Panasonic Lumix CM1 Camera-phone with 20MP Camera, 1080p Display and Snapdragon 801 Announced

Panasonic has been trying its luck lately in the Eluga series, which although has been promoted well, isn’t generating much returns for the company. Now, the well known Japanese manufacturer is stepping into the camera-phone segment, which has been on the rise lately, one of the best being the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom, and now that gets a perfect competition as Panasonic announces the Lumix CM1 camera, which runs Android OS and perfectly working as a smartphone at the same time.

Having a camera with resolution of 20 MP and an f/2.8 Leica DC Elmarit lens, the Lumix CM1 has a 1-inch sensor that is capable of shooting videos at 4K resolution, and just like in a camera, there is a dedicated shutter button and a slide that shifts between the smartphone and camera modes. If that isn’t enough for the dedicated camera users, Panasonic has placed a manual lens ring that allows to change the aperture, ISO and shutter speed.

While that was about the camera, here’s what makes this a proper high-end smartphone: a 4.7-inch 1080p Full HD display, 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, and the MicroSD card slot for the storage expansion to a maximum of 128 GB. The Panasonic Lumix CM1 is said to run Android 4.4 KitKat OS, and there is a 2600 mAh battery included in the device.

It is clear as Panasonic’s intentions to call this a great camera with smartphone features, than to make it a smartphone with a great camera, because the 21mm thickness makes you wonder whether this really is a smartphone. The camera lens extends out, with the purpose of adjusting the focus rather than assisting in zooming. The body looks classic, and the OS has a good list of pre-installed apps.

France and Germany is where the Panasonic Leica CM1 / Lumix CM1 will be available this November, with a price tag of 900 Euros. That is quite high when you compare it with the Galaxy K Zoom, but here, not only the camera but the internal specs and the display are better in the Panasonic’s CM1.