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The Samsung GALAXY S4 Zoom is a camera phone that is built from the ground up for those whom their primary aim is to shoot pictures and then share them on the internet via services like Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Google Plus and other online photo and social media sharing services. Is it a phone? Or is it a camera? We take a look at this strange new addition to the S4 brand… The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the devices was to wonder if there’s going to be a way to pop a SIM in it. Initially, I thought it was just simply going to be a camera which has the capability to connect to the web via WiFi. To my surprise it connects to the internet via mobile data connection using a micro SIM - the similar type that the Samsung GALAXY S3 and S4 use. Samsung is not scared of designing fresh product categories. When it first unveiled the Galaxy Note most people mocked the ludicrous extra-large ‘phablet’; two years later it’s one of the greatest selling ranges in the whole mobile landscape. Will the exact same be true of the S4 Zoom? Is it a parody of a camera phone, to be easily consigned to history, or is it the start of something big? We’ve put it to the test to give our initial view. The Galaxy S4 Zoom is a typical ‘two devices in one’ product. Look at it from the back, it’s a phone. Look at it from the front, it’s unmistakably a camera. To be fair, it seems more cohesive in the hand compared to it looks in the photos, but there’s no question that it is a very weird concept. The phone part is technically an S4 Mini rather than S4. The specs contain a 960×540 pixel, 4. 3-inch display, along with a 1. 5GHz dual-core processor and 1 . 5GB of RAM. There’s as well the hefty range of connectivity choices, along with the a number of sensors that Samsung equips its devices with these days. It’s all one notch down from the full S4 experience, but still provides a decent specced handset that won’t compromise your use. Design Make no mistake, this is a camera rather than a phone. Yes you can make calls with it. You can check your emails and play Temple Run. But the form factor leaves you in undoubtedly that the S4 Zoom is a camera with phone functionality built in, not the other way around. It struggles with even the most simple things, like resting it on your desk. Curved edges mean it doesn’t sit well on its side like most cameras. Placing it lens down is hardly the most elegant solution, and you’re definitely not going to do it screen first. Similarly it’s strange to hold while using it as a phone, as the lens means there’s no comfortable location to rest your fingers. Our fingers had a natural tendency to land on the plastic cover in front of the lens, causing a build up of fingerprints to mar our shots. And we haven’t even pointed out putting the device in your trouser pocket. Safe to say, you know it’s there. On the back of the device you’ve got your screen, speaker and home button straddled by two capacitive buttons for the menu and back functions. If ever there was a time for Samsung to adopt virtual buttons instead of physical ones it is here. A big part of our usage involved having the device oriented in landscape mode and it might have been nice if those buttons had rotated. The edges sport volume, power and shutter keys. It’s a surprise to find out that the shutter button doesn’t wake the device, let alone wake it straight into the camera app. It has a very narrow travel, so half pressing the button to set focus and exposure requires a very soft touch. We believe that is a deliberate conclusion to adapt to the more casual user who enjoys to mash the shutter button in a single motion instead. The bottom edge (or left-hand side in phone mode) has a tripod mount and micro SD card slot. The front side has the big 10x optical zoom lens encased by a zoom ring, a Xenon flash, LED light and a grip. We found the grip too small to be of any sort of real useful use, and the device were known to get warm around that region too, making it less comfortable to hold. The build quality is classic Galaxy, glossy plastic shell and all. Screen, performance and battery The display screen measures 4. 3 inches, with a resolution of 540 x 960 and a pixel density of 256ppi. It’s a very clear level below the full HD screen on the S4 or even the 720p panel on the HTC One Mini, yet it is as well bigger and better than you’ll find on pretty much any dedicated camera. As an AMOLED display, the blacks are deep and the colours very vibrant - it helps make your shots look great. Overall performance was exactly as expected, being mainly fast and smooth with the occasional hiccup. The form factor is hardly ideal for high-end gaming or real productivity so you’re less likely to push the Zoom as hard as you would another device. The lens on the backside doubles up as an improvised stand and that helps the phone become a good video player, and it can handle HD video with no difficulties. Battery life was frustrating compared to a phone but most likely average compared to a camera. Lots of zooming, shooting, reviewing and uploading eats into the battery. Whenever you want to use the device to its maximum potential as both camera and phone you may want to invest in a spare battery to keep it running. Software programs The software program in the Zoom is Android 4. 2 covered almost entirely behind Samsung’s own TouchWiz skin. It is essentially the same as that seen in the S4, the S4 Active and S4 Mini and by now we’ve mentioned pretty much everything there is to be said about it: the annoying hand-holding messages, the silly beeps, the design inconsistencies, the fact that it uses more internal storage than any other skin and the way it slows down with heavy use. A few changes have been constructed for the camera performance, such as the Photo Suggest app. This shows you photos that others have taken in your current location in attempt to help you get ideas for your own shots. The Scene Suggest feature in the camera app also recommends shooting modes based on the current conditions. Between them it is an excellent attempt to assist your shots move beyond the average holiday snaps standard. Verdict Considering several of the current innovations we’ve seen in smartphone cameras from the likes of Nokia, Motorola and HTC, the Galaxy S4 Zoom feels like a rather old fashioned device. Rather than adopting a different approach, or developing a new technology to improve the lot of the camera phone photographer, Samsung has merely spliced two average products together to create something new. Consequently the S4 Zoom is a very specific niche market device. If you don’t need the zoom range then you would be better off with an original Galaxy S4 - it’s a better phone, has a better screen, will fit in your pocket, and has an graphic quality not considerably different to what you get here. If you do need the zoom - but not this kind of extent that you’d prefer a dedicated camera (with larger sensor and upgraded image quality) - then it may be really worth a look. It’s tough to see many putting up with it as their main phone, however. TianS manages Customer Service for SaleWill. Shop Cell Phone Accessories at SaleWill.com, we bring you the latest and greatestand Samsung GALAXY S4 Zoom Cases and Bluetooth headset at cheap prices.
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