Kodak wants a slice of the smartphone market, and its recent Ektra handset is an Android-based device that takes a leaf out of the company's lengthy experience with building analog cameras.
The company mistakenly leaked a photo of the new Ektra at the beginning of the month, and now we have a full image of the gadget.
The device features an artificial "leatherette" back that sports a slightly curved grip on one side and a dedicated shutter button on top. Taking the camera resemblance further, a protruding lens stands out from the back, with a 21-megapixel Sony sensor (IMX230) under the chassis.
Kodak aims to cater to the needs of mobile photography enthusiasts, but seems to forget that most smartphones are already packing decent to great cameras.
A special nod goes to Ektra's camera app that is in tune with the make-believe retro exterior. The app sports a digital "Scene Selection Dial," which opens access to classic shooting modes such as Manual, Sports, Macro or Landscape.
The phone has full integration of Snapseed as the main photo-editing app, but users who are more into using Adobe Lightroom, Prisma or VSCO can tap into those as well, via widget. What is more, Kodak embedded a new Prints app into Ektra, meaning that users can order photographs and books.
Taking a peek under the vintage-looking cover of the Ektra, we find both mid-range and premium hardware. The phone relies on a 10-core MediaTek Helio X20 CPU for processing power, which is backed by 3 GB of RAM.
Storage space starts at 32 GB, but those planning to have large photo galleries can ramp that up via a MicroSD card up to 128 GB. The juice will be flowing thanks to a 3,000 mAh battery that features Pump Express fast charging. The screen of the smartphone is a 5-inch display capable of 1080p resolutions.
On the software side of things, a rather pristine version of Android is in store, plus the few Kodak apps mentioned earlier. Ektra comes with Marshmallow 6.0 pre-installed, but the manufacturer has said nothing about the Nougat landing on the device.
Kodak plans to release the handset in December in Europe at a price of £449 ($551).
No official plans for a United States rollout are in store, although company representatives promised to keep an eye on the demand in the country and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Preliminary experimenting with the camera on Ektra proves that Kodak has made an effort, but some affirm that the company's resources are better spent on sticking to its original guns. This said, some people might find high value in the retro design, leather case and preloaded apps of Kodak's second smartphone.
