Exterior and Design
The Galaxy S4 Zoom has a physical dimension of 125.5 x 63.5 x 15.4 mm. From the front the Galaxy S4 Zoom looks just like a Galaxy smartphone such as the Galaxy S4 or the Galaxy S4 Mini. But, when it is rotated to different angles, it's never a regular smartphone. Obviously the device looks different is shape. At the bottom of the rear portion, it owns a waved shape just like the Galaxy Camera. The lens which is kept at rear in three folds is finished in silver shade, which gives a rich look to the device. We can say, yup! the design is all right. Well, it doesn't sound the design is great. Because, we feel the gadget is not is proportional, especially when the eyes are stared at rear. The designers should have done a better job. Still, the design might be gorgeous as it is depended upon everyone concept.
Display
It's only the name tagged the S4. There is nothing taken with the name from the flagship smart-machine. The Galaxy S4 Zoom comes with a 4.3 inch, Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. It has a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. Multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 16M colors are the other added features of the display. Still, the device lacks Full HD, which should have been there in an electronic equipment like this. This is really a poor approach from Samsung engineers. And those who prefer bigger screen will be disappointed. Still, it's all right.
CPU and Performance
If you want a best performing smartphone, this is not your choice. It's a blend of a smartphone and a camera. So limitations are seen here. Nevertheless, the firm never dissatisfies anyone. It has been equipped with a 1.5 GHz, Dual-core, Cortex-A9. It seems like the performance is just below the best labelled smartphones available in the market today. Along with it, the assistance of 1.5 GB RAM makes things easily done without lagging and stuck. Remember, the device is intended for photography, not for gaming. So this CPU and its overall performance is more than enough to offer the best way of digital photography.
Operating System
No wonder, it's run by the same Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), which is used in all flagship smartphones of big brands. The firm hasn't announced anything whether the gadget OS could be updated or not. Still, we can guess that update will be possible in each call. There has been rumours on Android OS v5.0 Key Lime Pie. If so it will be updated to that version too. Currently, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, and Sony Xperia Z are using the Jelly Bean version.
Camera
This is for why one should buy the Galaxy S4 Zoom. The smart-machine is coupled with a 16 MP with Xenon flash. This is precisely the first mobile phone to offer 10x optical zoom (24-240mm). So with this you can even reach out to the farer frames which is impossible by flagship smartphones. Moreover, autofocus, 1/2.33'' sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, optical image stabilization, HDR, and panorama are attached as additional features of the camera. Meanwhile, a 1.9 MP rear camera is offered to make video calls.
It is so simple to access into camera. A dedicated shutter button, which is easily discoverable, to activate camera mode has been placed. Or we can activate it by clicking the dedicated widget given in the smartphone. Once the camera mode is switched on, the lens gets pulled out very smoothly and does the thing very quietly. And for zooming in and out, you need to stress with physical buttons any more. Everything is possible within the touch screen so easily. Still, zooming is possible turning the shutter of the lens.
It has a special feature called “in-call share” that allows us to share pics with the caller while we are in a call. This is absolutely amazing.
Internet and Connectivity
The device certainly carries forward the specifications and features of high-end smartphones. And internet is faster here and even faster than some flagship devices. It is stapled with GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. It is even possible to make 100 Mbps speed via 4G network. Well, 4G is optional. It depends upon the country.
Storage
Having 8 GB internal memory is fine. However, only 5 GB can be used. Still, we can increase it up to 64 GB via microSD card. This seems absolutely awesome to take pics up to a total 69 GB. But guys, you should know that 64 GB memory cards are bloody expensive.
Battery
What all we made will collapse here. Because, a Li-Ion 2330 mAh can do nothing. There is no official confirmation about its battery back up. I don't think that this battery is enough to hold the device for a long day (12 hours). Moreover, the lens is bigger and the flash too. These will catch more power to work on. So I really doubt whether Samsung can win here.
Price
The official price of the Galaxy S4 Zoom is not yet announced in India. It sounds that the UK price for pre-order is £467.99, which is approximately Rs.43,000. If it launches around this pricing in India, it will be definitely a failure.
Verdict
If you're crazy in photography and you always want to carry a digital camera to take high quality pictures, which cannot be done with smartphones, this device might help you for sure. Or else you just leave it. Because, it is bulky and has a disproportionate shape. You can't carry it in your shirt's pocket. When you carry in your trousers or jeans' pockets, it looks bulged and you might be stared and teased. Also the pricing is really gonna be a tough issue for Samsung. Anyway, it is clear that the Galaxy S4 Zoom neither gives the quality of an SLR camera nor perform like the Galaxy S4 or any flagship device. So think just 100 times before you decide to buy this machine.
Pros
16 MP Primary camera with Xenon flash and 10x optical zoom
Dedicated for photography
Cons
Imbalanced design makes it look bulged
It isn't easily portable just like the regular smartphones.
To more about Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and its special features for photography, just see the video given below. Here is all you want to make stunning pics.
