So, while 12Mp might be overkill for any mobile phone, Samsung has come up with a gamut of easy to navigate photo features that, arguably, make this the best mobile phone camera currently available.
A front facing camera is included for video chats
Still on the audiovisual, we watched a few AVI movie trailers. While initially jerky, the handset only took a few second to get into its stride and play smoothly. The accelerometer comes in handy here, as elsewhere, pushing the screen into wide format for a better viewing experience. The speaker proved quite loud, albeit a little tinny, yet perfectly fine for short-term viewing. DivX fans will be pleased to note that this playback is ‘certified’ to a maximum 320 x 240 resolution.
Apart from its S8000 Jet, Samsung, once again, shoots itself in the foot by using micro-USB for the headset connector. Still, at least this time around there is a 3.5mm connector just past the microphone so you can use your own headphones or a Bluetooth headset.
Our review sample didn’t have Samsung’s headset included, but using our own headset the sound quality was good enough. There are plenty of equaliser presets to fiddle with. An RDS FM radio with oodles of presets and a recording facility helps the audio capability along. It also has a front camera for video calling.
There is 150MB of built in memory and a micro SD card slot for adding more. A 2GB card is provided to get you started. The manual states that the Pixon 12 supports micro SD and micro SDHC cards up to 16GB, although it didn’t like our 16GB SanDisk card for some reason.
Marked cards: supports 16GB cards, but not ours
This is an HSDPA 3G handset supporting download speeds up to 7.2Mb/s as well as Wi-Fi and GPS. With Wi-Fi networks, the Pixon 12 made and kept connections well enough, but didn’t find all the networks near us nor did it get very high signal strength. Still, the important thing is that, everywhere we tried it, the connection was good enough to get on-line.
Next page: Sample Shots
COMMENTS
@Youvegottobe Joking
My beef is with the credulous reviewer failing to have any perspective - yes, I am well aware that people who don't know better will buy the thing because of the megapixel number. But reviews are supposed to reflect reality, not parrot marketing material, and thus HELP people NOT make those mistakes. The sample photos posted here are not in any way shape or form "clear and of good quality", by any objective measure.
The best you could possibly say is that they're marginally better than the 5mp camera on a $100 phone. But the reviewer just lets the hype skate. That's the problem. The reviewer explicitly said that the phone existed to be a camera - so your argument is that we shouldn't complain about the camera quality because it's obviously not going to be good? Huh?
If the thing is meant mainly to be a camera, then the only reason to choose it over a DSLR is size - and there's no reason at all to choose it over a pocket point-and-shoot of similar size and far better glass quality - and then put the difference toward buying a really nice phone. The job of a review is to point this stuff out, and that wasn't done.
3.2mp
My K800i produced some awsome photos, 3.2mp is all the normal person needs PERIOD
if the dam thing had not kept breaking down I would still be using it.
whats with the numpties comparing a phone camera with digital cameras and DSLR's?
This phone camera is not meant to replace your digital camera. Of course the pictures from even a decent 5Mp camera can be better, they have bigger sensors and lenses etc. But this is on a phone that you carry everywhere with you and will take a picture when you otherwise would have had nothing. No-one is expecting to get DSLR or even good 5Mp camera quality pictures, but this phone camera will do when there is nothing better.
Obviously most people/consumers/sheep think that 12Mp phone cameras are going to be better than the ones on the last phone model so that reason along with ITS THE LATEST PHONE LOOK AT ME I AM COOL will be the main reason people buy this model and ones like it.
I dont expect wedding photographers are going to be pulling this out and taking snaps when the groom puts the ring on the brides finger. So can the camera snobs please gtfo and get a life.
@Pointless !! #
Why don't u think before u start typing ? The camera has a nice wide angle lens. Divx at 320x240 on a 3 inch screen is fine, in fact the pixels will be much smaller than the ones on a 1080P TV with a 32 inch screen. And as for the phone only being aimed at the people who are going to buy it.......well who else would they aim it at ?????
@Dick Emery Yes so many mugs are spouting bull about pixel density that a few companies are using a reduction in mega pixels as a marketing gimmick and your falling for it.
"Clear and of good quality"?
What are you smoking? Or have people stopped looking at actual photos, so now they think that noise-reduced, interpolated, smudged crap looks good?
How about this: Here's what a mid-level DSLR setup will do, from a friend of mine in the Czech republic. It doesn't cost a whole lot more than this phone, I suspect:
http://don.vn.cz/photos/springdogwalk/01.jpg
http://don.vn.cz/photos/mazda3night/03.jpg
THAT is "clear and of good quality" - not the tripe sample shots you posted. And they're barely 1 megapixel as displayed. Huhh...
If the main reason for that phone to exist is the camera, then the lot of them would do well to pop out of existence immediately.
