Over the years, we’ve seen smartphones do their best to replace the need to carry around a stand-alone digital camera or camcorder. Today’s smartphone cameras come closer than ever to meeting that goal, with advancements like backside-illuminated sensors and growing pixel counts. While we’ve had our eye on improvements to the imaging systems of smartphones, what about approaching the creation of phone/camera hybrid from the other side? That’s what Polaroid’s been up to, today announcing the Android-powered SC1630 Smart Camera.
The big difference between the SC1630 and a smartphone is that Polaroid is not about to trade-out lens elements in order to slim-down the camera’s profile. No smartphone manufacturer wants a reputation for being the one making chunky hardware, but Polaroid has no such qualms. That’s enabled the company to put a sizable 3x optical zoom lens on the SC1630, providing light to the camera’s 16-megapixel sensor.
The SC1630 features a 3.2-inch display, but much of its hardware is still unknown. That includes the Android version, processor type and speed, memory, and display resolution. As you’d expect, there’s no cellular connection by default, leaving you with WiFi to get online, but it will be available as an optional upgrade.
