It’s time to take your food and party Instagram photos to the next level. The Samsung Galaxy Camera is the world’s first camera with a mobile operating system and full mobile connectivity. It runs on Android and uses a SIM card for mobile service. For this review, Samsung provided a camera that works on AT&T’s 4G network. Mobile connectivity means you can upload photos no matter where you are – no Wi-Fi necessary. As long as you’ve got a mobile signal, you can share photos and videos, just like you would with your Smart Phone. What makes the Samsung Galaxy Camera different from a Smart Phone is its larger 1/2.3-inch point-and-shoot sensor and a 21x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization. Basically – Samsung put an Android operating system into a camera, instead of putting a camera into a Smart Phone. The Samsung Galaxy Camera also has a pop-up flash and a custom camera app that offers full manual controls as well as a suite of scene modes. And of course, since it’s an Android device, you can install whatever apps you want for social networking, photo editing – even music or games. The only thing the Galaxy Camera can’t do is make phone calls – although if you install the Skype app and use a headset, it can do that, too.
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Samsung Galaxy Camera Intro Video:
Price: $499 with a two year mobile contract (AT&T)
- Samsung Galaxy Camera Camera Pros
- 1/2.3-inch backlit CMOS point-and-shoot camera sensor
- 21x 23-483mm optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization
- Android OS with apps
- Full 4G mobile connectivity
- Cool custom camera app with P,A,S,M manual controls
- Beautiful Super AMOLED touchscreen display
- Image quality is disappointing
- No mobile phone functionality
- Big compared to comparable point-and-shoot cameras
- Slow startup
- Touchscreen controls aren’t as quick as dedicated buttons
- Saving images to the MicroSD card is confusing
- Flash is harsh
Samsung Galaxy Camera Cons
- Samsung Galaxy Camera Key Features and Specs:
- 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch backlit CMOS sensor
- 1920 x 1080 full HD video
- 21x 23-483mm (equivalent) f/2.8-5.9 optical zoom lens
- 2.35 x 4.16-inch HD touchscreen display
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS
- Pop-up flash
- Full maunal exposure controls via Samsung’s built-in camera app
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This camera really is the way of the future. I still can’t believe that digital cameras were not released with full mobile connectivity years ago.