Samsung has taken the camera phone market to new levels with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom officially unveiled with a 10x optical zoom snapper.
Centred around a 16-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is more compact snapper than traditional smartphone, with optical image stabilisation and Samsung’s new Zoom Ring interface lining up alongside an Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS.
Stretching its S4 spin-off branding perhaps a little too far, the newly unveiled Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom shares little in common with its flagship sibling beyond its name and a slight design similarity. The unconventional handset does, however, see Samsung merge too of its leading sections as the smartphone and camera teams combine.
“Combining our industry leading expertise in digital imaging and smartphones, the Galaxy S4 Zoom is a converged device that delivers on all fronts and is a product we are excited to be bringing to the market,” Simon Stanford, Vice President of IT & Mobile Division for Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Features
Kicking off with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom camera, and the photo-focused handset looks set to boast some strong imaging capabilities.
With a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor lying at the heart of the device, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom camera is further enhanced by the impressive 10x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation which are set to push the boundaries of what is expected from smartphone snapper.
With the zoom lens boasting a 24-240mm lens at F/3.1-F/6.3, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom camera hosts an ISO range from 100 to 3200 and is further assisted by an integrated Xenon flash. A second, 1.9-megapixel forward-facing camera is present up front.
Featuring a Zoom Ring interface, Samsung has suggested: “When you are in the middle of a phone call and you see something you absolutely have to share, a quick twist of the Zoom Ring will activate the In-Call Photo Share feature, letting you capture and send an image directly via MMS to whoever you are talking to.”
On to the smartphone side of things, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom specs sheet sees a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a somewhat disappointing 960 x 540 pixel resolution.
With a 1.5GHz dual-core processor running the show, the S4 Zoom is less powerful than the standard S4, with 1.5GB of RAM, a 2330mAH Lithium-Ion battery and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD also thrown into the mix.
Far from the most svelte handset on the market, thanks to the sizeable camera components, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom lines up at a chunky 15.4mm thick and 208g in weight, a combination that will stretch your pockets.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Release Date and Price
As with the two other Samsung Galaxy S4 spin-offs to have already been unveiled, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and waterproof Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, the new Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom release date has yet to be confirmed.
Currently Samsung has pegged the Zoom’s arrival only as ‘this summer’. A Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom price is also still awaiting confirmation.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S4 Review
