The Samsung NV40 has an 10.5 megapixel 1/2.33" CCD image sensor behind a Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan branded 3x optical zoom lens with a fairly typical equivalent focal length of 37-111mm. The lens includes optical image stabilization, and Samsung combines this with software anti-shake in both still image and movie modes.

The NV40 has a 2.5-inch LCD display with a higher than average 230,000 pixels for image framing and reviewing, but like many ultra-compacts, no optical viewfinder is provided. ISO ranges from 80 to 1600, with 3200 available at reduced resolution (3 megapixels or lower). NV40 metering modes include multi, spot, center-weighted and face detection, and the camera offers 14 scene modes to choose from, including Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Café, Food, and Self Portrait.

The Samsung NV40 has the ability to record VGA resolution (640x480) movies at a maximum frame rate of 30fps, and supports optical zoom while recording videos. Additional NV40 features include Samsung's Smart Touch user interface, a secondary Photo Style Selector (PSS) dial and Multi-Slide Show. Images are stored on SD, SDHC, or MMC cards, plus 20MB of built-in memory, and the NV40 derives its power from a custom lithium-ion battery pack.

The Samsung NV40 ships first from March 2008 priced at US$329 MSRP.