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Samsung officially announces Galaxy S4 zoom with 16MP camera, 10x optical zoom
Coming in just after a Russian site managed to review the device, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4 zoom. Combining a fully featured Android 4.2.2 Galaxy phone (basically a Galaxy S4 Mini) with a 16MP point-and-shoot, it brings a 10x optical zoom lens to bear -- the first phone to do so. On the phone side, it sports a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD slot) and a 1.9MP front facing camera. The camera includes optical image stabilization and a Xenon flash, along with a special "Zoom Ring." That ring surrounds the camera, and when twisted (even while on a call) it can launch in-call photo sharing, or go straight to other camera modes. Extra software features are also on hand to advantage of the combo device's capabilities including Photo Suggest that shows great pics taken by others in the area, Smart Mode auto settings and more. President and CEO JK Shin is pleased by the union, calling it "truly the best of both worlds, without compromise," for people who want to capture high quality images and share them, but don't want to carry two devices. We're told it will arrive in the UK this summer but have not been able to confirm a pricetag, while its early Russian reviewers mentioned a July release and local pricing of around $618, converted. Intrigued, horrified, or just want to compare it to Nokia's latest efforts? A press release, pictures and detailed spec sheet await you below. Update: Samsung indicates to us that the Galaxy S4 zoom will come to the US and the rest of Europe as well, at some point in Q4. %Gallery-191186%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom gets reviewed before it's even official (updated)
If previous leaks had us fairly convinced Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom cameraphone was a real device, this latest one has us certain. A Russian website has published what can only be described as a full review of the Zoom, before it's even been made official. The main camera hosts a 16-megapixel sensor and is capable of 10x optical zoom, performed by rotating a ring that runs around the lens; this ring is also used to launch the camera mode. A piece of glass sits flush with the end of the lens for dust protection, and a xenon flash will give you extra light when you need it. Inside, the Zoom is similar to the S4 Mini, running a dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos processor, 1.5GB of RAM and eight gigs of internal storage (naturally, there's a microSD slot for boosting that). Facing you is a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display showing Android 4.2.2 (with a TouchWiz coating, of course), a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, and powering the whole thing is a huge 2,330mAh removable battery. For connection and communication, you've got WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and the increasingly popular IR blaster, but it appears the Russian model doesn't have an LTE radio. From the raft of sample pictures available, image quality looks pretty good on the whole. hi-tech.mail.ru reports that the Zoom is scheduled to launch in Russia in July at a cost of 19,990 rubles, or around $618 by conversion. Update: Samsung's gone and announced the thing, but it's still worth heading to the source for all the hardware shots, sample pictures and first impressions. If you're in a rush, we've put a profile shot of the cameraphone and our favorite sample image from the review after the break. [Thanks, Max]
