In this article, I give you my Samsung Galaxy K Zoom review with specs included. Smartphone cameras thrive as mushrooms grow after rain. The photographs taken from their lenses were sufficient only for the necessary use.
Today, an increasing number of people are leaving classic dSLR cameras at home, leaving the care of photography to smartphones.
According to some law of common sense, the most expensive models have the best cameras. And while most of them base their performance on digital zoom, the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom plays it safe.
This camera phone has a great 10x optical zoom, which ranks it among the best cameras on smart devices at the moment. I have briefly introduced the duel between Samsung Galaxy K Zoom and Nokia Lumia 1020, but now it is time to get acquainted in detail with this interesting, but also unusual device, which comes as a successor to the model Galaxy S4 Zoom.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom design
This is a Samsung product. Therefore, it can easily happen that you mix it with someone else with the logo of the same manufacturer. The only thing is that the sides of this device are inverted in relation to the others, so the front side is where the screen is, while the rear has a massive camera. A plastic surface with silver edges and a standard center button is something we are used to seeing.
When we look at the other side, we will see that it resembles classic cameras. The large silver circle, where the optics are located, clearly tells us what the main part of this camera phone is.
Compared to its predecessor, there is no protruding hump where the battery was located. Now the device is much easier to hold.
Speaking of the battery, it is now located along the entire device, so the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom got the look of a classic smartphone, so now it is not a problem to take the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom and make a phone call. The difference can also be seen in the new button for taking photos and the lack of space for screwing the tripod on the bottom of the device.
Official data says that the K Zoom has 137.5 x 70.8 x 16.6 mm, which makes it one of the larger devices. Its maximum width is 20mm, which makes it impractical to hold in all pockets.
Also, the device weighs about 200g, so it is slightly heavier than standard smartphones. This means that if you are already used to carrying the camera with you, then the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom will not be a problem for you. If, on the other hand, you relied on taking photos with your phone, the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom can be a bit bulkier. At least until you get used to it.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom screen
The device has a 4.8-inch screen, which is more than enough to clearly see what kind of photos you took. The resolution is not at the expected level, but 720 × 1280 pixels will still do the job. The screen has 305 pixels per inch. Interestingly, this is noticeably below the screen that the Galaxy S5 has, which does not have the primary function of a camera, but it is clear that Samsung wants to show everyone which is their most complete device. This is a bit unusual because it is important that the cameras to view the photos taken in the best possible way.
In my opinion, Samsung had to install an HD screen, but what is there is. We also found another objection. When you get into taking high-quality photos, you’ll see that the 8GB of internal memory isn’t exactly an inexhaustible source. Fortunately, K Zoom has a microSD slot so you can expand it.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom camera
We come to the main part. I already said that this CMOS sensor has 20.7MP. The sensor is larger than any code from the phone, which enables better light capture, and thus better photos. Of course, there is also optical zoom, which is the right thing for real photos, because apart from zooming in on the subject, it does not allow the photo to lose quality, as is the case with all phones that use digital zoom.
Samsung’s camera-phone also has optical stabilization, which allows you not to stretch the image even at the highest zoom, but to make everything look as if you didn’t even turn on the zoom.
You will usually use the camera in Auto mode, but if you want to experiment, there are several other options, such as panorama, burst shooting, and HDR. HDR itself is especially interesting because it does not work on the same principle as other devices. He takes a few quick footgraphs and combines them into one, which is great, but a bit slow process.
We come to the part where LG would celebrate with the new laser autofocus technology. The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom doesn’t have that fast autofocus. We didn’t measure exactly how long it takes for K Zoom to take a photo, but certainly for about 2-3 seconds, which is not a world record, but quality seems to come first.
The photos are quite expected with a lot of details, even in the darker parts and without the washed parts. The balance of illuminated and unilluminated parts is not always the best, so photos can be a bit cold and dark.
By comparison, the Galaxy S5 takes pretty similar photos, with the veins not working like these. If you want a slightly more vibrant color in your photo, turn on HDR mode. If we already compare the K Zoom with the Galaxy S5, there is one thing where the leading phone cannot oppose the leading camera phone, and that is zoom. When you zoom in on something, the results of the two cameras will never be the same. This is where K Zoom will always have the advantage.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom specification and performance
As this device also has its “phone” side, it is worth mentioning that it works on the KitKat version of the Android OS with a recognizable TouchWizz interface, which makes it identical to the one with the Galaxy S. There are also recognizable options, but without S Health, because K Zoom there are no sensors needed for its operation.
Beneath the plastic and the sensor is an interesting combination. It works from a quad-core processor at 1.3GHz and a dual-core processor at 1.7GHz. So, the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom has six cores with a potential speed of 3GHz. Of course, this will never happen, because the device, depending on the complexity of the operation it processes, uses two or four cores. The goal is to reduce the pressure on the battery. By the way, K Zoom works very well, without any chopping. Whether you’re flipping through home screens, opening apps, or playing demanding games, K Zoom works very well.
The battery is quite good. We had prejudices towards the capacity of 2,430mAh, especially because K Zoom, in addition to taking photos, also has the task of posting those same photos on the Internet, which additionally consumes the battery. Battery life is similar to that of smartphones. If you don’t use all the options and don’t really want to take and post 200 photos on the net in one day, the battery will wait for the evening and time to sleep.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom Conclusion
Samsung is already used to this unusual type of device. Compared to the original Galaxy S4 Zoom, this model represents a breakthrough. Samsung Galaxy K Zoom is intended for those who want a good and reliable camera packed in the phone. Like any other multi-practical device, the K Zoom is not perfect, both because of the not so superior camera and because of the impractical dimensions.
Also, we said that the Galaxy S5 gives warmer photos, which should have been the other way around, but it wasn’t. Also, the speed of the camera is not at an enviable level, so if you don’t really need optical zoom, I think this is an overpriced toy that has an alternative in the form of a great Galaxy S5.
Either that or just buy a classic camera with better options and some cheaper phone and wear both only when you go on trips from which you know you will need good photos and the matter is resolved.