Windows Phone users have positive response for Samsung’s ATIV S, cautiously waiting for Nokia, HTC

Our online poll suggests Samsung has done well but still has to win over many

Yesterday during the IFA trade show in Berlin, Samsung surprisingly unveiled the first Windows Phone 8 device for 2012—the ATIV S—to mostly cheers and approvals from current and prospective Windows Phone users.

In an online 24-hour poll conducted yesterday here at Windows Phone Central, nearly 4,000 respondents (cookie and IP locked) responded to Samsung’s announcement of the Galaxy S3 clone for Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 8 OS.

Nearly a third of respondents (29.8% or 1,120 votes) said that they would consider Samsung’s new device as it has some great specs and the looks to back it up. Only 13.57% (510 respondents) steadfastly said ‘no’ to the ATIV S, noting that the phone was not for them.

The bulk of respondents took the more cautious approach with a wait-and-see attitude until Nokia and HTC reveal their lineup in the coming weeks. With 56.64% (2,129 respondents) chiming in, this category shows that consumers are savvy enough to not commit too early to a new phone, especially since Samsung did not reveal price, availability nor partner-carriers.

But it may also highlight a lack of brand loyalty to Samsung as compared to Nokia and companies like Apple, which conjure up a dedicated base of users.

The ATIV S, while a solid design and excellent specs, including a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, dual-core 1.5GHz CPU, a massive 2300mAh battery in a thin body, seems to lack imagination and the boundary pushing that consumers are demanding these days. In perusing comments, most users seem lukewarm to the device remarking that it’s a good offering but it lacks the ‘wow’ factor that Windows Phone 8 may need this fall if it is to gain any traction—something to which we agree.

We’ll of course revisit the ATIV S later in September to see which new Windows Phone 8 device users are most excited about. With Nokia calling Samsung a good ‘warm up’, the ball is clearly in the Finnish company’s court to woo potential consumers next week at their press conference.