Samsung Galaxy Camera review: a 21x compact shooter brought to life by Android

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/)

There were no heckles, boos or crickets for Samsung's reps back at [IFA](http://www.engadget.com/tag/ifa2012). But it's fair to say that the atmosphere following its [unveiling](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/samsung-ek-gc100-galaxy-camera-hands-on/) of the Galaxy Camera was as muted as it was polite. It didn't help that most journalists in that meeting room were there primarily to see the [Galaxy Note II](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/08/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-review/), which was undoubtedly the show's headline act. It was also worrisome that Nikon had recently released a half-hearted Android camera of its own -- the [Coolpix S800c](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/nikon-coolpix-s800c-android-camera-pricing-ship-date-details/) running on lowly Gingerbread. And finally, some folks in the room -- ourselves included -- may have been put off by Samsung's talk of "convergence," in reference to the fact that the Galaxy Camera has a micro-SIM slot for HSPA+ cellular data. After all, the whole notion of converged hardware has lost the sheen it once had. [Hybridized](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/samsung-ativ-smart-pc-hands-on/), perhaps. [Modular](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/25/asus-padfone-2-review/), maybe. But please, not a camera-phablet.

Here's the thing, though: the Galaxy Camera is _not_ a converged device. It's a camera, plain and simple. It just happens to be one that's hooked up (in a multitude of ways) to the glorious world of Android. More specifically, we're looking at full-throttle Jelly Bean sitting astride the same optically stabilized 21x zoom lens and almost half-inch 16-megapixel sensor that have already been deployed in Samsung's [WB850F](http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/samsung-unveils-four-wifi-enabled-shooters-smart/) WiFi camera. These are components which far exceed anything you'd find in even the most [image-conscious](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/nokia-lumia-920-review/) smartphone. If you want to put a label on it, it's probably more meaningful to describe all this as _software_ convergence. The same OS and cloud-connected apps that have so radically transformed phones, tablets and TVs are now also being deployed in a camera -- and there's no reason why they shouldn't be just as invigorating in this new role. At the very least, don't dismiss this device as a curiosity until you've read our take on it.

**Gallery: [Samsung Galaxy Camera review](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/)**

[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/#5428483)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/#5428472)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/#5428482)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/#5428476)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/#5428463)

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Filed under: [Cameras](http://www.engadget.com/category/cameras/), [Wireless](http://www.engadget.com/category/wireless/)

[Samsung Galaxy Camera review: a 21x compact shooter brought to life by Android](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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