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Eyes on Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom (pictures)

This smartphone's 10x optical zoom makes it more point-and-shoot than phone.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 15 James Martin/CNET

Eyes on Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom

One look at the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and you'll agree: it's a camera with a smartphone, not a smartphone with a camera.
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2 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

Zoom, baby, zoom

You can operate the 10x optical zoom by rotating the element or using on-screen controls.
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3 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

Use at your own risk

Warning: If you're not using a Bluetooth headset, you will expose yourself to certain ridicule.
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4 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

Not so pocket-friendly

The Zoom's a tight fit.
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5 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

High profile

The lens rises two inches above the phone's face. That and the camera grip make it easier to hold onto, but a little lumpy.
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6 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Wake up!

If the phone's unlocked, you can press and hold the shutter button to launch camera mode.
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7 of 15 James Martin/CNET

Taking shortcuts

Turn the lens from the home screen to select and launch common modes.
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8 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

A la mode

The camera app settings contain even more modes for all sorts of lighting situations and creative effects.
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9 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Expert controls

For more advanced photography, you can set white balance, metering and ISO; color; and shutter speed and aperture.
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10 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Android backbone

The Zoom runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean like its S4 cousins. It's a smaller phone than the original Galaxy S4.
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11 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

Storage and more

There are only 8GB of internal storage on the Zoom, but a microSD card slot holds up to64GB more. It's equipped with a tripod mount on the bottom edge.
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12 of 15 Josh Miller/CNET

Battery compartment

The battery is fully removable, and resembles a point-and-shoot camera's compartment.
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13 of 15 James Martin/CNET

Blast off!

Here you can see the profile of the lens, the headset jack, and the IR blaster for remotely controlling your TV.
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14 of 15 James Martin/CNET

Truly gripping

The bump you see is the Zoom's hand grip, which incorporates the device's Micro-USB charging port.
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15 of 15 James Martin/CNET

Flash forward

The Zoom's auto focus light sits next to the xenon flash.

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