The Samsung ATIV S, or ATIV Odyssey on Verizon, is the third Windows Phone 8 device in the family and the one that is likely to get little of the spotlight compared to the HTC 8X and the Nokia Lumia range, but that doesn't mean it should be overlooked. 

READ: What's new in Windows Phone 8?

Available exclusively to Phones 4 U in the UK, the phone is light and large, offering a big battery to, hopefully, help you through the day. It is also one of the few WP8 smartphones that has expandable storage via an micro SD slot and a removable battery. 

We first saw it at IFA in Berlin, Germany, a couple of months ago, and now we've been able to turn the device on and have a greater play. 

Inside the 8.7mm brushed-aluminum chassis is a huge 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display made from Corning Gorilla Glass 2. It's powered by a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor, with 1GB of on-board RAM, and an 8MP autofocus rear camera and 1.9MP front-facing camera. 

Storage wise you'll get a 16GB or 32GB version and a MicroSD slot for expanded storage. Don't forget there will be SkyDrive support as well, to go one step further.

READ: Windows Phone 8: The phones to buy

Backing all of this up is a massive 2300mAh battery to keep you rocking all day. We are going to try to track down the phone at IFA to bring you our own batch of photos and first impressions on the device. In the meantime enjoy Microsoft's efforts of the new Samsung ATIV S.  

samsung ativ s pictures and hands on image 14

Like Nokia and HTC, Samsung has pre-loaded the ATIV S with a bevy of apps to entice you over. Samsung's chat service ChatOn is there, as too is Music hub and a diary app that looks to be a bit pointless. 

Overall we suspect the ATIV S will struggle in the cool stakes against the HTC and Nokia offering, but it is light, does offer a big screen, and isn't a slouch when it comes to performance.