The Galaxy K zoom speeds down right onto our review track, ready to take on any cameraphone contender. This speedster is equipped with a 10x optical zoom and OIS and if you were to see only its back, you would hardly recognize you are staring at an Android smartphone with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED...

20.7MP camera - 1/2.3" sensor, 10x optical zoom (24-240mm), optical image stabilization, xenon flash, 1080p video camera, 30fps and 60fps modes, 2MP / 1080p front-facing camera, 4.8" Super AMOLED, 720 x 1,280px, 306ppi; Gorilla Glass 3 with ambient light sensor, Android OS v4.4.2 KitKat, Exynos 5260...

Thicker and heavier than a regular smartphone; No 2160p video capture; Manual camera controls are hard to use

Samsung Galaxy K zoom is 4.8 inch device, running on latest Android KitKat OS and powered by Hexa-Core (1.7GHz Dual + 1.3Ghz Quad) processor. It is available for price tag Rs. 29,999 from amazon.in and for £400 from Samsung Galaxy e-store in Europe.

KitKat OS; Decent battery life; Excellent camera performance

Extra size and weight; Expensive

The smartphone has claimed many scalps - the portable games console, the MP3 player, the satellite navigation system - but the point-and-shoot camera has clung to survival because a large, zooming lens doesn't sit neatly with smartphone designers' lust for thinness.

Superb camera with unrivalled zooming capability; Sharp and bright display; Removable battery; Expandable storage

Chunky compared to regular smartphones; More camera features than most will use; Lower screen resolution than others; Poor internal storage

After the Galaxy S4 Zoom, Samsung Mobiles have launched the Galaxy K Zoom (SMC-111) in India. This is a smartphone that comes with 20.7MP rear AF camera with 10X optical zoom. This single SIM handset runs on Android KitKat and is loaded with Exynos 5260 hexa core chipset.

Samsung makes plenty of quality electronics products and we've been taken by many of its smartphones and cameras over the years. Now it's condensed much of that expertise into one phone-camera (or should that camera-phone?): the Galaxy K Zoom.

4G connectivity for fast and direct sharing; Android is a great operating system; full phone with all the apps you'll need; more slender than S4 Zoom; image quality about on par with equivalent compact

Camera components still make it feel horrible as a phone; mere 8GB internal storage; zoom button placement feels off; some image processing and lens sharpness issues; no aperture/shutter priority modes

: The Galaxy K Zoom has a proper zoom lens. If you want an excellent snapper with great zooming capabilities this could be the one.

Cameras and phones have well and truly merged by now, but has the phone really replaced the camera? Not yet, as far as Samsung is concerned, but that could change with its latest release, the K Zoom, which integrates a 10x optical zoom 20 megapixel camera with - you guessed it - a phone.

One of the most versatile smartphone cameras you'll find today; Looks more phone-like than the last Samsung camera-phone hybrid; Supports fast 4G connectivity

Chunky; No infrared; The odd performance glitch here and there holds up the phone; Shutter button doesn't go right into the camera like it does on other phones

Let's just get this out of the way now. Touchwiz; you either love it or hate it. My first Android smartphone was the original Samsung Galaxy S I9000 "iPhone killer". I didn't mind TouchWiz back then as I had nothing to compare it to, plus it didn't feel that heavy.

4.8″ HD Super AMOLED screen is bright with vibrant colours; MicroSD card slot up to 64GB; Great point-and-shoot camera with various modes; Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box

Only 8GB on board storage; Device is slippery and a bit top heavy; Doesn't sit flat due to camera lens; Navigation keys are reversed

The Samsung Galaxy K zoom moves the concept on from its last incarnation with 4G connectivity and a beefed up camera spec, though it's now lost the bulge grip. It's still very much a low to midrange digital camera masquerading as a mid- to high-end mobile phone, but if you need a phone with a...

Advanced camera; decent processor; expandable memory

Screen doesn't do the pics justice; bulky and heavy; battery life not as good as it could be

Here is what we know; this is a phone made for photography fanatics who want to have a serious camera and a smartphone all at once so if you can handle the size and build of the phone, keep the Galaxy K Zoom in mind.

Superb camera with 10x optical zoom; Android KitKat and decent processor

Limited internal memory and bulky design