Kodak company presented to the public its own cameraphone EKTRA

Smartphones have long played the role of universal tools. They replace people with mobile phones, radio, players, some - tablets and computers, and almost all - cameras, if we are not talking about professional filming.

The ability to take high-quality photos in the age of social networks and Instagram has become for many consumers decisive when choosing a smartphone. In the wake of indiscriminate photography “on the phone”, even a separate type of artists and photographers was born who use only smartphones as cameras, refusing professional equipment with a motivation, which doesn’t need to transfer a fine-tune camera.
')
Against these preferences, Kodak made another attempt to break out of stagnation and enter the digital market: today a twenty-megapixel Kodak EKTRA photophone was introduced.


Kodak Camera Phone from various angles

The term "photophone" or "cameraphone" was widely used by one of the first to be introduced by Microsoft after buying the Nokia brand. Nokia Lumia 1020's forty-megapixel photophones were fundamentally new devices on the market: while other brands were chasing performance and software enhancement of photos, Nokia and Microsoft went all-in and focused on the camera.


Nokia Lumia 1020 in docking station

Unfortunately, the unpopularity of the OS and suspicion of the then “newcomer” of the market did not allow the device to go “to the masses”, but it certainly gathered its part of the audience.

Along the same path, we decided to go to Kodak, starting from the glorious past of the company. EKTRA is not trying to be a killer device of the iPhone or the flagships of other companies, but relies on the ability to take photos of a fundamentally different quality than with other devices.

Kodak Photophone has most of the settings available on full-size digital cameras. In addition, the manufacturer does not hide information in the menu, but on the contrary, displays it in the frame of the image on the screen for a clear understanding of the shooting mode:



Known device specifications:

• 5 "Full HD IPS display (441 ppi), resolution 1920x1080;
• Camera: 21 megapixel with f / 2.0 aperture and Sony IMX230 sensor (used in Sony Xperia Z3 +), dual LED flash;
• 13 megapixel front camera;
• 3 GB of RAM;
• 32 GB of flash memory;
• 3000 mAh battery;
• MediaTek Helio X20 processor;
• Android OS 6.0;
• the ability to shoot video in 4K;
• Gorilla Glass on screen and camera lens
• USB 3.0 Type C.

In the modern world, 32 GB of flash memory, some of which will be taken over by the OS and applications is not entirely serious, especially with a 21 megapixel camera and shooting 4K video. But, judging by the information on the manufacturer’s website, the photophone has an expansion slot for microSD cards, so the problem with the place for storing photos is more than solved.

EKTRA reminds of both the Nokia device and the classic “soap box” from Kodak itself. The camera protrudes slightly behind the case, and at the base of the photophone there is a thickening that makes it even more like a camera.



Another manufacturer offers themed cases that are more similar to the same covers for "soap trays" from Kodak:


Photo: The Verge

It creates a persistent feeling that the developers did not want to create a smartphone with a camera function, as in the case of the Nokia Lumia 1020, namely a digital camera disguised as an Android smartphone.

This is evidenced by so much in the design of the device, which only stands out with the sharp edge of the “lens” of the camera of the device, which other manufacturers diligently “smoothed out”, even if it remained a projection on the “back” of the smartphone, as well as advanced shooting modes. In the case of EKTRA, it is immediately clear: as with a camera, without a case, wearing this device will be simply barbaric.

Sales will begin in December in the UK at a price of 449 £ (about 34,500 Russian rubles at the current exchange rate), and later spread throughout Europe. EKTRA will reach the USA not earlier than 2017.