Android Magazine UK - Issue No. 49

The smartphone that gets you closer to the

action than ever before

S

amsung has a good relat

with camera phones. Th

snappers on their Galaxy

range regularly run a much high

megapixel count than most of

their rivals, bar Sony. However,

they have really pushed the bo

out with the Galaxy K Zoom wh

packs a fully extendable lens in

its casing. This provides the 20

camera with 10x optical zoom,

a bit of focussing, is surprisingly sharp, magnifying

pictures and words from over 10 metres away. It

comes loaded with a wide range of features, the

best of which being Pro Suggest. This mode takes

in the scene in front of it and suggests a range of

fi lters for the shot which are applied instantly.

These are based on the lighting and scene in front

of the camera and are quite intuitive. There are

also further fi lters that you can download for free

from the Samsung store. However, all of this does

come at a bit of a cost. The space required to

store the retractable lens adds extra bulk to the

o while the handset the same squat

s the Galaxy S3, at 200g it is

vier than even the Galaxy Note 4.

e protruding lens also means that

K Zoom doesn’t sit fl at on table

d is a hefty presence in your

cket. However, the weight, while

ceable, doesn’t make a lot of

ence during use and if you get over

it rests, the K Zoom does actually

ol. The S5-style textured case and

superior lens makes it look like a serious piece of

kit. With its incredible zoom and easy use, the K

Zoom is a well designed device for event

photography – whether you’re at a festival or

sporting occasion – and its panorama and

continuous shot options ensure that you never

miss a thing. The K Zoom’s 4G connectivity means

you can upload any great picture straight to social

media. Running Android KitKat, it’s hard to say

whether the K Zoom is a phone with a heavy

emphasis on photography, or a digital camera with

smartphone features.

Reviews

»^ Operating system........Android KitKat 4.4.2

»^ Processor ...........................Exynos5 Hexa-Core 1.7GHz

»^ Memory ...............................2GB RAM

»^ Dimensions .......................137.5 x 70.8 x 20.2mm

»^ Weight ...................................200g

»^ Display size .......................4.8-in

»^ Display resolution ........720 x 1280

»^ Connectivity .....................4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

»^ Camera ................................20.7MP rear, 2.0MP front

technical specs

Price £400/$TBC

»^ More information http://www.samsung.com

»^ Supplied by Samsung

information

Phone-wise it’s basically a

mini S5, but the photographs

it produces are some of the

sharpest we’ve seen, even

at full zoom. A great choice if

you don’t mind the bulk

»Verdict

Samsung

Galaxy K Zoom

»head-to-head

Pixel count

At 20.7MP, the K Zoom has one of the highest

megapixel counts of any smartphone on the

market. Although the screen is only 4.8” and

not great for viewing the photos, the quality of

the camera still shines through

Ease-of-use

The extendable lens looks formidable, but

the K Zoom is easy to use. A button in

the bottom-right corner means you can

take one-handed pictures and the various

modes are extremely simple to navigate

Added features

There are lots of functions available to

the K Zoom user, although there is little

that isn’t already standard on Samsung,

like Panorama and Continuous Shot. Pro

Suggest is new though and it’s excellent

Front-facing camera

The 2MP front-facing camera is surprisingly

sharp. You can also use the rear camera,

choosing where you want your face to

appear before fl ipping the phone over to

take the shot

10x

OPTICAL

ZOOM

Samsung

Galaxy K Zoom

Super stable

The K Zoom is one of very

few Samsung products to

contain Optical Image

Stability – the anti-shake

technology used by many

of its competitors. Even

when in zoom mode, this

keeps images very clear

Video

recording

The K Zoom is capable of

fi lming 1920x1080 FHD

video at 60fps. While you

can zoom during fi lming, it

is a bit cumbersome and

slow, although the image

remains crystal clear.

Refocusing happens

quickly and automatically

Xenon fl ash

If you want to take top

quality photos day and

night, a good fl ash is

required. The K Zoom

uses xenon rather than

LEDs in its fl ash, which

travels further and looks

much less artifi cial

BSI CMOS

sensor

The K Zoom creates good

quality low light images

because of its BSI CMOS

sensor. In this

confi guration, all the

wiring is placed behind the

light-receiving surface,

meaning less is needed to

create a visible image