At the IFA conference in Berlin, Samsung has just announced the Galaxy Camera, a 4.8-inch Android-powered camera with WiFi, 3G (or 4G) connectivity, and a quad-core SoC.
See, digital cameras have lost their swagger. With the combination of pretty decent micro lenses and smartphones, the digital imaging sector has been left to the serious hobbyists and professionals. But Samsung, following a precedent set by the Nikon CoolPix S800c, is looking boost the point-and-shoot business with a dash of Android.
The camera has a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with 21x zoom. But when you flip that bad boy over, you won’t see a little 2-inch LCD. Instead, you’ll be met with the familiar Android homescreen (Jelly Bean, no less), on a 4.8-inch 720p SLCD display.
An Exynos quad-core SoC will sit under the hood, along with a 3G (or 4G) radio, Wifi, an expandable memory card slot and a 1650mAh battery.
It’s almost like an iPod touch, but with a focus on images instead of music. With the success of Instagram, and the general popularity of photo sharing, I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung’s digital camera performance sees a slight bump thanks to the Galaxy Camera.
The GalCam will be sold by wireless operators in the fourth quarter of 2012, much like smartphones.