are looking in the right places. In short, this phone packs in Samusng's latest developments in the way of sound quality and therefore is second to none these days. It compares quite favorably to the ROKR E8 and beats Nokia's solutions hands down, let alone Sony Ericsson's Walkman handsets. All in all, the i8510 does the same thing as the Nokia N95 a while ago; and even though it won't be able to repeat the latter's success, it has already raised the bar to a completely new level. Now all other manufacturers will be trying to reach it, while some won't be able to come up with a worthy rival to the INNOV8 even a year from now.
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