July 30, 2014 at 16:35Samsung Galaxy K Zoom camera phone review
Hello, Habr!
Since the release of the first camera phone, 14 years have passed. During this time, the quality of pictures taken on a mobile phone has become superior to photos taken on some cameras. But manufacturers do not want to stop there, so they began to make camera phones - devices that are even closer to decent cameras. Samsung tried to do this with the SCH-W880 in 2009, then with the Galaxy S4 Zoom , and now with the new K Zoom line of phones. About Samsung Galaxy K Zoom more - under the cut.
Operating system : Android 4.4
Processor: Samsung Exynos 5260, 2 cores 1.7 GHz, 4 cores 1.3 GHz.
Video processor: Mali-T624
RAM: 2 GB
Internal memory: 8 GB
MicroSD: micro SDXC up to 64 GB
Number of SIM cards: 1 microSIM
Power: 2430 mAh battery with the ability to replace
Display: 4.8 inches, 1280x720, Super AMOLED
Main camera : 20.7 megapixels
Front camera: 2 megapixels
Navigation: GPS / GLONASS
Dimensions: 70.8x137.5x16.6 mm
Weight: 200 g
What awaits inside the box?
- Smartphone
- USB-microUSB cord
- Network adapter
- Suitable headset with additional silicone inserts
- Several information sheets.
What exactly do we have - a camera with a phone function or a phone with a camera function? On the display side, we have a 4.8-inch smartphone reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S5, and on the 20-megapixel side of the camera - it's ... it's still a phone, albeit with a huge traveling lens. In contrast, by the way, from the S4 Zoom, which is more like a camera.
Now let's take a quick look at the history of Samsung's camera phones. It's nice that there are advertising posters for these smartphones, they are useful for continuing the history of mobile phones and smartphones in advertising .
One of the first Samsung camera phones came out in 2009. This model SCH-W880 never reached the Russian market. What makes the phone interesting? It was also equipped with a traveling lens with a triple zoom. Camera resolution - 12 megapixels. The display is just some 3.3 inches and 480x800 pixels. It is very similar to a regular camera.
Galaxy S4 Zoom came out last year. This is a modification of the S4 Mini with additional features for photographing. But at the same time, the body has undergone significant changes: a moving lens, a focus ring, and a ledge for the right hand make this smartphone look like a camera.
But K Zoom is exactly what a smartphone with a huge lens. The company decided not to follow in the footsteps of modifying smartphones, but to single out a separate line of camera phones.
The smartphone is available in several colors: blue, white and black.
In general, it’s worth talking about Samsung’s work on errors after last year’s S4 Zoom.
Firstly, I noted the appearance. The new smartphone does not look like a Chinese "soap box". It looks exactly like a smartphone, but with a huge lens. There is no protrusion for a comfortable fit of the camera in your hand.
Secondly, the S4 Zoom lens had a ring that allowed you to adjust the focus. Just like on a regular camera. This ring made the smartphone too bulky - it just couldn't fit in your pocket. In the case of K, the dimensions are not the smallest, but not repulsive at all. And the lens does not cling to the details of clothing.
Amazing but at the same time, the dimensions of the new smartphone are an order of magnitude larger than S4. After all, the display at K is 4.8 inches, not 4.3. Thickness - 16.6 versus 15.4 for the predecessor. Save the smooth forms of the model.
From other external differences: the novelty has no mount for a tripod and infrared port. A tripod was still a useful thing.
The front panel is a classic Samsung button, speaker, 2 megapixel camera and light and distance sensors. To the right and left of the main button two more touch buttons are hidden, highlighted as necessary.
At the bottom of the smartphone is an unprotected microUSB port and a microphone.
On the right side there are several physical buttons at once: volume control, shutdown and shutter button. Conveniently, adjusting the volume in camera mode controls the zoom.
At the top there is another microphone and a port for a headset.
On the left side there is a port for MicroSD and ... a hole for the lace. For some reason, I have not seen this in smartphones for a long time. Although in the case of the camera phone, this probably makes some sense.
The microSD port is secure. A “hot swap” is possible, which in the case of a camera phone equipped with only 8 GB of memory is simply necessary.
The back cover is the same as on the Galaxy Tab S tablets and Galaxy S5 smartphone . Only the camera hole is much larger.
The cover is removable. Underneath is a battery. Again, in the case of the camera phone in any situation, the ability to replace the battery is necessary, since the flash can gobble up the battery when shooting actively.
Under the battery is a SIM card slot and smartphone information.
Inside the smartphone, after S4 Zoom, everything changed dramatically, but it also affected the price. The starting price of K Zoom is 24,990 rubles, and S4 Zoom started selling last year 24,990 (they quickly reduced it to 19,990, now 11,990).
The smartphone is based on the Samsung Exynos 5260 processor, where the two cores operate at 1.7 GHz, and the remaining four cores operate at 1.3 GHz. The video processor is the Mali-T624.
For shooting photos and video, a 20.7 megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom, flavored with a xenon flash.
It's nice that the smartphone battery can be replaced by opening the back cover. Also, micro SD support is a positive moment, which makes it possible to smooth out such a drawback as 8 GB of internal memory.
For clarity, the table will give the data S4 Zoom.
With these characteristics, the smartphone does not slow down. Benchmark results:
Antutu Benchmark
CPU Prime Benchmark
NenaMark2
Quadrant Standard
With toys, as expected, everything is fine too. I jumped under the train a couple of times with Max Payne and went through several levels in Asphalt 8. The device heats up, but does not slow down.
Again, for half an hour 2048 distracted me ...
One of the main advantages of gadgets from Samsung is the huge, bright, colorful Super AMOLED displays. K Zoom did not become a black sheep in this regard and got a 4.8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Smaller than the S5 with its 1920 x 1080. The
display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Withstands a direct hit on it Lenovo Yoga 11s from a distance of a meter.
The 2430 mAh battery, in my opinion, is too small for such a device. So for active work with him, and even more so for photographing during a trip or travel, I would advise taking removable batteries or an external battery for charging. The Galaxy S5 also has a 2800 mAh battery, although the S4 Zoom has even less, only 2330 mAh.
It is immediately worth noting that no other camera phone now has an objective with 10x optical zoom. The clear advantage of the smartphone for large photography enthusiasts. Samsung also tried to make shooting as convenient as possible. The camera is built on a BSI sensor, there is optical image stabilization. Focal length 4.4-44 mm, aperture f / 3.1-f / 6.3.
Unlike the S4 Zoom, there is no lens ring. You can zoom in or out using the volume keys while the camera is on. You can also do this with your fingers on the display, but this method is terribly inconvenient.
The absence of ISOCELL technology, which is described in this hub site, upset the lack . Moreover, in S5 it is used. Also, the tripod mount, in my opinion, was worth leaving.
As for the topic of video, the maximum shooting resolution is 1920 x 1080 30 fps.
As for the software component, for the convenience of shooting, there are many modes that can be easily dealt with with different tasks. For example, the “Children shooting” mode: it consists in the fact that the phone takes, firstly, five shots, and, secondly, meows, gurgles and makes other funny sounds to attract attention.
Next up are a few more shots taken on the Galaxy K Zoom. Images are clickable.
Auto tuning. Photo pots in the bushes with a tenfold approximation. "Night" mode. Takes a few shots and stacks them into one. "Memories". An attempt to photograph an ant in Macro Photography was unsuccessful.
Well, and a couple of photographs of the monument to the great man, Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey, a Soviet scientist in the field of mechanics and control processes. Since 1944, he headed the United Design Bureau 51, previously headed by N. Polikarpov, and which has become the current "Engineering NGO" (Reutov, Moscow Region). In other words, it is largely thanks to him that Reutov is now a city.
Pluses
Bright display with high resolution
20.7 megapixel camera, coupled with 10x optical zoom
Support micro SD
Powerful six-core processor
Cons
Small internal memory - 8 GB
Thickness 16.6 mm
Back cover design
Small battery size
Weight - 200 grams
In case you use the camera less than once a week, it makes no sense for you to drag a two hundred gram gadget with a protruding lens. This smartphone, in my opinion, is ideal for bloggers and other fans to quickly take a good quality photo and send it to social networks.
Since the release of the first camera phone, 14 years have passed. During this time, the quality of pictures taken on a mobile phone has become superior to photos taken on some cameras. But manufacturers do not want to stop there, so they began to make camera phones - devices that are even closer to decent cameras. Samsung tried to do this with the SCH-W880 in 2009, then with the Galaxy S4 Zoom , and now with the new K Zoom line of phones. About Samsung Galaxy K Zoom more - under the cut.
Specifications
Operating system : Android 4.4
Processor: Samsung Exynos 5260, 2 cores 1.7 GHz, 4 cores 1.3 GHz.
Video processor: Mali-T624
RAM: 2 GB
Internal memory: 8 GB
MicroSD: micro SDXC up to 64 GB
Number of SIM cards: 1 microSIM
Power: 2430 mAh battery with the ability to replace
Display: 4.8 inches, 1280x720, Super AMOLED
Main camera : 20.7 megapixels
Front camera: 2 megapixels
Navigation: GPS / GLONASS
Dimensions: 70.8x137.5x16.6 mm
Weight: 200 g
Equipment
What awaits inside the box?
- Smartphone
- USB-microUSB cord
- Network adapter
- Suitable headset with additional silicone inserts
- Several information sheets.
Design
What exactly do we have - a camera with a phone function or a phone with a camera function? On the display side, we have a 4.8-inch smartphone reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S5, and on the 20-megapixel side of the camera - it's ... it's still a phone, albeit with a huge traveling lens. In contrast, by the way, from the S4 Zoom, which is more like a camera.
Now let's take a quick look at the history of Samsung's camera phones. It's nice that there are advertising posters for these smartphones, they are useful for continuing the history of mobile phones and smartphones in advertising .
One of the first Samsung camera phones came out in 2009. This model SCH-W880 never reached the Russian market. What makes the phone interesting? It was also equipped with a traveling lens with a triple zoom. Camera resolution - 12 megapixels. The display is just some 3.3 inches and 480x800 pixels. It is very similar to a regular camera.
Galaxy S4 Zoom came out last year. This is a modification of the S4 Mini with additional features for photographing. But at the same time, the body has undergone significant changes: a moving lens, a focus ring, and a ledge for the right hand make this smartphone look like a camera.
But K Zoom is exactly what a smartphone with a huge lens. The company decided not to follow in the footsteps of modifying smartphones, but to single out a separate line of camera phones.
The smartphone is available in several colors: blue, white and black.
In general, it’s worth talking about Samsung’s work on errors after last year’s S4 Zoom.
Firstly, I noted the appearance. The new smartphone does not look like a Chinese "soap box". It looks exactly like a smartphone, but with a huge lens. There is no protrusion for a comfortable fit of the camera in your hand.
Secondly, the S4 Zoom lens had a ring that allowed you to adjust the focus. Just like on a regular camera. This ring made the smartphone too bulky - it just couldn't fit in your pocket. In the case of K, the dimensions are not the smallest, but not repulsive at all. And the lens does not cling to the details of clothing.
Amazing but at the same time, the dimensions of the new smartphone are an order of magnitude larger than S4. After all, the display at K is 4.8 inches, not 4.3. Thickness - 16.6 versus 15.4 for the predecessor. Save the smooth forms of the model.
From other external differences: the novelty has no mount for a tripod and infrared port. A tripod was still a useful thing.
The front panel is a classic Samsung button, speaker, 2 megapixel camera and light and distance sensors. To the right and left of the main button two more touch buttons are hidden, highlighted as necessary.
At the bottom of the smartphone is an unprotected microUSB port and a microphone.
On the right side there are several physical buttons at once: volume control, shutdown and shutter button. Conveniently, adjusting the volume in camera mode controls the zoom.
At the top there is another microphone and a port for a headset.
On the left side there is a port for MicroSD and ... a hole for the lace. For some reason, I have not seen this in smartphones for a long time. Although in the case of the camera phone, this probably makes some sense.
The microSD port is secure. A “hot swap” is possible, which in the case of a camera phone equipped with only 8 GB of memory is simply necessary.
The back cover is the same as on the Galaxy Tab S tablets and Galaxy S5 smartphone . Only the camera hole is much larger.
The cover is removable. Underneath is a battery. Again, in the case of the camera phone in any situation, the ability to replace the battery is necessary, since the flash can gobble up the battery when shooting actively.
Under the battery is a SIM card slot and smartphone information.
Iron
Inside the smartphone, after S4 Zoom, everything changed dramatically, but it also affected the price. The starting price of K Zoom is 24,990 rubles, and S4 Zoom started selling last year 24,990 (they quickly reduced it to 19,990, now 11,990).
The smartphone is based on the Samsung Exynos 5260 processor, where the two cores operate at 1.7 GHz, and the remaining four cores operate at 1.3 GHz. The video processor is the Mali-T624.
For shooting photos and video, a 20.7 megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom, flavored with a xenon flash.
It's nice that the smartphone battery can be replaced by opening the back cover. Also, micro SD support is a positive moment, which makes it possible to smooth out such a drawback as 8 GB of internal memory.
For clarity, the table will give the data S4 Zoom.
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom | Samsung Galaxy K Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 4.3 inches, 540 x 960 pixels, Super AMOLED | 4.8 inches, 1280x720, Super AMOLED |
| Front-camera | 1.9 | 2 megapixels |
| Main camera | 16 megapixel, xenon flash, 10x zoom | 20.7 megapixel, xenon flash, 10x zoom |
| GPS / GLONASS | + / + | + / + |
| LTE support | + | + |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 APQ8064 2 core 1.5 GHz | Samsung Exynos 5260 2 cores 1.7 GHz, 4 cores 1.3 GHz + Mali-T624 |
| RAM / ROM | 1.5 GB / 8 GB | 2 GB / 8 GB |
| Memory cards | Up to 64 GB | Up to 64 GB |
| Android | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Battery | 2,330 mAh | 2,430 mAh mAh |
| starting price | 19990 | 24990 |
Performance
With these characteristics, the smartphone does not slow down. Benchmark results:
Antutu Benchmark
CPU Prime Benchmark
NenaMark2
Quadrant Standard
With toys, as expected, everything is fine too. I jumped under the train a couple of times with Max Payne and went through several levels in Asphalt 8. The device heats up, but does not slow down.
Again, for half an hour 2048 distracted me ...
Display
One of the main advantages of gadgets from Samsung is the huge, bright, colorful Super AMOLED displays. K Zoom did not become a black sheep in this regard and got a 4.8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Smaller than the S5 with its 1920 x 1080. The
display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Withstands a direct hit on it Lenovo Yoga 11s from a distance of a meter.
Offline work
The 2430 mAh battery, in my opinion, is too small for such a device. So for active work with him, and even more so for photographing during a trip or travel, I would advise taking removable batteries or an external battery for charging. The Galaxy S5 also has a 2800 mAh battery, although the S4 Zoom has even less, only 2330 mAh.
Camera
It is immediately worth noting that no other camera phone now has an objective with 10x optical zoom. The clear advantage of the smartphone for large photography enthusiasts. Samsung also tried to make shooting as convenient as possible. The camera is built on a BSI sensor, there is optical image stabilization. Focal length 4.4-44 mm, aperture f / 3.1-f / 6.3.
Unlike the S4 Zoom, there is no lens ring. You can zoom in or out using the volume keys while the camera is on. You can also do this with your fingers on the display, but this method is terribly inconvenient.
The absence of ISOCELL technology, which is described in this hub site, upset the lack . Moreover, in S5 it is used. Also, the tripod mount, in my opinion, was worth leaving.
As for the topic of video, the maximum shooting resolution is 1920 x 1080 30 fps.
As for the software component, for the convenience of shooting, there are many modes that can be easily dealt with with different tasks. For example, the “Children shooting” mode: it consists in the fact that the phone takes, firstly, five shots, and, secondly, meows, gurgles and makes other funny sounds to attract attention.
Next up are a few more shots taken on the Galaxy K Zoom. Images are clickable.
Auto tuning. Photo pots in the bushes with a tenfold approximation. "Night" mode. Takes a few shots and stacks them into one. "Memories". An attempt to photograph an ant in Macro Photography was unsuccessful.
Well, and a couple of photographs of the monument to the great man, Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey, a Soviet scientist in the field of mechanics and control processes. Since 1944, he headed the United Design Bureau 51, previously headed by N. Polikarpov, and which has become the current "Engineering NGO" (Reutov, Moscow Region). In other words, it is largely thanks to him that Reutov is now a city.
Total
Pluses
Bright display with high resolution
20.7 megapixel camera, coupled with 10x optical zoom
Support micro SD
Powerful six-core processor
Cons
Small internal memory - 8 GB
Thickness 16.6 mm
Back cover design
Small battery size
Weight - 200 grams
In case you use the camera less than once a week, it makes no sense for you to drag a two hundred gram gadget with a protruding lens. This smartphone, in my opinion, is ideal for bloggers and other fans to quickly take a good quality photo and send it to social networks.
Only registered users can participate in the survey. Please come in.
How often do you use the camera on your phone?
- 9.8% Every day 48
- 25.6% Up to three times a week 125
- 17.8% Once a week 87
- 34.4% A couple of times a month 168
- 12.1% not using 59