UK

Kodak Ektra 'photography first' smartphone goes on sale

The Kodak Ektra is aimed at users who see photography as a priority 
The Kodak Ektra is aimed at users who see photography as a priority  The Kodak Ektra is aimed at users who see photography as a priority 

A Kodak smartphone aimed at photographers has gone on sale at a pop-up store in London.

The camera giant has opened The Kodakery in Soho to give consumers the chance to buy the Ektra smartphone ahead of the full European launch on Tuesday.

The new phone, which is named after one of Kodak's cameras from the 1940s, has a 21-megapixel rear camera as well as a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. In comparison, the rear lens on Apple's iPhone 7 is 12 megapixels.

Upon announcing the phone in October, Kodak's chief executive Jeff Clarke said the firm wanted to build on its "rich history in imaging technology" and that introducing a new phone "demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing the latest advances in photography to consumers".

The Ektra phone, which costs £449, runs on Google's Android mobile operating system. The camera giant has pre-installed editing software and apps onto the device designed to aid photographers in their work. Kodak says the device is the first "photography-first" smartphone to launch.

It is also capable of capturing video in 4K ultra high-definition - like several other flagship smartphones launched in 2016 - but also has a shutter button to mimic the design of a traditional camera.