Samsung releases the Galaxy K Zoom camera smartphone

Samsung have today officially announced their new Galaxy K Zoom handset after much speculation and leaks.

The phone follows the DNA of Sammy’s earlier S4 Zoom, and bolts on a rather nice camera to a high-spec phone.

The Galaxy K Zoom is basically an S5 with a slightly smaller screen (4.8-inch as opposed to the S5’s 5.1-inch display) but with a great big 20.7 megapixel lens slapped on the back.

Needless to say, the camera plays an important part in the phone – with the lens being able to extend way out of the handset making it look and act more like a point and shoot camera – enabling not just digital zoom, but optical zoom up to 10x too.

The camera itself sports a 1/2.3 BSI CMOS Sensor, and the lens has a 3.1-6.3 aperture – with optical image stabilisation. Pretty good for a cameraphone, or phonecamera, but it’s still not going to challenge a DSLR – but it will give pocket snappers a good run for their money.

On the front, there’s a 2 megapixel camera for those all important selfies.

Samsung are boasts that there are features aplenty which will apparently improve your photography. First off there’s Autofocus/Autoexposure separation, which will give “precise balance of light and clarity”, then there’s Pro suggest, which will offer “10 optimised filter settings” and finally… a “selfie alarm”, which should make taking selfies easier. Really? Has it come to this, people?

Would you make room in your pocket for the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom or would you rather buy the Galaxy Camera 2?