Overview:
Convergent technology sounded like a great idea when it first hit the scenes. No longer would you need a separate device to take holiday snaps, call your bro to gloat about being at the beach and pump out your tunes to the annoyance of sunbathers around you; you could theoretically do all of this on just one piece of kit. The trouble with this concept though, was that instead of a great camera, great phone and great MP3 player, you got mediocre versions of all three in your one device. Now Samsung have stepped up to the plate with its new Pixon 12, a mobile phone with a 12 megapixel camera included. So does it do everything as well as individual gadgets can? Let’s find out.
Review:
Samsung has beaten Sony Ericsson to the post in producing the world’s first 12 megapixel phone. The Pixon 12 is due in shops this month, while SE’s 12 megapixel Satio is still yet to be seen, and probably won’t be until 2010.
We don’t usually jump straight in to talking about a single phone feature in our reviews, but the camera on this handset just can’t be ignored and other Pixon 12 reviews think the same.
The previous M8800 Pixon was packed with an 8 megapixel snapper which made us go “ooh!” at the time. Now with a 12 megapixel camera lens, is there really a noticeable quality difference?
The short answer is, yes. The inner-workings of the Pixon 12 have also been ramped up with 4000×3000 resolution, which will provide you with some impressive intricate detail in your happy snaps.
Samsung has also assured everyone that this handset will feature a top-quality 28mm wide-angle lens, so as long as the phone’s sensor is also up to scratch, the Pixon 12 should produce picture quality almost up to standard of an actual camera. Sadly, for a camera sensor to be made small enough to fit into a phone, chances are that this may end up being the Achilles heel of all of this otherwise beautifully married technology.
There’s not much point in all this jazz if you end up with over or under exposed pictures depending on where you’re taking them. The Pixon 12 therefore also comes with a range of helpful functions to make sure that the high-res picture of your mate ordering a round at a darkened bar comes out perfectly.
Samsung has provided a dedicated shutter button, as well as touch auto-focus so that whatever point you touch on the screen will lock-in a focal point to track moving objects like a fast car or drunken gesticulation.
Smart Auto mode will adjust to different light conditions, while other features such as face, smile and blink detection and geo-tagging means that you can’t but help to get the best out of using the camera on this phone.
The Pixon 12 also saves images quickly for a cameraphone so that you can take your next shot within a speedy 2 seconds.
You also have the chance to shoot Spielberg-esque video at 30fps with 720×480 pixel resolution.
Moving on from the photographic abilities of this handset (finally!), the Pixon 12 comes with 150MB of on-board storage but can stretch to up to 16GB with MicroSD expansion.
The screen itself is a 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, making it all the better for your YouTube viewing pleasure.
Connectivity-wise, we’ve been treated to Wi-Fi access as well as the previous round-up of Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA/HSUPA.
Samsung has also provided the necessary entertainment features including an FM RDS radio, DivX/MP4 player, music and video player, plus a variety of games to kill a Sunday afternoon.
There is even an almost boring PowerPoint and PDF document viewer. Well I guess you never know when you need to show someone a graph.
All in all, Samsung has really come up with the goods in this handset which is not only packed full of features, but comes with a bit of quality gravitas.
The Gaj-It Verdict:
Design: 8/10
Usability: 8/10
Features: 9/10
Value: TBA
We Say:
The sleek-looking Pixon 12 M8910 has really broken through the semi-decent convergent technology mould, and we’ve ended up with a top quality cameraphone packed with features that would do any jeans pocket proud.
4 thoughts on “Review: Samsung Pixon 12 M8910”
Great review. I wonder where the megapixel war in mobile phones will end? Will we see a 24MP phone in the not-too-distant future?
The Pixon 12 therefore also comes with a range of helpful functions to make sure that the high-res picture of your mate ordering a round at a darkened bar comes out perfectly.
could we have some proof of this,some flash photo’s would be nice!!
I made one mistake buying the G800, don’t want to waist another 2 year contract
I have had this phone for 24 hours so far, an upgrade for my Nokia 5800 Express Music. At first, it took a bit of getting used to, especially as I used my previous phone a lot for mp3’s. Downloading onto the Samsung is interesting, and it took me some time to figure out how to put the music downloaded onto the memory card (not covered in very small instruction booklet).
The phone itself is very smart, and it actually feels quite light. It’s certainly not much bigger than my Nokia. The touch screen is very sensitive, and texting is so easy as you only need a light touch. The Nokia was a bit funny at times with predicitve text, but the Samsung is so quick, and Samsung’s list of alternative words is very good.
I must admit, I’ve only tried the camera on a couple of shots of my cats, so can’t comment on this too much, apart to say that the pictures were very clear, even in low light.
Now, the big question is, do I prefer it to the 5800? Well, both have their good points. I must admit that I found the Nokia’s mp3 player to be much simpler to organise & use. However, the Samsung has a lot going for it and I think I will love it in the end.
Ho letto i diversi commenti ma quello che più interssa e quando questo pixon 12 m della samsung esce in vendita in italia.