The newest Android-powered camera from Samsung gets a fresh design, a new processor, NFC, and some more cool shooting options, but keeps the original's lens, sensor, and great 4.8-inch screen. by Joshua Goldman January 2, 2014 8:00 AM PST (Credit: Lori Grunin/CNET) The market for a mobile-broadband-connected camera may still be small, but Samsung's Galaxy Camera definitely didn't go unnoticed when it arrived in late 2012. That attention likely benefited the Wi-Fi-only version that followed in 2013. And now we have gen two. The Galaxy Camera 2 doesn't stray too far from the original formula, though. It has the same 21x zoom wide-angle lens and 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor as the first-gen model. Its giant 4.8-inch HD touch screen remains as well. Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 gets Android 4.3, retro redesign (pictures) 1-2 of 8 Scroll Left Scroll Right It's now wrapped in leatherette and trimmed in metal saying, "Look at me, I'm a camera, not a smartphone." Still, it is running on Android 4.3 Jellybean, so it can do all of the stuff that a newer Android smartphone can do. That's especially true thanks to a new speedier 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Oh, and NFC joins the camera's Wi-Fi to simplify pairing with NFC-enabled devices. You'll find some new shooting modes, too, including one for better selfies and a movie option that lets you speed up or slow down your video frame rates at will. Plus, it gets a desperately needed larger battery pack. You can read more about its features in the slideshow above or wait till it arrives in stores. I'd love to tell you when that will be, but Samsung didn't announce availability or pricing (though I'd expect it to be around $500).
The newest Android-powered camera from Samsung gets a fresh design, a new processor, NFC, and some more cool shooting options, but keeps the original's lens, sensor, and great 4.8-inch screen.
(Credit: Lori Grunin/CNET)
The market for a mobile-broadband-connected camera may still be small, but Samsung's Galaxy Camera definitely didn't go unnoticed when it arrived in late 2012. That attention likely benefited the Wi-Fi-only version that followed in 2013. And now we have gen two.
The Galaxy Camera 2 doesn't stray too far from the original formula, though. It has the same 21x zoom wide-angle lens and 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor as the first-gen model. Its giant 4.8-inch HD touch screen remains as well.
It's now wrapped in leatherette and trimmed in metal saying, "Look at me, I'm a camera, not a smartphone." Still, it is running on Android 4.3 Jellybean, so it can do all of the stuff that a newer Android smartphone can do. That's especially true thanks to a new speedier 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Oh, and NFC joins the camera's Wi-Fi to simplify pairing with NFC-enabled devices.
You'll find some new shooting modes, too, including one for better selfies and a movie option that lets you speed up or slow down your video frame rates at will. Plus, it gets a desperately needed larger battery pack.
You can read more about its features in the slideshow above or wait till it arrives in stores. I'd love to tell you when that will be, but Samsung didn't announce availability or pricing (though I'd expect it to be around $500).
