Samsung announces EK-GC100 Galaxy Camera with Android Jelly Bean, massive 4.8-inch display, 21x zoom, WiFi and 4G connectivity (hands-on)

During a visit to Samsung's headquarters in Korea earlier this year, we had a chance to talk shop with company execs. The electronics maker's existing mirrorless and point-and-shoot lineups were the primary topic of discussion, but we did catch wind of a Galaxy product possibly to come, from the camera division. A Galaxy camera? That could only mean Android, and a heavy heaping of touch and connectivity. At the time, reps admitted only that they were "considering" such a device, and declined to provide any hint as to design or functionality. And we haven't heard a further peep, until today. As you may have gathered from recent rumors, Samsung's Galaxy Note II is not the only product to be Unpacked this afternoon. Sure enough, the anticipated Galaxy Camera is also on order, and we have all the juicy details just past the break.

Samsung Galaxy Camera hands-on

Samsung Galaxy Camera Press Shots

Nikon beat Samsung out the door with its Coolpix S800c -- a 16-megapixel snapper powered by Android 2.3.3, but this latest version is an entirely different beast. The entire back of the camera is occupied by an edge-to-edge 4.8-inch 1,280 x 720-pixel (308 ppi) display. It looks like something you'd find on a cellphone, like, say, the Galaxy Note -- having a touch-enabled viewfinder on a compact camera is certainly advantageous. There are still a few hardware buttons on board, including a flash release (there's a pop-up strobe in the top right corner), a power button, zoom toggle and shutter release, but you'll spend most of your time interacting with the Galaxy Camera through touch. With the Auto mode, you'll have access to a touch-to-focus system while leaving the rest of the computing to the camera. Smart Pro Mode is Samsung's version of intelligent auto, offering ideal settings for 10 different scenarios, such as the Waterfall Trace and Night Trace options, which slow down the shutter speed for daylight and evening shoots, respectively.

Despite the Galaxy's rather large profile, Samsung opted for a standard 1/2.33-inch BSI CMOS sensor, capable of 16-megapixel snaps. Don't expect top-of-the-line image quality, but the 21x, f/2.8-5.9, 23-480mm lens will let you get far closer to the action than any smartphone on the market today. This latest point-and-shoot falls within Samsung's SMART lineup, which means there's surely WiFi on board. There's also 3G and 4G connectivity as well, though, delivered from the carrier of your choice through a micro-SIM that slides in beside the microSD card and 1,650 mAh battery, which Samsung reps say can provide up to seven hours of battery life while connected.

Naturally, there are plenty of options for sharing. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's on board, so you can add any of your favorite imaging apps from Google Play (yes, even Instagram -- a future update will add zoom functionality, too). There are also plenty of native sharing and sorting options, including a device-wide search tool that lets you locate shots based on a face tag, location or time. Best Group Pose will automatically select the ideal portrait of you and your friends, while Share Shot lets you use WiFi Direct to send content to your buds with Galaxy cameras and smartphones in realtime. There's also an Auto Cloud Backup feature, which provides redundancy by sending your photos wirelessly as you shoot -- assuming you're connected to WiFi or a wireless carrier.

We had a chance to shoot with the Galaxy Camera for a few minutes today. The camera we had was clearly an early prototype -- we did experience focusing issues and a colleague's device locked up during the demo -- but considering that it's not set to ship until October, Samsung has a bit of time left to work out the kinks. Otherwise the experience was quite positive; we found the camera to be very responsive and intuitive, especially if you're already familiar with Android. Upon boot-up, you're met with a typical Jelly Bean home screen, with a standard Camera shortcut, located front and center, launching the advanced interface. You can, of course, use the device as a data-only smartphone of sorts as well, surfing the web, responding to email and consuming media just as you would on any other Galaxy.

Without standard phone functionality, the Galaxy Camera won't replace your smartphone -- not to mention that the rather bulky form-factor would end up being quite a nuisance -- but if you don't make calls, this could theoretically be the only device in your (rather spacious) pocket. We can't speak to image quality just yet, as we weren't permitted to transmit samples, but based on the existing SMART line, it's safe to expect perfectly acceptable, though not spectacular stills. The device is set to begin shipping in October, and will be sold through camera retailers as well as carrier outlets, though pricing has not yet been released. Catch all the details directly from Samsung in the press release just below.

Update: During its IFA press event today, Samsung confirmed additional specs, including a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and sensitivity through ISO 3200.