The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom Camera/Phone Hybrid is Official

Galaxy K zoom_Charcoal Black_10The Zoom series is alive and well.

Announced last night, Samsung took the wraps off their follow up the Galaxy S4 Zoom. Dubbed the Galaxy K Zoom, Samsung has aggressively updated the build for their camera focused, zoom lens phone.

On tap is a 20.7MP 1/2.3″ BSI sensor tied to a 10X zoom lens (24-240mm) with optical image stabilization. The focus is a little tilted to the camera side of the equation, as the rest of the phone specs are somewhat mid-range.

Galaxy K zoom_Charcoal Black_03A 4.8″ AMOLED display clocks in at a 720p resolution. The phone is powered by a hex-core relying on a slower quad core and a faster dual for different applications. 2GB of RAM is plenty for powering services, but in an odd move Samsung is continuing to supply only 8GB of storage, of which only 5GB will likely be available to the user. This was tight on the S4 Zoom, and a year later it’ll be even tighter. A MicroSD card will pretty much be mandatory, and the K Zoom supports up to 64GB cards. Thankfully, is just a touch larger at 2430mAh.

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These specs unfortunately mean that we likely wont see 4K video recording on Samsung’s most camera focused phone, but a 60fps mode will provide smoother HD video.

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As the GS4 Zoom was essentially a GS4 Mini with a zoom lens bolted on it, the K Zoom could be giving us a sneak peek at the GS5 Mini. Tech cycles so quickly now that we’re essentially looking at a Galaxy S3 form factor, with a 6-core processor, and the matte plastic dimpled back of the Galaxy S5. Not too shabby, but it is kind of funny that when it was released the GS3 was considered “HUGE”, and now it’s on tap to become a mini…

You can catch Samsung’s full PR below.

Samsung Introduces the Galaxy K zoom, a New Camera Specialized-Smartphone
April 29, 2014
Galaxy K zoom_Charcoal Black_02_Lens openThe Galaxy K zoom incorporates industry-leading camera features with the Samsung Galaxy mobile experience
SINGAPORE – April 29, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, today announced the new camera specialized smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy K zoom. The Galaxy K zoom is a new smartphone that blends advanced digital camera technology with Samsung’s industry-leading Galaxy experience. It features effortless capturing ability, real optics, and a premium design, offering users the mobile solutions they need with the ability to create professional-quality visual content in a fun, easy–to-use device.
“With the introduction of the Galaxy K zoom, Samsung continues to demonstrate our commitment to creating products that meet the diverse demands of our consumers,” said Sun Hong Lim, Senior Vice President of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “The new Galaxy K zoom empowers users to effortlessly capture and share their most important everyday moments in stunning clarity, with the convenience and connectedness of a Galaxy smartphone, for a unique, all-in-one mobile experience.”
As a camera-specialized smartphone, the Galaxy K zoom offers an advanced technical camera system designed to offer the control and functionality of a professional camera, ensuring that the important moments are never missed and always captured with complete clarity. The Galaxy K zoom is equipped with new retracting lens technology that provides10x optical zoom in a remarkably slim and chic body. Other notable features include the 20.7 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor for ultra-clear, ultra-detailed images. It excels in low light conditions, and provides Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS)to reduce blur caused by movement. These specifications ensure the device delivers pictures and video (Full HD) that are crisp and sharp, even when zoomed and in low light. In addition, the device’s Xenon Flash provides a brighter light than LEDs to improve the quality of the image with natural brilliance.
The new device also integrates the most advanced camera usability features and functions, including AF/AE Separation(Auto Focus/ Auto Exposure Separation) for the precise balance of light and clarity, next-generation Pro Suggest mode which offers 5 optimized filter settings, Selfie Alarm that allows users to take timed selfies with ease, and object tracing for a clear, focused shot of a moving subject. Each feature comes with a simple User Interface, allowing users to easily capture photos and videos with groundbreaking quality, in any situation.
The compact and highly portable Galaxy K zoom features an ergonomic grip and sleek, stylish lines that feel soft and comfortable in the hand. Additionally, the Galaxy K zoom offers all the features that consumers want in a flagship Galaxy smartphone, such as Ultra Power Saving Mode for minimizing the battery consumption, S Health Lite for personalized fitness and lifestyle coaching, and a Studio app to allow users to easily edit their pictures and videos.
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Note to Editors

Samsung Galaxy K zoom Product Specifications

Network

LTE

Cat4, HSPA+ 42Mbps
LTE 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600
HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

3G

5-band HSPA+ 42Mbps
HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

Display

4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED Display (1280×720)

AP

Hexa core: 1.3GHz Quad-Core + 1.7GHz Dual-Core Processor

OS

Android 4.4 (Kitkat)

Camera

Main(Rear): 20.7 Mega pixel 1/2.3 BSI CMOS Sensor, 10x Optical Zoom, OIS,
24-240mm, F3.1-6.3
AF Assist LED
Sub(Front): 2.0 Mega pixel

ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
Continuous Shot: 3fps MAX with AF
Format: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WBMP, BMP, AGIF
Xenon Flash,
SMART Mode, Expert Mode(P/M), My Mode

Video

Recording Playback: Full HD (1920×1080 /60p)
Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8
Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

Audio

Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC +/eAAC+, WMA, OGG (Vorbis), FLAC
Format : MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA

Value-Added Features

SMART Mode(28): Auto, Pro Suggest, Program, Beauty face, Shot more, Panorama, Virtual tour, Rich tone, Night, Continuous shot, Selfie alarm, Manual, Kids shot, Landscape, Dawn, Snow, Macro, Food, Party/Indoor, Action freeze, Waterfall, Animated photo, Sound shot, Surround shot, Silhouette, Sunset, Fireworks, Light race

AF/AE Separation, Object tracking, Studio, Smile/ Blink detection

Ultra Power Saving Mode

Kids mode

S Health Lite

Google Mobile Services

Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie&TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube

Connectivity

Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, HT40,
Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE
USB: USB 2.0
NFC
A-GPS + GLONASS

Sensor

Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor

Memory

RAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 8GB
microSD slot: micro SDSC (up to 2GB guaranteed), micro SDHC (up to 32GB guaranteed), micro SDXC (up to 64GB guaranteed)

*User memory space may be less than the total memory space due to system files. User memory may differ by region, carrier, and supporting language, and may change after software upgrade.

Dimension

137.5X70.8X16.6(20.2)mm, 200g

Battery

2,430mAh

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visitwww.samsung.com.