Capturing much attention this week Samsung announced the release date for their game changing Galaxy Camera. Samsung’s brand new Android compact camera is set for release on November the 8th, in the UK.

Android seems to be reinvigorating the compact class of cameras, bringing together convenience and image quality.  Is Android like Tobasco sauce, simply adding it to anything makes it better or was the compact class of camera well overdue for a service and overhaul?

For those times when both convenience and image quality are a priority there are now Android compact cameras, a new class of compact.

Capturing the life of photons Samsung’s Galaxy camera extends out its wide angle 23mm lens, optics stretching to 21 times zoom. Still photography is not the only art form the Galaxy Camera indulges in, capturing video in a range of resolutions and speeds, from the high quality 1080p@ 30fps to the slow motion enabling 720×480@120fps.

Behind the glass the Galaxy snapper packs a 16 megapixel1/2.3 inch backside illuminated CMOS sensor. Great for low light conditions and rich outdoor photography, the lens and sensor of a compact camera will always put it above a mobile phone sensor when image quality is concerned.

Dominating the rear of the camera is the 4.8 inch SuperClear LCD. The touch screen display is capable of very respectable 1280 x 720 resolution, it’s also covered in Gorilla Glass 2. The included rear display instantly demonstrates the Galaxy heritage with the Samsung TouchWiz interface sitting on top of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this is pure Galaxy.

The camera isn’t short on processing power, the combination of Quad-core Exynos 4412 Cortex A9 at 1.4Ghz and Mali-400MP graphics processor makes this a gaming power-house of a camera. Samsung have provided enough silicon horse-power to not only take photos but also apply effects and manipulate images.

Android will have 1 GB of system RAM to work with, as well as 8GB of Flash for storage. A MicroSD card slot is included allowing an extra 32GB (max) of storage to be added. 3g, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI and Micro USB will keep the camera permanently connected to the world.

The Google Play store is included, making the downloading of Androids apps a breeze. This can range from the standard set of time killers to handy utility apps; light meters, levels etc. One of the many advantages to being an Android based camera, it’s all about the apps.

Samsung have announced the UK launch of the camera will be on the 8th of November. Different markets around the world will receive 3G and 4G variants; both will also include Wi-Fi. While the Galaxy cameras will include mobile data connections they are not mobile phones, officially.

There has been no official word on pricing from Samsung, although a number of online retailers (Jessops) have listed the Android camera for £399. The US will see the camera available through AT&T in the coming weeks.

The march of the Android devices continues, giving the humble compact camera an overhaul and making it relevant in a connected touch world.

Reference: Samsung Galaxy Camera

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