Conclusion

Almost every day we see news of the next, great smartphone and more often than not one of the main selling points used by manufacturers is the camera functionality with recent models offering 12 and 18 megapixel parts. Everyone should know though that megapixels are not the be-all and end all of photography though. You can have a 20+MP sensor in a several thousand pound/dollar camera but in the wrong hands it means nothing.

In the case of the MV800 we put it up against one of the best Smartphone cameras available and the comparison was more than a little interesting. For overall image quality at auto both devices were more than adequate with the Samsung just having the edge in clarity in our opinion. Its extra pixels also give us a little more leeway in any cropping later but macro mode was much closer between the two with night mode just going to the smartphone.

There are two key areas where the MV800 improved on the Sony though. First up was panorama mode where the image produced by Samsung was wider, clearer and of a higher quality (the Xperia didn't quite cope with movement as well). Then we have zoom. For any scenario where zoom will be required the MV800 runs rings round even the best smartphone, there simply isn't any comparison and so anyone planning on taking shots at a distance when out and about, or on holiday should seriously consider this device.

The ability to flip up the screen and take pictures of ourselves, possibly with another person or showing a landmark/location in the background is also a big selling point for the Samsung. We also wanted to note the overall build quality of the MV800 which is great. The metal casing makes it feel durable and it is assembled well while being compact and light in weight.