Samsung Galaxy K Zoom: Is It a Camera That Takes Calls or a Phone That Takes Amazing Pictures?

All smartphones come with two cameras these days and, even if we find ourselves extremely happy with the quality of the images on a day to day basis, they are usually pretty terrible. I’m completely happy with my HTC One (M8) when it comes to taking pictures but I’m not a professional photographer by any means. If you are a professional, you’re probably not looking to rely on your smartphone to take pictures. However, if you are someone who likes to have a solid point and shoot camera for better quality pictures than your average smartphone, Samsung has the perfect device for your needs.

The Best of Both Worlds

The first question I like to ask about a device that is trying to be two things at once is what’s the tradeoff? You get something that either does both pretty averagely or you have a lopsided product that does only one of the things well. With the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom, you get the feeling that maybe doing two things at once doesn’t have to result in a tradeoff. The K Zoom is a solid Android smartphone, running the latest version of the OS with pretty great specs to back it up, you’re getting a solid Samsung smartphone with all the bells and whistles. If you want the typical colorful, fun Samsung smartphone, the K Zoom still delivers. It even retains the fantastic Super AMOLED screen with the best color contrast in the industry.

As for the camera side, you get an extremely powerful lens with a couple of nice features that give you great pictures that are similar to a lower end point and shoot. First is the sensor, a whopping 20.7MP that can record 1080p video. It also has a 10x optical zoom, a proper xenon flash, and optical image stabilization. Basically, all the features of a proper point and shoot in an all around smaller package than a typical camera.

A Lonely Niche

The thing about Samsung is that they like to make a whole bunch of different devices in the hopes that one of them will stick and sell. The K Zoom is yet another example of that philosophy but if you’re looking for comparable products, you won’t find one with all the same features. Some competitors boast some amazing specs but lack the zoom or OIS or the xenon flash. In other words, if you want a phone that can work as your point and shoot replacement, the K Zoom is for you.