Samsung to debut Smartphone-turned-Projector, Galaxy Beam

Mobile World Congress will be host to the announcement of the Galaxy Beam, Samsung’s second iteration of the first Android phone that packs a projector.

“Galaxy Beam provides mobile freedom, enabling a unique shared experience around digital content for everyone - anywhere and instantly,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

The first Beam was released back in July 2010 to the Asian and European. As the first Android phone to sport a Droid 2.1 OS, packed with a pico-projector, the Beam finally made it to North America about a year and a half ago.

The new Galaxy Beam is a slightly upgraded version of its predecessor, with changes to its OS, screen size and exterior design. Its OS has been upgraded to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and its screen size has been expanded from 3.7-inches to a full 4 inches, though the resolution remains at 480×800 pixels. Despite the brick-like design of Samsung’s first iteration, the latest Beam sports a sleek, albeit thick, exterior at 12.5 mm - 2.4 mm thinner than the original Beam.

The device is fitted with a 15-Lumen LED-powered, nHD projector. Unfortunately, Samsung has surprisingly skimped out on the camera: the device comes with a 5MP rear-facing lens, a strange downgrade from the 8MP camera on the first Beam. Overall, the Galaxy Beam is fairly middle-of-the-road in today’s mobile phone market. From what we can discern, the incentive to purchase this phone lies solely in its projection capability for the purpose of entertaining guests ,or using it as a backup projector for meetings.

With the first Beam’s retail price at nearly $600, we’re expecting a similar price point for the Galaxy Beam. But for that price, you may as well invest in a hand-held projector, and save yourself $400. As far as straight phone specs go, the Beam’s 1.0GHz dual-core processor is greatly overshadowed by the debut of LG’s Optimus 4X HD, a powerhouse revealed at Mobile World Congress 2012, which boasts the first ever quad-core processor in a smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy Beam’s price is has yet to be announced, and should begin selling first in the UK in April.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share