Review - Samsung Pixon M8800 Ultimate Review

Samsung Pixon M8800 Ultimate Review

Who is Nick Turpin and what are his adventures? Well, if you have been following the release of the latest mega-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung Pixon, you will probably know! Nick Turpin is a street photographer and he has been let loose with the Pixon to photograph his life in detail for a month. Is there a much higher recommendation than a professional photographer agreeing to use a cameraphone to showcase his work?

The Pixon was initially thought to be known as the Bresson, an equally ridiculous name but perhaps less ‘photo’ than Pixon, when it was spotted in picture form on the Internet and joined the ranks of the other 8 megapixel camera phones expected before the end of the year. Currently a war between Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG – Nokia have remained neutral so far – the Pixon will be up against the Sony Ericsson C905, the Samsung INNOV8, the LG KC780 and the Renoir KC910.

But to standout these days, a massive megapixel shooter is only the start, your new phone has to have a few other top-end features and one or two super-special ones to attract the buying public’s interest. So, has Samsung achieved this with the Pixon? Find out in our comprehensive review.

First Impression of the Samsung Pixon M8800
It’s All About the Megapixels.

But is it? Well, the Samsung Pixon’s 8 megapixel camera is certainly impressive, but it’s by no means a one trick phone, as there’s plenty more to experience inside. However, Samsung have really gone to town with the camera features and software to make this a true camera/phone hybrid.

Samsung Pixon - Eight Megapixel Equipped.

The 8 megapixel lens is mounted inside a raised section on the top rear of the Pixon M8800. It’s designed to look and feel like a regular point and shoot camera and indeed can be held on the exact same way, making it a very comfortable companion. There is autofocus and a powerful flash for taking the best pictures possible and a secondary lens for video calling on the front panel.

Software Enhancements.

The Pixon’s similarity to a regular point-and-shoot camera continues with the ample selection of software tweaks for the camera. First we have face detection, blink detection and smile detection, then an auto-panorama mode along with an advanced shake reduction system. There is also a 16x zoom option, but since this is a digital zoom, you probably won’t worry about it too much.

Fun Additions.

Face Link is a clever way to make your photos interact with your phonebook! In a similar way to Facebook, you can link the faces of your friends in picture form to their entries in your phonebook, making it easy to send an SMS or make a call to them as you browse your saved snaps. Live Pix is a doodling program with a difference. First you can scribble amusing mustaches or black eyes over a picture of your friend, then save the file as a Flash animation and watch the transformation from before to after. Then send it to them!
Innovative Photo Album.

The Samsung Pixon has a built-in accelerometer which does something a little more than simply auto-rotate the screen when you change the orientation of the handset. When you’re looking through your pictures in the album, instead of pressing a button to advance, just tip the Pixon M8800 in the direction you want to go and the next picture will scroll smoothly into view!
Geo-Tagging GPS.

GPS is featured inside the Samsung Pixon M8800 and as well as being Assisted-GPS, it also supports geo-tagging, so you can tag your pictures with the exact location where you took them.

Samsung Pixon M8800 - Outstanding Features.

The camera may be the Samsung Pixon’s headline feature, but they haven’t left it at that as there are a few other very interesting features hidden inside its sleek, touchscreen casing.

The Sound of Music.

As usual, Samsung have included their excellent MP3 player with support for the majority of common file formats. Unfortunately there is no 3.5mm jack plug for your own headphones, but there is an FM RDS radio.

Versatile Video.

What the Samsung Pixon M8800 lacks in musical features, it makes up for in video. The large screen is perfect for a movie and since the phone supports DivX and XviD file formats, there should be plenty of compatible files to enjoy. Videos and pictures can be viewed on the big screen thanks to the addition of a TV-Out socket.

Incredible Sound.

The LG KC910 will feature Dolby Mobile, but for the Pixon M8800, Samsung have decided to include their own sound enhancement tweaks in the form of their SRS sound system. This gives a virtual surround sound from the Pixon’s stereo speakers and is often found in Samsung’s TV’s.

Fast Data Connections.

Samsung have omitted to include Wi-Fi on the Samsung Pixon M8800, preferring to leave such things to the more business-like Omnia, but have made the phone 3G with full 7.2Mbps HSDPA support. You also have EDGE and GPRS just in case, plus A2DP Bluetooth and a USB connection for data transfer.

Samsung’s Minimalist Style.

Since the Samsung Pixon M8800 is a touchscreen mobile phone, there is little to break up the simple-looking case aside from three buttons under the screen. But Samsung have still managed to make an attractive phone and have kept the dimensions to a very good level – the best on the market in some areas.

Touchscreen Operating System.

The Samsung Pixon M8800 employs a similar operating system to that found on the F480 Tocco, the TouchWIZ. In addition to the full touchscreen experience, the home screen is fully customisable with the addition of widgets scrolling down the side of the screen ready to be dragged into use. These widgets can be added to by downloading more from the Samsung website.

Impressive Battery Life.

There are plenty of power-hungry applications inside the Pixon, yet Samsung still quote a 300 hours standby and a talktime of around 4 hours.

Market Leading Dimensions.

Samsung claim the Pixon M8800 to be the slimmest 8 megapixel cameraphone on the market, beating the LG KC910’s 14mm thickness by .2mm. The remaining dimensions are good, with the screen taking up a huge 3.2” of the flush front panel and displaying a resolution of 240×400. Weight has also been kept in check, with a final total of 121 grams.

Masses of Memory.

With an 8 megapixel camera, the pictures you take are going to swallow up your available memory, so even though an internal 200MB sounds generous, it will disappear after a few snaps have been taken! Luckily, there is a MicroSD card slot ready to take your storage cards up to 8GB in size.

The battle of the megapixels has only just begun, with all the contenders yet to make it on to the market. However, Samsung have taken an early lead with their two impressive shooters, with only LG challenging them at the moment. No doubt Sony Ericsson’s C905 will be impressive, and the upcoming Blackberry Storm will also be hot, but for now, the Pixon is the cameraphone to watch.