Samsung launches 'Galaxy SIV' with 10x optical zoom

After a series of leaks, Samsung has officially unveiled its latest smart device ahead of a planned event later in June.

Samsung claims its latest product, which it calls revolutionary, realizes the company's mission to create 'a single device that can fulfill the role of both an industry-leading smartphone and a high-end compact camera.' The Galaxy SIV Zoom features a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with 10x optical zoom, which is activated by twisting the lens's housing or 'Zoom Ring' -- like on a DSLR camera.

Samsung has also assigned other phone and camera operations to the zoom ring for ease of use and speed of access such as photo sharing and filter selection.

As well as some serious camera technology, the Zoom also includes a host of features and applications focused on helping users create the best images in all conditions and in creating and sharing albums. For example, when facing a global landmark such as the Eiffel tower, Zoom owners have access to something called Photo Suggest, a catalogue of existing images of the same subject taken by others in order to help compose the best shot.

In terms of its physical appearance, the device will be a shock to those used to thin, light and streamlined phones that slip into a pocket. From the rear, the phone does look remarkably like Samsung's Galaxy Android digital camera, but slightly smaller and with the added ability to make voice calls, send text messages and browse the net. The phone portion of the device is based on the Galaxy SIV Mini but Samsung hasn't released any details regarding the smartphone's processing capabilities, internal memory or screen resolution yet.

The company had been planning a special launch event for the phone but issued official details and photos of the device following a series of detailed leaks about the device including a full hands-on review with high resolution images that appeared on a Russian website on Tuesday.

The official launch event gets underway on June 20 in London.