Although Kodak almost reached bankruptcy at one point few years ago and has started pulling out of the digital camera business, it remains one of the largest film suppliers in the world. Now, the brand is also expanding its business in the smartphone market. While the IM5 released at the end of 2014 was not as successful as expected, Kodak is keen on getting its name heard in this field and is coming back with a new phone named after their classic Ektra camera.
The camera is still very much the essence of the new Ektra smartphone, which is first seen in its leather-like material at the back of the phone. Equipped with the Sony IMX230 image sensor, the phone features a 21-megapixel sensor behind an f/2.0 aperture and supports optical image stabalisation and 4K video recording, while the coating on the lenses enables more light to reach the sensor. The dedicated dual press shutter button with Kodak logo launches the camera with a double press and allows auto focus with a half press, as you would find on all modern DSLRs. The extra design at the bottom of the phone means holding the phone horizontally with a single hand feels like holding a camera.
The software offers a familiar scene selection dial experience that includes scene modes such as HDR, Landscape, Portrait, Macro, Sports, etc. In the Advanced Manual Mode the user can further adjust exposure, shutter speed, white balance and ISO like all advanced cameras. Powered by a 3,000 mAh battery, the phone is supported by a Helio X20 2.3GHz Decacore processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB memory (expandable with MicroSD cards). The smartphone will first launch in the UK and across Europe in December.
