At A Glance:

The Samsung Pixon12 is the follow up to the Pixon, and the key improvement that is being advertised is the increase in the camera rating from 8 to 12 megapixels.

In the box
- Transceiver unit
- 1 standard battery
- Charger set

Exterior
The earlier Pixon was touted as the iPhone-killer, and the Pixon 12 looks pretty much the same. By that we mean that it has a large screen with impressive graphics. There are buttons all around the side of the device, and the camera has an auto-shut lens around which the back cover fits.

The back cover has a big hole in its middle when you remove it from the phone. That happens a lot more than you would like because the back cover is one of the flimsiest that I have ever seen. It does not attach itself to the phone properly and frequently slips out with the slightest of pressure. You do not have to use the clasp to release the cover.

Buttons/Screen
The camera and toggle buttons are on the right of the device, while the micro SD slot and lock button are on the left side of the phone. The chrome lining around the side of the phone differentiates it from the original Pixon.

A tiny hole is on the bottom of the phone. We assume that this is the reset button since the manual was not provided with our prototype review unit. On top of the phone is the micro USB port used mainly for charging the device, and the rather useless clasp to hold the battery cover in place.

Hardware & Software
The Pixon 12 crams all its features into 108 x 53 x 13.8 mm in size and weighs in at 119g. This is surprisingly compact for such an obviously high-end device.

Full specifications can be found here: http://www.mobile88.com/cellphone/xxxxxxx

The Touchwiz 2.0 user interface functions over a 3.1 inch WVGA 480 x 80 pixel AMOLED touchscreen. Well, the actual measurement is 2.9 inches of lighted screen.

Camera/Video
The name of the phone describes itself. This is a 12 megapixel camera phone that is obviously a high-end imaging device. Here it is also apparent why there is a screen over the lens as the high sensitivity of the camera blurs your photos when you accidentally get a fingerprint on the lens.

You should take great care never to scratch the lens of the camera. I suppose you can get a replacement lens from Samsung if it comes to that, but this should be a hassle that you can do without.

The pictures taken with the phone are pretty good considering the megapixel rating of the device. The shutter is silent, so there was no way to tell if the photo has been recorded or not. On one hand, this is good because the recovery time from one photo to the next is very fast. On the other hand, you might find that there are a lot of double pictures because you were not sure if the phone recorded when you pressed down on the shutter button.

This is especially true when taking photos in broad daylight, as the flash does not kick in and you wouldn’t know if a photo was taken or not.

Connectivity
This is a HSDPA 7.2 Mbps phone. It supports 3G and two flavours of WiFi, namely 802.11b and 802.11g. GPRS is supported and HSUPA is supported for up to 2 Mbps.

Games
The games in this device are fairly decent. There is a version of Monopoly, plus the usual BrickBreaker, PyramidBloxx and Tetris. There is also BrainChallenge2 and Rollercoaster Rush 3D plus a tumbling dice application that rolls the dice around when you shake the phone.

Editor's Opinion
The Pixon12 is the pinnacle of the current crop of camera phones. If only they made the back cover a little better. Other than that, the camera is fairly simple. Just press the hotkey on the right side of the device. You can hear the lens cover snap open, and the viewfinder is ready to shoot in moments.

Conclusion: For photo buffs.

• Tags : Samsung Pixon12 M8910