The unique Samsung Galaxy Beam with its built-in pico projector is now available in Malaysia. Introduced at the Mobile World Congress early this year, the Galaxy Beam runs a dual-core NovaThor U8500 1GHz processor, with 768MB of RAM and 8GB of on board storage complete with a micro SD expansion slot.
The device features a 4.0-inch LCD display with an 800×480 resolution pushing out a pixel density of 233ppi. Picture taking duties is done by a 5MP rear camera with 720p HD video capabilities and a 1.3MP camera at the front. The Galaxy Beam runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box with a generous 2,000mAh battery as a power supply.
The Galaxy Beam’s built-in projector is capable of projecting images and videos up to a size of 50 inches diagonally. The projector’s brightness is rated at 15 lumens which is similar to the 3M Mpro150 that we’ve tried some time back. The brightness is ok but not great and you will need a really dark room to get any depth from the projected image or video.
With the pico projection element built into the device, you can expect the Galaxy Beam to be thicker than the current crop of smartphones in the market and it is with a thickness of 12.5mm and weighing in at 145 grams.
The Galaxy Beam retails for RM1,599 and despite Maxis talking way back in March this year about making the device available in Malaysia, U Mobile is the first and only operator currently offering plans for the Galaxy Beam. The device is available from U Mobile for as low as RM909 with contract.
Having a pico projector built right into a smartphone is a novel idea but this is one product that’s definitely targeted to a specific niche and if you’re in the market for a smartphone that’s also a projector. Taking that into consideration, RM1,599 for a phone that’s also a projector is maybe not that bad a deal.
Details on the Samsung Galaxy Beam plans from U Mobile right after the jump.