Panasonic has released the Lumix DMC-CM1 hybrid device which combines the digital camera and a mobile phone.
The concept is not an entirely new one, with Samsung and Panasonic trying their hands on finding success with such a hybrid. The Lumix 101P was one of the first attempts of Panasonic for such a hybrid, and at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, the company unveiled the Lumix DMC-CM1 which looks to bridge the gap closer between a traditional digital camera and an Android-powered smartphone.
The CM1 has finally been released into the United States market. Users that are looking for a mobile phone that can capture pictures with the quality of a digital camera, however, will have to shell out $999.99.
Hands-on testing by mobile device website Phone Arena of the CM1 revealed that the smartphone-camera hybrid is a slim camera but not as slim as smartphones usually are.
The design of the CM1 resembles a smartphone from the front, but looks like a compact digital camera from the back.
The CM1 packs a one-inch, 20MP sensor, which serves as the headline feature of the device that allows it to take images better than the cameras of smartphones. The hybrid is capable of shooting 4K video as well, powered by a 2.3 GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB worth of RAM. These specifications are not as advanced as most flagship Android smartphones in the market today, but with Panasonic's decision to not load up the device with lots of bloatware, the CM1 should operate smoothly.
The device comes with a 4K Photo app pre-loaded into the CM1, which will allow users to take still images from the 4K videos that they take. Another app, the 4K Pre-Burst app, will allow users to take clean images of objects that are moving fast such as vehicles and animals.
The internal storage capacity of the CM1 of 16GB, however, is a letdown for users. Thankfully, the device comes with an expandable memory option through a microSD card slot, which will be required when users begin to record 4K videos.
The CM1 is capable of both 4G LTE and Wi-Fi, and ships with Android 4.4 KitKat. The device, however, can upgrade its operating system to Android 5.0 Lollipop once the user receives their unit.
