Samsung has beaten Nokia to the punch and launched the Ativ S – the world’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphone; a big surprise considering Nokia’s high-profile partnership with Microsoft.
Announced at the IFA exhibition in Berlin the Ativ S packs a 4.8-inch HD Super-AMOLED screen and 1.5GHz dual-core processor, to make it firmly aimed at keen multimedia consumers.
The Samsung Ativ S comes equipped with a choice of 16 or 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM and full MicroSD card support, for upgrading storage by as much as an extra 32GB, as well as HSPA+ 42 connectivity.
It also features an 8-Megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.9-Megapixel front-facing camera, with auto-focus and an LED flash helping to improve image quality when snapping photos and recording video.
The flagship feature of the Ativ S is of course its Windows Phone 8 operating system, though. Building on the great foundation of Windows Phone 7, it brings a unique and intuitive user interface.
With Windows Phone struggling to rival Android and iOS in the smartphone market, despite its fantastic usability and features, many are watching closely to see whether Windows Phone 8 will turn the tide.
And with more Windows Phone 8 phones on the way before the end of the year from Nokia, among others, there should be a great choice of products for consumers in the run up to Christmas.