Samsung could be working on a successor to the Galaxy K Zoom, as revealed by a newly awarded patent.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has published new information that reveals a handset design that puts a clear focus on smartphone photography (via PatentlyMobile).
For those of you who don’t remember, Samsung launched its Galaxy K Zoom handset last year.
The device was a blend between a standard smartphone and a compact digital camera, hoping to woo amateur snappers.
It boasted a 4.8-inch AMOLED display, Samsung’s own Exynos chipset, 2GB RAM, and, most importantly, a 20.7-megapixel camera with xenon flash, a ½.3-inch sensor, and 10 times optical zoom.
TrustedReviews scored the original Galaxy K Zoom a 7/10, praising the optical zoom and highly customisable software.
Unfortunately, it was slated for a poor display, a bulky and heavy build, oversaturated display colours, and lacklustre battery life.
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The new device, however, seems to boast an even larger rear-camera, more reminiscent of Nokia’s snap-happy Lumia 1020 smartphone.
It looks much more streamlined, and frankly more beautiful than the original Galaxy K Zoom, although the designs seem fairly rudimentary at this point.
For instance, there’s no evidence of a flash module on the schematic, but it would be almost assured to carry one when the device actually lands. Or rather, if it lands.
Unfortunately, the patent reveals little else about the device. We still don’t know what components or materials will be used, or even technical information about how the device will function.