On October 2 I wrote that Samsung Electronics said it would introduce a five megapixel camera phone by the end of this year. Now I read in The Chosun Ilbo that Samsung will introduce the phone by the end of this month!
The article reports sources saying Samsung has "recently finished the production of its 5-million pixel camera phone."
Three megapixel camera phones are available in Japan and South Korea. Is any manufacturer offering a four megapixel camera phone?
There are at least two major considerations to keep in mind: How will cellular networks be able to handle such large files (answer: they won't, not for some time)? Also, lots of pixels don't necessarily mean you get a great photo. The entire package (sensor, lens, software, etc.) has to be good, too.
How about the 3rd major consideration - how much will it cost? With a camera that big there is little, if any insentive for the carrier to subsidize it. After all, what will they get out of it? It might actually be that customers will prefer a real camera rather than a sub-optimal phone version unless the price is good.
Posted by: MediaGuru | Tuesday, October 12, 2004 at 06:52 PM