Samsung Ativ Odyssey Review Budget Windows Phone on Verizon

The Ativ Odyssey itself is middle-of-the-road. It looks like a smaller, cookie-cutter version of the Galaxy S3, very similar to the Galaxy S3 Mini due to its size — down to the rounded shoulder, the high-gloss surfaces, and the attractive brushed finish.

It has a perfectly acceptable 4-inch Super AMOLED screen with a WVGA resolution (800×480 pixels.) Powering this Windows Phone is a 1.5GHz dual-core processor; for photography, there’s a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash. I do love the compulsory Windows Phone camera button on the right spine. The phone also supports 1080p HD video capture and includes a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Since it’s also Samsung, a microSD card slot supports up to 64GB off-board memory. Onboard storage is slighter at 8GB, and there’s 1GB RAM. Pop off the back cover and you’ll find a 2,100mAh battery.

It’s a global-ready phone, which means you can take it overseas to use, plus the devices does come unlocked on the Verizon Network. Which is a nice new trend we are seeing from the carrier. In terms of additional software, Samsung has added Chat-on ( its multi-platform chat app), a diary app and some photo editing apps. Really not much to add flare to the device. In all honesty the Samsung Ativ Odyssey is a very good entry level windows phone 8 smartphone and pretty much that and at $49.99 with a 2 year contract on the carrier. It is priced well too.