Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Camera: the most connected camera?

Samsung today launched the first true compact camera/smart device hybrid - the Galaxy Camera, with 3G/4G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi (which sets it apart from Wi-Fi-only competitors like the recently-announced Nikon Coolpix S800c).

Camera manufacturers have been seeing sales of their compact cameras fall for a long time now, challenged by a new generation of camera-equipped smartphones. As the photographic specification of phones get better, there's less need for most casual photographers to carry a dedicated camera, and if you're in the business of selling compact cameras, this is a serious problem. But Samsung believes it has a solution. Take a WB850F camera, and a Galaxy SIII smartphone, and... blend them. 

We've been talking to Samsung representatives for months about the concept of a camera running the Android OS, and the Korean manufacturer's early plans were the subject of more than one confidential briefing during a trip to Seoul earlier this year. Now that the wraps are off, the final specification is more or less in line with what we expected - a versatile, consumer-level camera running 'full strength' Android and equipped with both 3G/4G connectivity in addition to the now-standard (for Samsung) Wi-Fi. A 1.4GHz quad-core processor completes the picture and should provide enough 'grunt' to make everything run nice and smoothly. 

The Galaxy Camera is a 16.3MP compact camera with a 4.8in LCD touchscreen running the Android operating system. It runs the latest iteration of Android (4.1 - known as 'Jelly Bean'), and will be available in two versions - a 3G + Wi-Fi model and a 4G + Wi-Fi variant (carrier and regional information TBC). This makes it the first 'connected camera' to offer more than just Wi-Fi connectivity.

Although we understand that the camera does not have cellular voice capabilities, it will be compatible with various VoiP apps, such as Skype, which will enable it to be used for making voice and video calls over 3G/4G or WiFi. Photographic features include a 21X zoom lens, spanning 23-481mm (equivalent) and a built-in 'Photo Wizard' for editing photographs in-camera. 

Months ago, in Seoul, we asked Samsung representatives how they envisaged smartphone/camera convergence: specifically, whether in the long-term the Korean manufacturer intended to expand the photographic capabilities of phones, or build smartphone features into cameras. At the time we received no clear answer. The fact that Samsung is calling this a 'Galaxy' product is interesting, but there's no mistaking that this is an enhanced camera, not the other way round.

Semantics aside, the Galaxy Camera is highly significant. It is the nearest thing we've seen to a true camera/phone hybrid, and as well as solid photographic specifications it contains a serious amount of DNA from Samsung's well-established line of smartphones. The key is the addition of a powerful processor, and 3G/4G connectivity. This means that just like a smartphone, the Galaxy Camera can connect to the web anywhere that there's mobile coverage, and should have enough power to run apps and browse the web without feeling sluggish. An 'Auto Cloud Backup' feature automatically saves images to Samsung's AllShare cloud storage service the moment they're taken - another benefit of 'always on' connectivity.

Nokia 808 PureView review: the future of mobile imaging, wrapped in the smartphone past

The Nokia 808 PureView has a 41-megapixel camera sensor. But you knew that. The crystallization of five years of imaging R&D has landed, and the timing couldn't have been better for Nokia. Alongside uncomfortable financial reading, its move to Windows Phone hasn't exactly set the smartphone world alight just yet. It's seemingly established itself as the go-to WinPho choice for American customers thanks to some aggressive pricing, but with news that the next iteration of Windows Phone won't come to the Lumia 900, many will hold out for Nokia's next handset. Whatever that device will be, it's likely to bring the same PureView technology we've got here on the Nokia 808 PureView -- a Symbian-based handset whose software has seen better days. However, OS be damned, it still blew away attendees at this year's Mobile World Congress. Impressive stuff, given that it's the same show where HTC's admirable One series debuted.

That huge sensor is paired with a new five-element Carl Zeiss lens and a refreshed flash with double the strength of the one on the Nokia N8 -- the existing cameraphone champ. But behind the technical bullet points, it's how Nokia maximizes the 41-megapixel sensor, oversampling with those pixels to create improved 5-, 8- , 3- and 2-megapixel images, reducing noise and improving low-light performance. However, when it comes to software, Symbian Belle (with Feature Pack 1 in tow) lags behind the likes of Android, iOS and Windows Phone in user experience and app provision. Similarly, the chunky handset flies in the opposite direction of the trend for slim smartphones. Is that camera module really all Nokia thinks (and hopes) it is? What's more, is Symbian relevant enough for such future-facing goodness? Let's find out.

While the 808 PureView forgoes the N8's metal casing, we can't think of a phone that has a more solid-feeling plastic shell than this. It feels so hardy that if we were to accidentally drop it, the pavement below us might come off worse. Fortunately, the rough matte finish has great purchase in the hand, and the same coating runs across the edge of the phone -- precisely where you'll be grabbing the device while taking photos. That substantial build means the phone's profile tops out at 18mm thick, narrowing to a more acceptable 14mm.

There are two reasons the 808 PureView measures nearly twice as thick as other recent smartphones. First, that sensor needs the extra space, as does the Carl Zeiss lens. Secondly, given the camera-centric gravitas of the whole device, a curvier profile better lends itself to photography. Despite its top-heavy appearance, the weight distribution feels balanced, if slightly biased towards the lens end.

All told, it is, indeed, as bulky as it looks, weighing in at 169g (six ounces) and making a good case for those plastic build materials. The back of the phone wraps around to meet the Gorilla Glass-protected screen, while a plastic strip cuts across the lower half of the battery cover. It gave us something to grip with our fingernails, but could have stood to be a little more substantial. Removing said battery cover will give you access to a swappable (but surprisingly small) 1,400mAh battery, as well as micro-SIM and microSD slots. Fortunately, there's already 16GB of storage built in, but you can expand this to 32GB with a card.

Other connectivity options include a micro-USB port for charging and data transfer, and a mini-HDMI socket behind a covered door on the phone's top side. That uppermost edge houses both of these and the headphone socket, while the left side is left bare. On the right, the volume rocker and two-stage camera button match the chrome finish on the camera unit, with a phone lock switch making a welcome return. The camera button is a core part of this device, and we're glad to report that it's satisfyingly tactile -- even through Nokia's official case, which cocoons the camera phone in flexible plastic.

Across the bottom of the screen, the typical trio of Symbian buttons are on display: a green dialer button, central home button and red disconnect button. They're all collected into a single strip, which will look familiar to anyone who's seen past Symbian hardware or even the Lumia 710. Above the screen, you'll find the earpiece, light sensor and front-facing camera. The phone's loudspeaker is on the base of the phone, to the right of the lens, which is flanked by the Xenon flash on the other side. The camera itself has a mechanical shutter, which you'll notice when you start taking those solipsistic 41-megapixel self-portraits.