Samsung Galaxy NX Pro Reviews

Unusual, expensive, yet strangely compelling

We had a sense of déjà vu while testing out the Galaxy NX. It brought to mind some of the things we encountered with the Galaxy S4 Zoom, mainly the difficulty of making a camera/smartphone hybrid experience work as well as it should. But the difference here is that the Galaxy NX is a far stronger camera. The Galaxy NX is a legit product, but, still, it demonstrates that simply slapping an Android device into a camera doesn’t completely solve the connected camera issue. Sure, you have the ability to share really nice photos whenever, but it’s at the expense of usability. For casual users looking for a smart device that can shoot great photos, $1,700 is a lot of money to spend – for anybody. If you want a connected device and can live without Android or cellular connectivity, get the NX300 and a really good smartphone instead. This is one camera you definitely want to try out at your camera store. It’s easy to get entranced by the Android UI – the people who saw us using it thought it was awesome. We must admit, having Android onboard can be extremely useful and fun, and there’s potential for some great third-party apps, but Samsung needs to put back some proper camera controls and better integration between smart device and camera in the next version – perhaps a special Android-based UI. Ultimately, it’s the price that’s bothersome. If it was priced at around $1,000, we could easily overlook all the quirkiness. This is definitely early-adopter territory.

To borrow a footballing analogy, the new Samsung Galaxy NX is very much a game of two halves. In the first it delights with excellent image quality and the compelling ability to edit and share your images via the Android OS, but in the second it fades away as the convoluted interface, slow processing times and sky-high price detract from the overall performance. The Samsung Galaxy NX is a brave but ultimately flawed first-generation product, too expensive to entice more casual users to invest in the better image quality that it delivers, and not professional enough to tempt keen enthusiasts away from rival interchangeable-lens systems. In attempting to bring together the best features of the Samsung Galaxy and NX300 cameras, with a little sprinkling of the older NX20's DSLR-like design, Samsung have ended up with a product that ultimately won't satisfy any of its target user groups. That's not to say that we don't like the Galaxy NX - it delivers excellent image quality, fast and reliable auto-focusing, a rich feature-set, and a much better sharing experience than other comparable cameras - it's just that we can't see exactly who will stump up the eye-watering £1299 / $1699 asking price, especially as that doens't even include any data costs to take advantage of the 3G/4G connectivity. Ultimately we think that the Galaxy Camera serves the consumer better, and the NX300 the keen prosumer - and that's not even looking outside the Samsung family. Despite its huge potential, we can't justify recommending the Samsung Galaxy NX until its price, performance and user interface issues have been addressed.

For the gadget obsessed, where money is no object, this camera can work well, particularly as a point and shoot camera. If you simply point and shoot without changing many settings, and shoot in JPEG only, you will be extremely pleased with the high image quality this camera produces. You also get access to a good range of Samsung NX lenses, and the large 4.8inch screen on the back is simply gorgeous, the best on any camera currently available. With Android, Wi-Fi, and a MicroSIM slot it is extremely easy to share photos straight to the internet, and with 50GB of Dropbox storage provided, as long as you have a reliable internet connection you could use this as a backup destination for all your photos. However, for anyone who shoots raw, this camera could end up being extremely frustrating, or for those that regularly change settings, with long delays possible it could result in missed shots. With the high price, you would expect advanced amateurs to be purchasing this camera. Or perhaps professionals thinking they could shoot for example a wedding or other social event on location, and then quickly upload photos for the couple or guests to view on Facebook, but I wouldn't recommend anyone use this camera for professional work, due to the general slowness, failure to write raw files to MicroSD, and the camera locking up after settings have been changed. If you shoot with manual focus, or regularly want to fix the focus point to a specific point, then this could also be a problem as the camera has a regular and annoying habit of forgetting your last settings regarding focus. Something that just shouldn't be happening in a camera costing this much, and we hope there is a firmware update designed to fix these problems.

Overall we're a little stuck in limbo land when it comes to scoring the Galaxy NX. Undeniably good image quality is what really carries the camera, decent operation and great sharing features are other positives that also give it plenty to shout about. But the physical size and exorbitant price will be at odds with some buyers. There are moments of brilliance, for sure, but it feels like a starting point rather than a fully revered solution - and when it reaches that level this could well be the future. And that's something for the biggest imaging manufacturers to consider, as the Galaxy NX is a nod to the future.

The Samsung Galaxy NX isn’t your average premium-priced snapper. With a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and a range of interchangeable lenses, this is the priciest, most high-end Android camera yet. Out front, there’s an 18-55mm lens, with a barrel-mounted i-Function button for setting the aperture, shutter and sensitivity. Beyond that, the thumbwheel and shutter release are the only other controls: all the other features are accessed through the 4.8in touchscreen, where some nifty layouts let you quickly tailor your settings with a tap and a swipe, or a twist of the wheel.

The Samsung Galaxy NX is an interesting concept. After using it over a prolonged period, you really get the sense this is the direction more interchangeable lens cameras will be taking in the future to appeal to the younger generation who regularly like to let others know where they've been and what they've photographed via social media. For more traditional digital photographers who enjoy the process of editing images on the the computer and aren't concerned about instant uploading and sharing, it's unlikely to be used to its full potential and many features may never be used. The Galaxy NX is an improvement on every area of the Galaxy Camera. Not only does it offer more versatility with its interchangeable lens design, it shoots in Raw, feels much more refined in the hand and doesn't require you to pack a number of spare batteries to get through a days shooting. There are a few lenses still missing from the NX-series range, such as a fast standard prime, but Samsung have said that by 2016 there will be as many as 20 optics to choose from in the line up to make it a more appealing system.