The pocket camcorder market is as popular as ever, because people want a simple and easy way to record videos on the go. As this market continues to mature, people are expecting higher resolution videos and additional features without taking away the ease of use. The Samsung HMX-U10 represents the first entry into this arena by Samsung and, on paper, it sounds quite a bit more appealing than many of its direct competitors. Does it deliver? Let’s find out.
Features at a Glance
As with other devices in this niche, the Samsung HMX-U10 was designed with ease of use in mind. All you have to do is turn it on, hit the record button, and your digital memories are stored onto the SDHC memory card that you have stowed into the side.
Available in your choice of black, purple, red, green, or silver, the U10 will capture full HD video on the go, dialing up to 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution should you so desire. You can also ramp it down to lower resolutions if you’re trying to keep the file sizes down.
Aside from its remarkably slim profile, the U10 also features a unique 7-degree body shape. This seems to come from the same philosophy that brought us the Alien Eye HMX-R10, also from Samsung, since this gives you a more ergonomic angle from which to shoot your videos.
Other highlights from the feature set include a time lapse recording feature, the ability to take up to 10-megapixel JPEG still photos, USB charging, a 2-inch color LCD, H.264 recording format, component video output, and a 90-min built-in battery.
What’s in the Box?
Opening up the box, you’ll find almost everything that you need to get started with your Hollywood movie-shooting career. Talent doesn’t come bundled, so you’ll need to bring that to the table yourself. You’ll also notice the lack of an included memory card, so you’ll need to invest in a good-sized SDHC card too.
Inside, you’ll find the Samsung U10 pocket camcorder itself, as well as the AC wall charger, USB cable, special component video cables, tripod adapter, wrist strap, quick start guide, user manual CD, and other supplementary documentation.
It’s a bit of a shame that Samsung didn’t include some kind of carrying pouch to go with it, because the assumption is that a pocket camcorder like this would best appeal to frequent travelers and road warriors. There is no lens cover, after all.
Design and Usability
Compared to the Flip UltraHD, the Samsung HMX-U10 is a fair bit slimmer and shorter, but about the same width. The U10 is roughly the same size as the Flip MinoHD, though I did not have one on hand for a side-by-side comparison.
The layout of the buttons is quite a bit different, however. There is still the power button on the side, but the main controls are not the same. There are three hard buttons underneath the LCD display and these are used to access the three primary functions: video, playback, and photo.
Unlike the Flip where you hit the big red button to start recording, you have to reach your thumb over to the smaller video button on the U10 to do so. This is not as intuitive. The five-way pad (along with the four additional buttons) is touch-sensitive and used primarily for menu navigation.
The slightly angled body and the placement of the video recording button left something to be desired, but I did find the tripod mount to be quite interesting. Instead of having the tripod slot located on the bottom, Samsung placed it on the side.
As a result, you have to use the included plastic adapter to offer a vertical tripod mount. This is not nearly as convenient nor as sturdy as a single metal screw mount in the base of the unit. I would have really preferred if Samsung used a more conventional design.
Still Photo Quality
One of the critical features that separates the Samsung HMX-U10 from many of its other pocket camcorder competitors is that it can take still photographs in addition to high-definition video. This can come in really handy when you just want a picture and not a movie.
However, you should not expect much out of this secondary functionality. Unlike even the cheapest of point-and-shoot cameras, you will not find any optical zoom here. There is also no flash whatsoever, so taking pictures in the dark can be a major pain.
The white balance is off too, and the lens is anything but wide angle. Don’t even think about taking any macro shots. Even from a wider angle, I found the picture quality to be about on par with mid-range camera phones.
As mentioned, since there is no flash and no real stabilization features, it is incredibly difficult to take decent pictures under low-light conditions. The above shot was taken in the evening under street lights in Downtown Vancouver.
The orange glow of the street lights really overpowers the picture, and the “fuzziness” can be attributed to lack of image stabilization.
Examining the Video Quality
So, if the ability to take still photos is meant to be a secondary feature, surely the primary function of the HMX-U10 will be better, right?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly pleased with how the Samsung U10 did with high-definition video either. I brought the pocket camcorder with me as I made my way around CES 2010, expecting it to be no worse than a Flip UltraHD. This wasn’t really the case.
Here is a video I took of the LG GW900 smartphone with Frank Lee of LG Canada.
You can see that the lens here is far too long, making it hard for me to have anything but Frank filling nearly the entire frame. The harsh red glow isn’t exactly nice either.
During my appointment with CoolerMaster, I shot the video with the U10 as well.
When we get to the portion with the new cases, you can see that the video becomes overexposed by the incoming daylight next to the hotel window.
Closing Thoughts
I went into the Samsung HMX-U10 pocket camcorder with the highest of hopes. I really liked the ability to have removable memory, as well as the ability to take still photographs above and beyond the ability to shoot 1080i video. These features would have put the HMX-U10 above the niche carved out by Flip Video.
On paper, the HMX-U10 totally looked like a winner and we were really hoping that it would be a “Flip Killer”. In practice, it failed to live up to these expectations. Both the picture and video quality were not up to par with many of its competitors, giving us over-saturated video and blurry photos. In effect, it didn’t really do anything well.
To add to the frustration, the placement of the video button is awkward and the touch-sensitive controls are not back-lit, making operation under low-light conditions much tougher than it should be. The concept is good, but the execution just isn’t there. We expect better from Samsung.
For now, I simply cannot recommend this product, especially at its price point of $199US where much of the competition lie. Not to mention, there is no memory included, adding to the cost of the device.
Pros
- Takes still photos and HD video
- Unique angled body design
- Easy-access SDHC memory card slot
- More features than many competitors
Cons
- Over-exposed video under higher light
- Near cameraphone-level photo quality
- Cannot handle close-up content
- Strange side placement of tripod screw
Overall Rating: 6.5 / 10.0
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Samsung HMX-U10 Pocket Camcorder – Photo Gallery
