REVIEW: Samsung G800: Photographer’s cam-phone

Samsung redefines the term “camera phones” with the G800, the five-megapixel behemoth which also boasts of a Xenon flash, 4X digital zoon and 3X optical inner zoom.

This is a quick review, focusing on the phone’s strength.

Under the hood of this phone are the following: GPRS, EDGE, 3G. HSDPA. Bluetooth, data cable connectivity, an MP3 player, speaker phone, FM radio and mobile printing functionality.

With its 3G and HSDPA capabilities, the user to can immediately email or blog any of the high-definition videos or photos he/she has taken through high-speed wireless internet.

If the D880 is a bit thick, the G800 is way thicker. It is made of solid silver metal, except for the screen which is of glass with black trim. The keypad is flat, with white backlights.

Users will enjoy personalizing the phone through the different choices for clock and dialing displays.

When put down on a table, its backside really looks like a point-and-shoot digital camera. Sliding down the lens cover immediately activates the camera function.

The screen is generously sized for the user. It is bright and colorful, allowing users to make full use of the camera for either taking photos or videos.

The camera is great — for the comprehensive choices given to the user and the camera menu that is provided in a manner similar to regular digital cameras. You may forget that it is a phone.

The camera menu gives the user many choices. One may take a single shot, a multi-shit, even a mosaic shot. Frame and panorama shots are also available. It also gives five lighting choices: auto, daylight, incandescent, fluorescent and cloudy. Photo effects that may be used include grey, sepia, negative and antique.

There’s a wide range of image sizes for shoots: 640×480, 1280×960 (1.3 megapixel), 1600×1200 (2 megapixel), 2048×1536 (3 megapixel) and 2560×1920 (5 megapixel).

Video clips may be sized 320×240 or 176×144, and the length is dependent on the available memory.

The quality of photos taken using the G800 is very excellent.

Like a true 3G/HSDPA phone, the G800 has a second camera on the upper right portion of the screen to enable both voice calls and self-portraits. The resolution of the front camera is way above average. You may have very decent 3R photos made from shoots made with this front camera — so one can just imagine the versatility and power of the main 5 megapixel wonder that is at the back.

To help amateurs and other aspiring lensmen, a help button is also available on lower right hand of the screen when on camera mode. It also has a micro-SD expansion slot located at the right side of the phone.

Photo of the G800’s right side with the camera shutter button:

The verdict: This is a definite good buy for amateur and professional photographers who wish to have one less gadget — either they chuck their phone or the trusty point-and-shoot backup digicam that they bring along with them. The G800 can competently replace any point-and-shoot camera and can in fact perform better than many of them. (SRP: P20,000.)

PHOTOS BY MARK B. BAUL.

Previously: The Samsung D880

Next: The Samsung P520 Armani Phone