Samsung further blurs line between camera and smartphone with Galaxy K zoom

Following worldwide success with the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, Samsung Galaxy Note phablets and Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets, the Korean tech giant is launching its next signature device: the Samsung Galaxy K zoom camera and smartphone hybrid.

Featuring a 20.7 megapixel camera with a 1/2.3 BSI CMOS sensor, as well as 10x optical zoom, the K zoom is Samsung's latest attempt at marrying a high-end smartphone and a compact camera. At 20.2mm thick, it is twice as thick as Samsung's latest Galaxy S5 flagship, but boasts an image sensor that is used in many mid-range compacts.

Like the S5, it has the Ultra Power Saving mode that shuts down the non-phone features of the device, to extend the battery life of the phone. While the device uses a hexa core processor, the six cores are split between the 1.3GHz quad core and 1.7GHz dual core ones, and trails the speed of the quad core processor in the S5.

This is also not Samsung's first hybrid but it is the first to use the Galaxy K zoom branding. The camera contains many camera features, like the Pro Suggest mode that recommends exposure settings for a scene. The Selfie Alarm allows users to use the main camera to take self portraits by using a face placement feature. It also shoots full high definition 1,080p video at 60 frames per second.

Samsung has not announced launch and pricing details.

sherwinl@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 29 in The Straits Times.

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.