Samsung bringing G800 5-megapixel cameraphone to US
updated 10:50 am EST, Thu December 20, 2007
Samsung G808E at FCC
Samsung's high-end G800 slider phone should be available in the US, according to a newly posted set of FCC filings discovered by Electronista. The company will bring over a variant known as the G808E that should retain the 5-megapixel camera, 3X optical zoom, and face recognition found in the original but will be tailored to the American market; while the current model is limited to only European and southeast Asian radio bands, the new document reveals support for the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands needed to work in the US.
The phone is also known to include HSDPA mobile Internet access in its original version and may use this technology if brought over for service with AT&T, the only current major carrier to support the standard in the US. Bluetooth is also confirmed in the new device and is likely to be accompanied by a microSD card slot, though whether the original phone's front video calling VGA camera will carry over to an American release is unknown.
An exact release date, if any, is uncertain; to date, the document only includes an FCC label that confirms its viability for the US. Samsung has asked for a roughly six-month confidentiality window on photos of the device in FCC testing, suggesting the finished G808E will be ready closer to late spring or early summer.
