Most smartphones feature cameras. But the Samsung Galaxy Camera is something else — it’s first and foremost a camera with a high quality lens. It just happens to have the elements of a decent smartphone or media player including a 4.8 inch touchscreen LCD and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Samsung Galaxy Camera

The Galaxy Camera doesn’t just let you snap photos. You can also edit them on the device and upload them to Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else using a WiFi, 3G, or 4G connection.

You can’t make phone calls with the camera, but if you use the mobile broadband features, you can instantly post your photos online wherever you have a wireless signal.

Samsung also bakes in a feature that lets you automatically backup photos to the cloud or sync them across other devices that use Samsung AllShare including a Galaxy S III smartphone or Galaxy Note smartphone.

The camera has a 16 megapixel sensor and a 21x zoom lens.

While this is a camera, the spec-list reads like a data sheet for a smartphone. The Galaxy Camera features a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of built-in storage, and a 1650mAh battery. There’s also a microSD card for extra storage.

It features support for the Google Play Store, which provides access to thousands of Android apps, games, and other digital content.

This isn’t the first Android-powered camera we’ve seen. Nikon recently introduced the Coolpix S800c with Android. But Samsung isn’t just a camera maker slapping Android onto a point-and-shoot. The company is one of the top makers of Android smartphones, makes its own mobile processors, and has also been selling cameras for a while.

Update: AT&T has announced it will offer the Samsung Galaxy Camera with 4G in the US.

via PocketNow and Laptop Magazine

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28 replies on “Samsung Galaxy Camera is powered by Android”

  1. if i could make phone calls with it, it would be the first phone i would buy to use the camera..
    but without that ability? why should i?
    it does nothing usable my phone+camera won’t do currently.

    1. It’ll take a lot better pictures than your Phone ever could, never mind the 21x zoom.

      People use phone cams for convenience, but it compromises on what you could get from a dedicated camera.

      1. but i would still have to carry around phone AND camera, since this device is unable to receive phone calls.
        Even worse: it’s one more device i would need a sim-card for.
        If my phone would be something light and would do decent tethering then i could use that. But there seems to be no such phone?

        1. This product isn’t intended to replace a phone, it’s intended to be a Camera that can also function as a Android device.

          Much like small tablets, PMPs, etc. with just WiFi capability.

          While you wouldn’t need to carry another SIM, just possibly another memory card but you could also opt for wireless transfers or just use your phone as a WiFi hotspot for the camera.

          Generally, all Android phones are intended to be used as phones first and anything else as secondary.

          There are some exceptions, like the Nokia PureView 808 (runs Symbian), where the camera on the phone is a bit beefed up but is very rare and still doesn’t quite match what you would get from a dedicated camera, especially one with SLR features.

          1. …and that changes what exactly? This device improves nothing. If it were a phone, someone could buy it and replace 2 devices against a single one.

            You just didn’t understand what i meant, did you?

          2. No, you just don’t understand what the device is for! It’s not to replace your phone!

            It’s a Camera with Android OS, it improves what a Camera can do!

            Not everything running Android needs to be a phone!

          3. Again, I understand, I’m pointing out what you said is looking at it the wrong way.

            You might as well compare a laptop running Android to your phone!

            Being able to use a device to make calls isn’t the only reason to use Android and plenty of Android devices are WiFi only!

            Tablets, Smartbooks, PMP’s, set tops, etc.

            They’re all still useful and serve a purpose! This product just happens to be a camera, as in a real point and shoot camera, which just happens to be running android but that doesn’t mean it was ever meant to replace anything else!

            Most cameras, SLR’s included, will eventually be running more capable OS than they do now and Android is as good as any other for the types of things you would be wanting to use cameras for!

            Sure, you may want your phone to be a better all in one device but all such devices compromise and that’s going to remain the case for a long time still. So no point in complaining about it with a device that’s intended for being better at something else.

          4. We understand that this product was not meant to replace a phone.
            But probably they could have made one which does include a phone. And I would seriously consider buying a product like that.
            I am a professional photographer but I don’t like to carry around my dslr when not workin. However I do feel the need for a point and shoot to have with me all the time. I am also aware of the fact that this camera has way better pictures than a phone, still it takes up more space than practical (with my smartphone taking up also a lot of space). Obviously I can’t ditch my phone, so I have to settle with its camera.
            Also this is way too expensive considering you have to put a sim in it and get a data plan.
            But if they considered combining it with a phone I’d probably pay even more for it…

          5. Multi-purpose devices always have to compromise because all the components needed to do the various things also need to share the same space and not get into each other’s way.

            So adding a phone to a Camera means less space for the camera parts!

            As you probably know, it’s not just a matter of MP but size and optics. A full size sensor needs a certain amount of space. Even mirror-less designs only shrink the required space so much.

            Besides, it would be counter productive to just make a bigger combo device if it doesn’t really save you much on space and weight.

            “But if they considered combining it with a phone I’d probably pay even more for it…”

            Nokia 808 Pureview is probably one of the better solutions right now, if you don’t mind the OS. The over sampling feature really helps make up for the normal limitations of phone cameras.

          6. but the point is: you allready have all the hardware needed for a phone inside of this device
            it wouldn’t get much bigger, but maybe a tad more expensive.

          7. It’ll get a bit more than just a little bigger, there’s only most of the hardware you’d find in a Smart Phone in this product.

            Besides, people have a hard enough time talking on a large phone but just imagine how awkward sticking what clearly looks like a point and shoot camera to the side of your head and talking to it?

            It’s pretty much the same reason most tablets don’t have phone functionality either!

            Besides, phone usage means even more power requirements and that’ll require a larger battery.

          8. No, sorry but what was stated is true. There are valid reasons why they can’t yet offer what you want.

            Maybe in a couple more years when they have components that can auto re-purpose themselves to have a device alter its function as needed but a all in one right now involves compromise and that’s the reality!

          9. Oh, the only one who’s in denial is you. So maybe someday you’ll stop pretending but that’s up to you.

          10. yeah.. right.. -.-
            so if i’m wrong then what big things are missing to make a phone of this? You just repeat your nonsense but never give any reasons. Therefore i repeat: BULLSHIT!

          11. I’ll already pointed out some things, it’s not my fault you can’t be bothered to look up what goes into these devices or the simple fact many of them require a minimum of space.

            Really, the only BS is your attitude.

            The technology isn’t there yet to cram everything you want into a single device without compromise.

            You need a minimum space for proper optics. You need a minimum of space for many of the RF features and components. You need a certain size battery to power it all!

            Never mind the practicality of the design for everyday usage!

          12. no you pointed out exactly nothing besides ‘it would need a larger battery’ and ‘there are things missing’.

            The problem is: there is nothing missing. There is a GSM/UMTS-Chip, Antenae for the same and i would guess that speakers/microphone are aviable too.
            The only thing that might have to change is: the GSM-Chip needs the capability to make phone-calls. But that is no hardware-issue but a software one.

            > It’s pretty much the same reason most tablets don’t have phone functionality either!

            And THAT is the Point! This reason is called “marketing” or “politics”. Most Tablets are perfectly able to make phone-calls via SIP and the only thing to make them fully working phones would have been a different GSM-Chip.

            > You need a certain size battery to power it all!

            > Besides, phone usage means even more power requirements and that’ll require a larger battery.

            more bullshit. This device is running Android. I won’t start to bother telling you why people won’t shutdown/boot this device all the time, but lets just take that as a given fact. So this is a device thats allways enabled, having a big screen and a pretty decent CPU (by far the most power draining features). Surely like nearly all current phones the battery isn’t as big as one would wish, but it has to meet nearly the same requirements.

            > The technology isn’t there yet to cram everything you want into a single device without compromise.
            You just never understood what samsung did here. They used everything they normally put into a phone and crammed it together with some “decent” optics into a new case.

            So.. now go on claiming that there are things missing. You are amusing.

          13. No, you’re just amusing yourself but really showing everyone that you’re just too lazy to look simple things up to prove to yourself the actual facts but you’d rather pretend you know what you’re talking about instead.

            Really, there are things missing! Having a Cellular modem doesn’t automatically make it capable of being a phone!!! Otherwise you could just turn your laptop into a phone by plugging a cellular modem into it but it’s not that simple and never has been!

            Besides costs, the UMTS, GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc all need their own antennas… each! And that takes up space. They may be able to combine a few but that’ll compromise on signal strength, range, etc.

            Technology like NFC needs a minimum of space for its antenna, it’s one of the reasons why they knew the iPhone 5 wouldn’t have NFC because the casing alone showed it didn’t provide enough space for it!

            Despite the size of this camera, most of the space is being used up by the camera parts! Benefits is much larger image sensor, better lenses, the zoom mechanism, etc. that sets this apart from the much tinier and limited cameras they normally shoehorn into phones.

            You’re also ignoring the OS is optimized for camera usage, just because it’s android doesn’t mean it has to be a phone! Making it a all in one would compromise on how well it can be used as a camera, just as all the camera optimization would get in the way of using it as a phone.

            It’s one thing to have a app for a function, but another when the OS is optimized to put a focus on a given function.

            “Surely like nearly all current phones the battery isn’t as big as one would wish, but it has to meet nearly the same requirements.”

            Not if you keep on tacking on functions! The technology is still pushing the limits of what can be offered. Like LTE phones use more power than 4G/3G, so often they’re trade the number of cores for the ARM processor to compensate.

            Meaning a phone with 3G/4G could be quad core but the same version of the phone with LTE would be dual core.

            Battery technology hasn’t really improved in over ten years. So every improvement has been simply making the technology more efficient but they can only do so much and asking a device to do more means it needs to use more power and that means it needs a larger battery or they have to compromise to keep power usage within the limit of what they can offer.

            For a full camera, it means more power consumption from the camera. You got a larger sensor, you got mechanical parts (zoom, etc), you need to process more image details and they’re of course pushing lots of camera features. So that all means more power usage than you would have been doing with a regular phone camera.

            Then there is of course the bulk, point and shoot cameras aren’t exactly designed to be pressed against your face like a phone. While adjusting the design to make it more comfortable would impact it’s function as a camera.

            Really, there are compromises of all sorts that go into every one of these devices. So like it or not there are still reasons why they can’t yet give you what you want.

            Maybe in a couple more years but complaining about it and pretending those reasons don’t exist won’t change anything!

          14. > Having a Cellular modem doesn’t automatically make it capable of being a phone!!! Otherwise you could just turn your laptop into a phone by plugging a cellular modem into it but it’s not that simple and never has been!

            Well… i can and i did. so what?

            > Besides costs, the UMTS, GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc all need their own antennas… each! And that takes up space.
            So what of those should be missing? UMTS/GSM is aviable
            GPS/WIFI/BT has nothing do do with beeing a phone whatsoever (but is probably aviable too)

            > Technology like NFC needs a minimum of space for its antenna, it’s one of the reasons why they knew the iPhone 5 wouldn’t have NFC because the casing alone showed it didn’t provide enough space for it!

            What the hell do you want with NFC? Noone uses that crap anyway and it has nothing to do with beeing a phone at all.

            > You’re also ignoring the OS is optimized for camera usage

            HAHAHAHAHAH.. you do really believe Samsung took more then minimal effort in modifying its software? Think again!

            > Then there is of course the bulk, point and shoot cameras aren’t exactly designed to be pressed against your face like a phone. While adjusting the design to make it more comfortable would impact it’s function as a camera.

            Has anybody said it would be a lightweight or beautifull phone? No! Noone said that.

            > So like it or not there are still reasons why they can’t yet give you what you want.

            BULLSHIT! (at least if you don’t take ‘politics’ for a reason)

            > Maybe in a couple more years but complaining about it and pretending those reasons don’t exist won’t change anything!

            so you still didn’t find a single reason? what a surprise!
            You are a sad excuse for a troll.

          15. “Well… i can and i did. so what?”

            No you haven’t! Best that can be done for a device that isn’t configured to be a phone from the start is use the Internet to provide those services instead.

            This matters to cost, energy consumption, and number of antennas involved.

            “What the hell do you want with NFC? Noone uses that crap anyway and it has nothing to do with beeing a phone at all.”

            Now this is your silliest statement to date, of course people use NFC. It’s why it’s growing in popularity. It’s uses are fairly wide and not just for making purchases.

            People can exchange playlist, contact information by just bumping their phones together. People can auto pair and unpair wireless speakers with NFC just as easily.

            You might as well say who would want Bluetooth! It’s a feature, like anything else with a multi-purpose device it tends to get thrown in whether you use it or not.

            Besides, it’s a feature Samsung is pushing and this is a Samsung product we’re talking about and you’re complaining about!

            Really, complaining about a camera not being able to be used as a phone is just as silly, if not more so, than complaining about the validity of NFC being included or not.

            It doesn’t change that such features all take up space and have to work in the same device.

            This effect things like choices on casing design, since certain materials will make it harder to use those features but using other materials means compromising on built quality and limits thickness, weight, etc.

            “HAHAHAHAHAH.. you do really believe Samsung took more then minimal effort in modifying its software? Think again!”

            It’s been reviewed and shown it has multiple optimizations to make it useful as a camera, obviously you haven’t bothered checking it out but shows how much your assuming rather than actually knowing anything!

            “Has anybody said it would be a lightweight or beautifull phone? No! Noone said that.”

            It is a point as to whether they would even bother! You want functionality that isn’t intended for this type of device.

            Apparently, just because it can do most of the things a Android device can do, in your mind everything else must be ignored and it should offer a feature you want despite it not being designed for that usage at all!

            Really, if that made as much sense as you think it does then all Android tablets would be usable as phones but they’re not!

            So try thinking instead of pretending what you want really makes sense to anybody but you!

            “so you still didn’t find a single reason? what a surprise!
            You are a sad excuse for a troll.”

            No, I found multiple reasons! You just can’t be bothered to look them up for more detail or just plain ignore the clear validity of what has been listed.

            You don’t even know the meaning of trolling if you think what you want can trump actual facts.

            Even if you ignore everything else pointed out it still remains two glaring facts…

            Fact 1, a Point and Camera (no matter what OS it is running) is not ever intended to be used as a phone!

            Fact 2, having a Cellular Modem does not make a device capable of being a phone by itself! Combined with fact 1 eliminates any reason for them to offer it!

            Clearly, you want something that doesn’t really make sense for this device!

            So get over it already!

            You want a phone with a good camera then you’re just going to have to wait until they actually manage to shoehorn a more capable camera into a phone than they can now.

            There making some progress, latest Nokia WP has some pretty good functionality for a phone camera. Just don’t expect anything really better anytime soon.

          16. HHAHAHAHAHAHAH

            > You might as well say who would want Bluetooth!
            exactly! Bluetooth is not needed for a phone! You completely miss the point.

            > No you haven’t! Best that can be done for a device that isn’t configured to be a phone from the start is use the Internet to provide those services instead.
            > This matters to cost, energy consumption, and number of antennas involved.
            Yes i have.
            No, i didn’t use SIP or the likes.
            The antenae are there if you have GSM/UMTS.
            Yes energy consumption is a problem, but thats obvious and doesn’t change if you are keeping the connection anyway.

            > No you haven’t! Best that can be done for a device that isn’t configured to be a phone from the start is use the Internet to provide those services instead.
            Well.. of course. But if that camera comes with pretty much all the phone hardware, including GSM-Modem, then that point changes slightly.

            > Fact 1, a Point and Camera (no matter what OS it is running) is not ever intended to be used as a phone!
            OH GREAT SURPRISE! Samsung doesnt intend to use it as a phone! Then all makes sense!
            > Fact 2, having a Cellular Modem does not make a device capable of being a phone by itself! Combined with fact 1 eliminates any reason for them to offer it!

            Of course not! But the price-difference between a cellular modem (+Speakers,Mic and the likes) and the hardware needed for a whole phone is somewhere So get over it already!
            YES!
            You only repeat yourself and what you said didn’t make any sense at all in the first place.

          17. “exactly! Bluetooth is not needed for a phone! You completely miss the point.”

            Nope, sorry but you clearly don’t understand what you’re actually arguing here.

            If you want to argue what’s not needed for a phone then you won’t need a camera or all the other extra features that are not needed for a phone to function either.

            But that isn’t what you’ve been arguing for this device, you’re complaining that it doesn’t provide phone functionality on top of everything else.

            So you can’t nitpick about which features that are generally being included in a Smart Phone as to which would be included in this model if it had been made into a hybrid camera and smart phone.

            Smart Phones are convergence devices intended to cover as many functions as possible and to appeal to as wide a range of users as possible for each model!

            So you can’t have it just the way you want! Unless you’re very rich and can afford to have the manufacturers make a model specifically for you!

            Otherwise you’re arguing pie in the sky nonsense!

            “Yes i have.”

            No you haven’t, only possibility besides what I previously mentioned was maybe you enable a function that was already there but you can’t make a device function in a way it wasn’t designed to!

            So maybe you’re confusing a device that had been crippled from a device like this which hasn’t been given that function at all.

            What you’re not getting is having a cellular modem doesn’t automatically mean it has the capability to function as a phone.

            Some phones like the Samsung Galaxy S III for example use two antennas, one for data and one for voice. Since CDMA networks can’t really handle simultaneous voice and data. So that allows the GS3 to get around that limitation.

            Lower cost modem designs also can be data only and not be capable of voice at all, and when it comes to cutting corners which type do you think they used? They’re not going to splurg on functionality they’re not going to market after all!

            Also, we’re not quite at the point that the cellular modems are integrated into all SoCs yet.

            So it’s not a one size fits all solution yet where you can assume functionality. Meaning you’d have to identify the modem and check with the manufacturer if it has both data and voice capability.

            “Yes energy consumption is a problem, but thats obvious and doesn’t change if you are keeping the connection anyway.”

            No, doing voice and data increases bandwidth usage and thus power consumption.

            I can turn off data on my phone and it would use significantly less power.

            Though it depends on how much you talk and how much bandwidth you use but combined it can add up very quickly.

            Voice itself doesn’t consume much but mind that the phone never really turns off unless you go into AP mode.

            Mind also high bandwidth tends to consume much more power and you can see a hit of a hour or more reduced from the total run time of the device.

            An example would be using LTE, it can’t yet handle voice and thus you get put onto the older network when making calls. So you’d end up using two separate networks when talking and processing data at the same time. Provided of course the device has the extra antenna needed to utilize a second network. Otherwise you’ll be stuck with doing one or the other but not both at the same time.

            “OH GREAT SURPRISE! Samsung doesnt intend to use it as a phone! Then all makes sense!”

            Yup, because it’s A CAMERA!!! What are you? Maxwell Smart? Next you’d be asking for a Shoe Phone.

            Anything that isn’t designed to be used as a phone usually doesn’t get phone functionality even if it has pretty much the same parts.

            Like most ARM tablets, ARM laptops, PMP, ARM Set Tops, ARM based game consoles, ARM based Cameras, etc.

            “Of course not! But the price-difference between a cellular modem (+Speakers,Mic and the likes) and the hardware needed for a whole phone is somewhere <$5."

            And multiply that by all the units made! You're forgetting a small difference in unit costs can be millions to billions to the manufacturer depending on how many they make and we have to assume a minimum number were made as otherwise the unit costs go up if too few are made.

            So they're going to cut every penny they can to minimize cost as much as they can get away with…

            "You only repeat yourself and what you said didn't make any sense at all in the first place."

            All points are relevant, it only won't make sense if you insist on only viewing it from your point of view and not realize these products are designed for a given range of potential users.

            Simply put, the size and shape of a point and shoot camera is not what most people would want to use as a phone!

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