[Q] Omnia 7 - microSD card expansion

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digime

Senior Member
Mar 1, 2009
87
2
Has anyone taken their Omnnia 7 apart yet to see if you can replace the microSD card with a higher capacity one?

It's been done on the HD7 so we need a brave volunteer to try the same on the Omnia.
 

evilangelic

Senior Member
Jan 19, 2010
70
5
Birmingham
You're on the OMNIA 7 has a MicroSD slot?

No, not a normal slot.


In some mobile phones with windows 7, the MicroSD is hidden inside.
You cannot access without unscrewing, and it voids the warranty.

The phone must be taken apart into pieces to find the MicroSD, it is not one you just change for different music all the time!

We need a person to volunteer to take apart their phone!
 

lvoky

Member
Oct 20, 2010
11
8
Prague
I have an Omnia 7 testing device and I am willing to disassemble it. But I really don't know where to start with this. Seems that the phone can be disassembled only with special tools that I don't have...
 

karthikraman

Member
Oct 27, 2010
20
0
Chennai
Omnia must have a slot like the HD7?

Got this from a link (I am a new user: so can't post links yet: here's a goo.gl/Vi0e)

While the Omnia 7 has an microSD slot, it isn’t your run of the mill one. The microSD card that comes with the device is essentially locked to the device. If you remove the card, it will make the phone inoperable. I did read a tip that this may change later on, or if you swap cards and reformat then you have to suffer with losing your data, but that hasn’t been officially verified yet. Also someone will probably figure out a hack or way to copy the formatting scheme over to a new card to avoid losing your data, so don’t fret too much about this.
 

hboos

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2009
255
41
Just got delivery of Samsung Omnia 7.

I'm trying to open it up but I can only get access to 1 screw..the other ones are partially or fully obstructed!
 

digime

Senior Member
Mar 1, 2009
87
2
@karthikraman - there is no card locking going on and upgrading memory is fully supported by MS. It just has its own special procedure and consequences. Too many tech writers have been reporting this as if it's some kind of hardware hack special to the HD7. Nonsense, as I said it's supported and designed to work that way.

Manufacturers have decided to hide the cards inside. Maybe they thought that was safer so that people didn’t swap in new cards and complain their phones had stopped working or, if they did the hard reset, that they had lost all their data.

Anyway, all we need to know is whether we can get to the SD card in the Omnia 7 or not. If we can the upgrade ought to work.

@lvoky - Can you post pictures or describe what tools you need?
 

lvoky

Member
Oct 20, 2010
11
8
Prague
@lvoky - Can you post pictures or describe what tools you need?

Well, I can post some pictures later, but generally, as hboos mentioned, the screwes under the battery cover are partially obstructed with the rest of the phones casing... Which means that before unscrewing these, the casing has to be somehow removed. There are no other screws on the phones body, so I guess the plastic top and bottom part of the phone has to be "unclicked" somehow. Or maybe we have to begin from the display, like with iPhone 3G for example...
 

VinceRothwell

New member
Aug 23, 2005
1
0
OK, I have got it apart, but haven't found the SD card yet.

Where the slider is for the USB charger, use a small screwdriver & gently prise the plasic up (with the slider open), gently work your way around to get the complete cover off.

There you will find three screws, once these are rmoved the end will come off, after which you can slide the metal case off. You can then access all the screws.

HTH, Vince
 

rlatarche

Senior Member
Dec 13, 2007
165
0
Cambridge
;)
OK, I have got it apart, but haven't found the SD card yet.

Where the slider is for the USB charger, use a small screwdriver & gently prise the plasic up (with the slider open), gently work your way around to get the complete cover off.

There you will find three screws, once these are rmoved the end will come off, after which you can slide the metal case off. You can then access all the screws.

HTH, Vince
take photos and videos if you can would love to get a 32gb card in my omnia
 

hboos

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2009
255
41
Thanks Vince!

Taking it apart just now!

Just for clarity...to take the first bit off, open the usb slider and put a screw driver in to take off the plastic from the END of the phone... then everything is easy from there.
 

hboos

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2009
255
41
is it possible for the microsd card to be underneath the sim card slot or inside the area with the antennae?

Update:

I've pretty much dismantled the whole thing...just need to get the screen off and I can't seem to locate teh sd card.....it might be underneath the samsung sticker?

I have two photos but don\t knoiw hwo to put them up...they are 1.5 mb in size
 
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hboos

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2009
255
41
Right guys,

After faffing around with this...the microSD card must be located just beneath the screen..unfortunately, I am unable to check for sure because the board has connections glued on to the sides for the power, camera and volume buttons..

what a downer
\
SNC00003.jpg
SNC00004.jpg
 
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foxbat121

Senior Member
Apr 27, 2006
2,846
256
HTC, and maybe Motorola, is known to use microSD card for internal storage in various phones. Samsung, on the other hand, doesn't do that normally. All the Galaxy S phones have flash chips mounted directly on the circuit board. Samsung makes those flash chips, so it makes no sense for Samsung to use someone else's microSD cards.
 

digime

Senior Member
Mar 1, 2009
87
2
Nice try and thanks for giving it a go.

Here's more info on the official position from MS:

http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010/10/29/microsoft-speaks-on-micro-sd-and-windows-phone-storage-expansion/

I said on an HD7 thread that I think they are just being really careful and making sure they minimise potential problems - they don't need the launch to collapse with any Apple-antenna type bad press.

I think I've decided to go for an HD7 and will probably upgrade the memory once I've used up the 16GB.
 

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    Pity about that. I thought it would be upgradable but I was wrong :(
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    Yes, you can. Every official T-Mobile store should have them but they could/will be more expensive. You can try in different stores though. Some might have them as these shops sell all phones with(out) any contract.