Samsung Ativ S Coming to India in December: A Big Threat to HTC's and Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 Handsets?

When it comes to Windows Phone 8 based handsets, HTC has already unveiled its offering – 8X in India and the handset is listed for pre-order at Rs 35,032. But, there has been no information about the Samsung's smartphone – Ativ S and Nokia Lumia 920 and 820.

Well, here comes the good news for all Samsung fans out there, the South Korean tech giant WP8 handset Ativ S has been listed on two online retailer sites including Infibeam and Ezoneonline for India release. However, right now the handset availability shows 'Coming Soon' and 'Out of Stock' status without an estimated price tag.

Also a company source close to the matter has informed that “Samsung is expected to launch Ativ S in the Indian market this December.”

On this, tech analysts predict that with the launch of Windows 8 powered Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch Ultrabook, Ativ Smart PC and Ativ Smart PC Pro tablet-laptop hybrids just yesterday in India, Samsung Ativ S handset can be expected to hit the stores in the coming weeks.

At this point of time, two online retailer sites – Infibeam and Ezoneonline have listed the handset with 'Coming Soon' and 'Out of Stock' status and without an estimated price tag. Check goProbo.com for online smartphone pricing.

Speaking of specs, Samsung Ativ S, the first official Windows Phone 8 running smartphone that was unveiled at IFA 2012 expo has a massive 4.8 inch Super AMOLED HD resolution multi-touch display of 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Krait chipset, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera and 1.9MP facing camera.

Further, Ativ S comes in two variants – 16GB and 32GB internal storage options and is packed with connectivity features including Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, DLNA functionality, NFC, aGPS and micro USB and is loaded with a 2,300 mAh Li-ion battery.

A recent SamMobile report claims that there is a delay in the release of Ativ S. The report adds that Samsung will ship the handset from week 52 of the year, which is the last week of December 2012 and hence, the consumers would be able to get the handset only from early 2013. However, this is applicable in Europe and there is no detail about the release plan for the other regions.

Potential Rival: HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920

If Ativ S comes to India sometime soon, the handset will definitely enter in to a direct fight with the other Windows Phone 8 offerings, which is only HTC 8X at this point of time. However, there are reports claiming the Nokia will release its WP8 based Lumia 920 in December or by early next year, it is legible to include the handset into the battlefield.

Detailing on the HTC handset, 8X houses a 4.3 inch Super LCD 2 HD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 8MP rear camera, front facing 2.1MP camera for video calling, 16GB internal memory, 512MB RAM, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 1,800 mAh Li-Po battery.

Moreover, the handset comes with Beats Audio integration for outstanding sound quality similar to any other HTC smartphone.

At the same time, Lumia 920 packs a 4.5 inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels along with PureMotion HD and ClearBlack display technologies. The handset is equipped with an 8.7MP rear camera with PureView branding, 1.2MP front camera, 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, NFC connectivity and 2,000 mAh Li-ion battery.

Further, the handset is packed with groundbreaking features including wireless charging and glove-friendly capacitive touchscreen display.

With a much larger display of 4.8 inches and improved battery capacity, the Ativ S has the potential to offer a stiff competition to HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920.