Samsung Galaxy Camera Hands-on

Playing around with the Samsung Galaxy Camera

Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Camera

Samsung Philippines launched the Galaxy Camera last night and we were able to play around with the demo units on the floor for a couple of minutes. The device is a pretty impressive piece of tech since there’s literally nothing like it in the market today. Other than the 16-megapixel shooter, it also packs a 4.7-inch display at the back which runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Having Android 4.1 running on the camera gives you access to all of the photo editing and upload apps (Instagram!) on Google Play. It also has a slot for a SIM card for internet connection for instant uploading (3G but there might be a 4G model in the future) and text messaging! All this for the price of Php23,990. Mind-boggling, hehe.

It’s quite big

It’s not really a compact camera due to the size

One of the first things that came to my mind when I first saw and held the device was that it’s actually quite big for a compact camera. It’s much bigger compared to your usual point-and-shoot digital cams but not as big and bulky as the hybrid cameras that have interchangeable lenses. The main reason why it’s probably big is because of the 4.7-inch display at the back.

samsung galaxy camera hands on — Aids Tecson, Jim Paredes, blogger Glenn Ong playing with the Galaxy Cameras on the demo booth

This sentiment was echoed by most of the people from the media and blogosphere who checked out the demo units. However the novelty of the Galaxy Camera pretty much enthralled everyone in the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom. It even had me drooling, haha! Having something so funky and fresh sets a distortion field which sometimes can destroy objectivity.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on a Camera is Sweet

So what’s the point of buying this over other cameras? Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The latest Android operating system coupled with 3G connectivity and the 1.4GHz quad-core processor opens up a whole new world of taking, editing, and sharing photos.

Here’s what the back of the camera looks like when you’re on the home screen:

Yes, that’s the back of a camera… not a phone. Lol.

Here’s the app grid. Notice Instagram, Messaging, and Contacts! Wooot.

With this set-up you can take a photo using the 16-megapixel shooter, edit it using your favorite photo editing app from the Google Play Store, and then share it on Instagram! Sweet! Droolz.

Comes in different colors too! We saw it in white, black, red, and orange.

Yes, you can text. Not sure about calls

Because of the SIM card slot, you can send and receive text messages on the Galaxy Camera. The exact same Android SMS messaging app that you can find on other Android devices is installed here. We’re not so sure yet about phone calls though since we didn’t see a “Call” function and there wasn’t a speaker or receiver on the Galaxy Camera.

One mind-boggling idea is if the Galaxy Camera is compatible with LTE. If you had that kind of connection you can literally stream HD content out from the device into the web. This would make it the best live streaming mobile device ever, hehe.

We want to seriously review one. Too sezzy to pass up

Priced at Php23,990, this will be one of the hottest items this Christmas season. Our only concerns right now really is the photo quality (it should be much better than your smartphone camera) and the battery life, especially since you have 3G running. We definitely will try to get a unit as soon as possible so we can do a much more comprehensive review.