“Is it a camera? Is it a phone?” This is the question I got a lot during my use of the Galaxy K zoom. And lots of curious eyes. Although the first phone in the Galaxy K series, this device is actually the successor of Samsung’s previous zoom device –Galaxy S4 zoom. But is it good enough to take the crown for the best camera phone in the market? Let’s find out.
Just like Galaxy S4 zoom was a derivative of the Galaxy S4 design, Galaxy K zoom is clearly inspired from the Galaxy S5. You’ll find the perforated design at the back of the Galaxy K zoom. Unfortunately, Galaxy S5’s waterproof and dust resistance capability does not make a cut in the Galaxy K zoom.
Galaxy S4 zoom was clunky as a brick and though Galaxy K zoom is still clunky by today’s smartphones standards, Samsung has drastically shaved down the extra millimetres to make it thinner and lighter. With the lens closed, the Galaxy K zoom is 16.6mm and weighs 200 grams. The back has a curved design that makes it easier to grip the device.
As for the key placements – the home key is flanked by the touch-sensitive back and multitasking keys on the front while the right side bears a dedicated shutter key for the camera, volume rocker and power buttons. The microUSB port is placed at the bottom, 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, microSD card slot on the left and 20.7 megapixel camera along with Xenon Flash at the back. Design-wise, there are no surprises except the protruding camera lens and a curved back.
The display on the Galaxy K zoom is a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED Display that has a resolution support of 1280×720 pixels. While the display resolution is on the lower side when you compare it with the competition in the same price bracket, the integration of Super AMOLED panel works for the Galaxy K zoom. It offers the same vividness and colour reproduction you expect from an OLED panel along with deep blacks and screen legibility under sun.
Powering the device is Samsung’s Exynos Hexa-core processor that boasts dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 and quad-core 1.3GHz Corte-A7 chips along with 2GB RAM. And I’m happy to report that the phone performs well with what can be called as “mid-range” specs. Playing a graphic intensive game wasn’t a problem and even fared better than the previous generation Galaxy S flagship, according to synthethic benchmarks.
The phone runs Android 4.4 along with Samsung’s customised layer of TouchWiz user interface that features many elements you’d find in the Galaxy S5. The settings menu has got an overhaul, there’s a toolbox on the side that acts as a quick launcher for five user defined apps and even features Ultra Power Saving Mode. Unlike the Ultra Power Saving Mode on the Galaxy S5, the mode does not switch the Galaxy K zoom’s display to monochrome.
Other software enhancements include My Magazine, Kids Mode, Smart Pause and Smart Stay, Safety assistance, Geo News, Camera Studio widget with quick access to anything related to the camera and Studio app for post processing of images, create collages etc.
Overall, TouchWiz on the Galaxy K zoom has improved a lot and feels more fluid and usable.
Now let’s talk about phone’s selling point – the camera. Galaxy K zoom features a 1/2.3 BSI CMOS sensor that is capable of capturing photos up to 20.7 megapixel. The camera supports an aperture range of f1.3-6.3 and comes with Xenon flash and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). The biggest draw of the Galaxy K zoom is understandably, the 10X optical zoom and the zoom does come in handy coupled with the OIS that stabilises the shots. That said, the optical zoom is not that speedy. I found a distinct lag from the time I hit the volume buttons that act as zoom in/out buttons to the actual zooming in or out.
There are also variety of modes to choose from, including a Manual and Program Mode. The highlighted mode however, is Pro Suggest that suggests the best 5 modes that can be used to take a particular picture. While it delays the picture capturing process by a few seconds, the mode comes in handy if you’re unsure as to which mode to select for the best quality picture. There’s also a remote viewfinder feature that comes in handy.
As for the quality, I was fairly impressed by some of the shots the Galaxy K zoom was able to take but overall, the camera left a bit desired. The colour reproduction is good with lower noise and OIS helping to capture decent shots while zooming, which would otherwise turn out blurry.
The optical zoom can also be used while capturing a video that supports up to full HD video resolution.
Also worth mentioning is the size of a single image that runs around 7.5MB for a full 20 megapixel shot and since the internal memory is restricted to 8GB, a high capacity microSD card is highly recommended.
The Galaxy K zoom has a 2430mAh battery and lasts for 8-10 hours if you capture images continuously for an hour or more than day with moderate use.
To wrap this up, I would say the camera on the Galaxy K zoom along with the optical zoom and variety of shooting modes does come in handy but it is still not up to the mark where you’d want to skip taking a camera for your trip. Also, if you consider the device from a smartphone’s perspective, there are many other phones that offer better performance in the same price range.
Galaxy K zoom sells in India exclusively through Amazon India for Rs. 29,999 (Update: Amazon has temporarily slashed the price to Rs. 19,999).
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