AT&T scores exclusive on Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

GALAXY-S4-zoom_backNo sooner do I finish up a monster camera smartphone comparison video, than this photo beast gets announced for the United States. Typical.

The S4 Zoom is an interesting beast. One part mid-range phone one part zoom point and shoot. While companies like Nokia went with huge megapixels and cropping to simulate zoom, Samsung just bolted a mechanical zoom lens onto the back of a smartphone. Learning from their experiences in building the Galaxy Camera, now you can have a similar experience which is a touch more pocket-able.

The phone side is decent enough, a qHD 4.3″ AMOLED screen is a bit low res these days, but should help performance stay snappy when paired with the dual core processor on board. There’s 8GB of storage built in and you can add more via MicroSD. All in all somewhat ho-hum for an Android phone these days.

Where Zoom gets interesting is in the camera hardware. A 16MP BSI CMOS point & shoot style sensor is paired up with a 10X hardware zoom, which is controlled via a manual ring. There’s even a proper Xenon flash on board for low light and indoor shots. Sammy makes some decent camera gear, so this pairing looks like it could be formidable. Slamming Android into a proper camera experience is a fun way to shoot, edit, and share photos while you’re out and about. Adding support for LTE on AT&T’s network is just icing.

This adds to AT&T’s increasingly interesting device portfolio, and Big Blue now stands as having one of the widest selection of Android and Windows Phones around.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is available starting November 8 for $199 on a two year contract. The Zoom will also be eligible for AT&T’s current promo where you can snag yourself a free Galaxy Tab when signing up for a new plan. More info at: www.att.com/galaxys4zoom

Full PR and a video hands on after the jump.

 

Get Up Close and Personal with Galaxy S 4 Zoom, the First-Ever Smartphone with 10x Optimal Zoom Coming to AT&T

Compact Smartphone Camera Delivers High-End Results, Capture Memories with Stunning Quality

DallasTexasNovember 04, 2013

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Beginning Nov. 8, AT&T* will be the first carrier in the U.S. to offer the Samsung Galaxy S®  4 zoom™, and customers will have the option to purchase for $25 a month on an AT&T Next sm installment agreement or $199.99 with a two-year wireless agreement.**  The Galaxy S  4 zoom offers customers a first-of-its-kind smartphone camera, which features 10x optical zoom and spin-to-focus manual control ring. It has the best qualities of the Galaxy S  4 smartphone series combined with the best of a compact point and shoot camera.

For a look at the Galaxy S 4 zoom’s features in action, check out this video.

“Customers need more and more from their smartphones,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “With powerful, best-in-class optical zoom, in addition to easy access to day-to-day functions like email, social media and more, we’re able to offer customers the qualities they want and need all in one device with the Galaxy S 4 zoom.”

AT&T was the first to deliver Samsung’s Galaxy family of devices and has the best selection of Samsung Galaxy S 4 models in the U.S. with the Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S 4 Active™, Galaxy S 4 mini and now the Galaxy S 4 zoom.

The Galaxy S 4 zoom is a 4G LTE smartphone that features a 16-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom. The lens has a manually adjustable zoom ring that allows users to spin to zoom in and out. The dedicated shutter button and Optical Image Stabilizer allow for effortless shooting. The Galaxy S 4 zoom captures video at 30fps in 1080p or 60fps at 720p, and features a built in Xenon flash and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone’s screen is a beautiful 4.3” Super AMOLED™ display.

Advanced camera features include:

  • 10x Optical Zoom – Capture beautiful images from far away or up close accurately and easily
  • Smart Modes –Choose from one of 25 pre-set camera modes, like Sunset, Best Face, Drama, and Panorama to capture the best photo possible
  • 16-megapixel BSI CMOS Sensor – The built-in Optical Image Stabilizer helps keep the camera perfectly still, reducing blur and stabilizing the image

Galaxy family features include:

  • WatchON™– Control your television and discover a rich TV viewing experience with the Integrated Infrared (IR) controller
  • S Beam™ –Provides fast, easy transfer of large files, such as photos videos and documents, with a single touch of the Galaxy S 4 zoom to another S Beam enabled Galaxy device, without needing a Wi-Fi connection or cell signal
  • Samsung Hub™ – A destination for the latest music, videos, books and games in one place

For a limited time, Galaxy S 4 zoom customers can take advantage of two amazing promotional offers. Those purchasing the Galaxy S 4 zoom with a two-year contract or on an AT&T Nextsm installment agreement and qualified voice and data plans can get a Galaxy Tab™3 for free.***  The Galaxy Tab 3 requires a new qualified 2-year data plan in order to be eligible. Customers won’t have to choose between a phone and tablet. Now they can get both for the price of one. With AT&T Mobile Share, customers can add the Galaxy Tab 3 to an existing Mobile Share plan for $10 more per month. And with Mobile Share, up to 10 devices can share data without needing to purchase separate plans for each one.****

Additionally, customers can come in and receive a minimum $100 AT&T Promotion Card when they trade in an eligible smartphone and purchase a smartphone with AT&T Nextsm. The promotion card can be used towards the purchase of a connected tablet, new accessories or a wireless service bill.*****  Both offers are for a limited time only, ending Jan. 9, 2014. Promotion can change at any time.

Galaxy S 4 zoom customers will also be able to take advantage of 50 GB of free cloud storage through AT&T Locker.****** AT&T Locker provides free storage that lets you store and share high-resolution images and video. It’s a single place to keep music, documents, and more for easy access.

The Galaxy S 4 zoom scored a perfect five out of five stars for AT&T’s eco-rating system. AT&T’s eco-rating provides customers with a simple and easy-to-read-and-understand label. Customers are empowered to make more eco-conscious decisions with their purchases. The eco-rating covers attributes like the use of environmentally preferable materials, energy efficiency, responsible end-of-life treatment and environmentally-responsible manufacturing. Our commitment to sustainable practices played a role in AT&T being named as Corporate Responsibility Magazine #1 Best Corporate Citizen of 2013.

Our 4G LTE service was recognized as having faster average download and upload speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld/TechHive’s most recent 20-market speed tests — the second consecutive year that AT&T has ranked first overall. PCWorld/TechHive also ranked AT&T’s as the fastest combination of 3G and 4G services in the 20 cities it tested.******* And AT&T was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study — and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.********

From the initial purchase to ongoing service interactions, AT&T is focused on providing an unparalleled customer experience.  AT&T was recently recognized with two significant achievements, outperforming competitors for customer service and wireless purchase experience.  J.D. Power awarded AT&T the“Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers” and “Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full Service Wireless Providers” in their 2013, Volume 2 studies.

For more information, please visit www.att.com/galaxys4zoom.

 

 

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

** AT&T Nextsm req’s qual. credit & wireless svc plan (voice & data) plus 20-mo. 0% APR installment agmt.  If wireless service is cancelled, device balance is due.  2-yr agmt req’s qual. wireless svc plans (voice & data).  Activation & early termination fees apply to 2-yr agmt.

***  Activation/upgrade and early termination fees apply. Qualified service required on both devices.

****Mobile share plan (minimum $30/month) required. Additional monthly charge per device. If usage exceeds monthly data allowance, overage charges will apply automatically.

***** Promotional value cannot be used to reduce AT&TNextsm installment payments. Limit 1 promotional trade-in per AT&T Nextsm installment agreement.

******Available for a limited time, customers also receive 50GB of free storage with AT&T Locker (using the latest version of the app users can upgrade to the free 50GB by selecting the Account tab and My Plan), making it easy to store videos, pictures, and files and access them from multiple devices.

*******PCWorld/TechHive, May 23, 2013, “AT&T clocks best overall speeds with 3G/4G combo.”

********PC Magazine, June 17, 2013; http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp.