We've already seen four iterations of the Galaxy S4, including the mini, a model running stock Android set to be released this month, and the ruggedized Galaxy S4 Active. However, it seems Samsung has yet another Galaxy S4 up its sleeve. This past weekend, photos surfaced of a Galaxy S4 with a large zoom lens
attached to the back of the device. Word on the street was that this
phone was the Galaxy S4 Zoom. Today, Sony confirmed the device's
existence and revealed a little more about the S4 Zoom.Think of it as a cross between the S4 and Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Camera. The S4 Zoom looks to be thinner than the Galaxy Camera and sports a 16MP camera with 10x optical zoom and a 1.9MP front-facing camera. As with the Galaxy S4 mini and S4 Active, the device doesn't actually have the same specs as the original S4, just the same S4 branding. The S4 Zoom packs a 4.3-inch qHD display and a dual-core 1.5 GHz CPU coupled with 1.5 GB RAM. There's also 8 GB of onboard storage.
The Galaxy S4 Zoom is due out in the UK this summer, and will arrive in the United States in the third quarter of this year. Samsung didn't offer any info on pricing but it's definitely not a budget smartphone. If you're keen, best to prepare your wallet for the average price of a smartphone these days. Either that, or be prepared to sign a contract.
When rumors of the device initially cropped up last week and this past weekend, we assumed Samsung was saving the announcement for its June 20 event in London, but it looks like Sammy has something else up its sleeve for that event. The company has it billed as an Ativ and Galaxy event so we'll be seeing both Android and Windows devices next week. Stay tuned!
