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Samsung promises 'differentiated' smartphones based on its camera expertise
Samsung has instigated a small corporate reshuffle that could potentially have big implications for its future smartphones. The company has shunted its digital imaging unit sideways so that it sits under the giant umbrella of the mobile division, in the hope of combining "technical know-how" in these two areas and ultimately "differentiating" its smartphones with better camera technology. At the same time, Samsung expects expertise to flow in the opposite direction, allowing its engineers to create cameras with better wireless connectivity. It's a move that makes plenty of sense given the recent spate of Galaxy-branded hybridized products, such as the slightly awkward Galaxy S 4 Zoom and hugely over-priced Galaxy NX mirrorless shooter. It also suggests that Samsung has paid attention to what Nokia has achieved by rethinking mobile camera technology for its PureView phones, instead of using standard off-the-shelf parts.
Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy NX camera available in the US today from $1,600
Samsung's Android-powered interchangeable-lens camera is clearly positioned as a niche device, due in no small part to its sky-high $1,600 body-only price tag, but deep-pocketed early adopters can pick up a Galaxy NX at US retailers beginning today. The 20.3-megapixel ILC has a 1.6GHz quad-core chipset and Jelly Bean under the hood, so you can install thousands of applications for editing, storing and sharing images captured through the 16-55mm kit lens. We can't say we'll be queueing for the opportunity to pick one up, though -- while it's a fine camera, the NX is significantly overpriced, especially considering that you'll soon be able to take home a full-frame Sony Alpha 7 for just a few hundred dollars more.
Samsung Galaxy NX review: an overpriced Android-powered mirrorless camera
Samsung's flagship interchangeable-lens camera, the NX300, is by far the company's most impressive shooter to date. It offers stellar hybrid-autofocus capabilities, excellent image quality and integrated WiFi, and it retails for a hair over $550. For all intents and purposes, it's a very competitive option, if not one of the best deals on the market today. It's frustrating, then, that Samsung opted to price the Galaxy NX -- an Android-powered camera based on the NX300 -- at an obscene $1,700, lens included. If you're not a deep-pocketed early adopter, it's absolutely a dealbreaker. But I still enjoyed my two-week test with the Galaxy NX, and if you manage to overlook the MSRP, you might just fall in love.
Samsung Galaxy NX reaches the FCC with AT&T-ready LTE
Samsung promised that the Galaxy NX would reach the US, but it didn't say exactly which wireless networks the American model would support. Thanks to the FCC, we now have a good idea. A variant of the mirrorless Android camera has just surfaced at the agency with AT&T-capable LTE and HSPA data. There aren't any clues as to the launch date, although we'd expect the NX to ship relatively soon. Samsung only has a few days left to make its October release target -- barring a last-minute delay, the FCC approval is coming just in the nick of time.
Daily Roundup: Peripheral Vision, GameStop's digital strategy, Lab grown human brains, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung Galaxy NX kit ships this October for a jaw-dropping $1,700
Holy heck is this pricing ambitious. Samsung's Android-equipped mirrorless camera, the Galaxy NX, is slated to hit US retailers this October for the princely sum of $1,700 with a bundled 18-55mm lens ($1,600 body only). That may be an awful lot of dough, but it is a bit less than the £1,299 (about $2,000) quoted at UK retailers last month, and considering the hardware on board, we wouldn't be surprised if thousands of curious consumers still pick one up. That amount nets you a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, NX300-like focusing, 8.6fps continuous shooting, and a 1.6GHz quad-core processor for far better Android performance that you'd get with, say, the Galaxy S4 Zoom. There's also WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and GLONASS, along with cellular radios, letting you transfer images over LTE.
Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy NX hits UK retailers at a weighty £1,299 ($2,000)
We expected the Samsung Galaxy NX camera to cost a bundle when it was first announced, and if pricing from UK retailer Jessops proves accurate, we aren't going to be "disappointed." The Android-powered mirrorless model will run £1,299 ($2,000 or so) with an 18-55mm kit lens, more than Canon's fearsome EOS 70D and pushing Panasonic's flagship GH-3. As you may recall, the Galaxy NX is the first-ever interchangeable-lens camera to run Android, and packs 3G / 4G LTE radios along with a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, 8.6fps shooting speed, WiFi, 16GB built-in storage, and 1/6000 shutter speed. We noted such strange bedfellows might make it a hard sell, especially considering some shortcomings for demanding photographers, like a slow start-up time and lack of manual dials. Jessops is showing the model in stock, while another retailer called Wex merely has it up for pre-order, so we're not sure which has it straight. In any event, if you're one of the few who thought high-end cameras really needed an Android OS, hit the sources.
Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera strikes a pose for the FCC
It's by no means a phone, so adjust your expectations accordingly. Samsung's Android-infused Galaxy NX camera, revealed last week at the company's London bonanza, has just reared its LTE-capable body at the FCC. Sporting model number EK-GN120, the portable mirrorless camera offers up no real surprises -- it has all the internal trimmings Samsung already officially announced, like WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and radios for WCDMA (850/1900MHz) and LTE (Band 5). Nothing in the filing pegs this as a US release, so the usual "(insert carrier)-friendly bands" won't apply here. In fact, its mix of radios clearly mark this Galaxy NX for a South Korean debut. Just when that'll be, we still don't know. It's currently slated for a vague summer release in the UK. On the plus side, this means you still have plenty of time to save up for what should be a hefty price tag.
The Weekly Roundup for 06.17.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Editor's Letter: Microsoft backtracks. Is the Xbox One better for it?
In each issue of Distro, editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news. It's not too often that we call a tech news story stunning, but that seems like an apt description for our reaction when Microsoft decided to pull an abrupt about-face and nix its controversial rights management for the Xbox One. We learned at the Seattle launch event that the system would have to call home once every 24 hours or every game installed from a disc would be disabled -- even if you had the disc in the drive -- and quickly the rumblings from the gamers started. They grew louder at E3 when Microsoft detailed the system's DRM, a stream of complaints that quickly reached deafening levels on online forums and the like. Yet, through all that, Microsoft stayed true to the party line, that the advantages of this system (being able to digitally share games, being able to change games without having to swap discs, etc.) outweighed the overwhelmingly negative reaction brewing among online gamers. That corporate message seemed to get bitter at times, weary at others, but never showed a sign of changing. Until, suddenly, a complete about-face this week.
Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera: hands-on with an Android ILC (video)
After last year's Galaxy Camera, Samsung split in two directions. It went closer to the phone with the Galaxy S 4 Zoom, shrinking the form factor (and some of the specs) for something that closer approximates a pocket-friendly device, and it got serious about interchangeable-lens cameras. This is the Galaxy NX, an ILC with LTE connectivity that's capable of capturing at 8.6 fps and contains a hybrid autofocus system made by Samsung. In fact, the company says it's behind every part of this new device, from the quad-core 1.6GHz Pega-Q processor, to the 4.8-inch LCD screen, to even the shutter mechanism. With a "DSLR-class" 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor we've seen on other NX cameras, new DRIMe IV image processor and ISO settings from 100 to 25,600, Samsung appears to be making a serious pitch for photographers interested in more than just an Instagram hook-up. This mirrorless shooter will be compatible with the full gamut of NX lenses, currently totaling 13. We paired the Galaxy NX with its 18-55mm OIS kit lens and tested it out for a bit. Read up on our impressions after the break. Update: Now with a dollop of video from the Premiere event in London.%Gallery-191821%
Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera official: Interchangeable lenses, Android Jelly Bean and 4G LTE
True to JK Shin's promise, Samsung is indeed introducing a new Android-powered mirrorless camera: the Galaxy NX. Although it runs Google's mobile OS (version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean) and bears LTE radios, the NX is not quite a direct sequel to the Galaxy Camera, the company's glorified point-and-shoot for all comers. Rather, the Galaxy NX is what Samsung calls an interchangeable-lens CSC (or Compact System Camera), featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, as well as 3G / 4G LTE, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity -- making it worthy of that Galaxy moniker. As you can tell from the above image, the Galaxy NX also packs a large 4.8-inch HD LCD display on its rear and is powered by a 1.6GHz Pega-Q quad-core setup and separate DRIMe IV Signal processor for imaging. The UI should look pretty familiar to anyone who's used an Android device before, with the common apps and widgets submenus, as well as the wheel interface for its 30 Smart Modes -- employed when selecting imaging settings. And if you happen to own any of the company's other NX cameras, you'll be able to swap out lenses (13 in all) as the Galaxy NX is fully compatible with that range. It also incorporates a hybrid AF, culled from the best of DSLRs and compacts, with a shutter speed of 1/6,000th of a second and 8.6fps shooting. Samsung's been pretty forthcoming about all the tech and software it's put into the Galaxy NX, but there are two key bits it's still withholding: pricing and availability. For now, it appears UK residents will have first crack at the Galaxy NX, as PR pegs its release for that territory as sometime this summer. The same, however, can't be said for a US launch. Regardless, as the Galaxy NX is more a proper camera for experienced photogs and less Android phone like the Galaxy Camera and S4 Zoom, you can bet on its price tag being relatively high when it launches. In the meantime, check out our Galaxy NX hands-on for more detailed impressions. %Gallery-191947% %Gallery-191950%
