A new smartphone aimed at photographers: The Kodak Ektra

posted Friday, October 21, 2016 at 3:00 PM EDT

Eastman Kodak Company and Bullitt Group have announced the Kodak Ektra smartphone. The device follows in the footsteps of other camera-centric smartphones such as the Nokia Lumia 1020, which might be considered a camera first and a smartphone second. Named after older Kodak models, the Ektra features a rear-facing 21-megapixel sensor with a fixed f/2.0 lens, and a front-facing 13-megapixel sensor with a fixed f/2.2 lens.

The smartphone component of the device uses the Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) operating system, with a 2.3GHz Decacore processor and 3GB RAM. Internal memory is 32GB, and is expandable with MicroSD cards. The device uses a 3000mAh battery.

Most smartphone photography apps do not offer advanced control over camera functionality, like being able to change the ISO speed, white balance and shutter speed, where the Ektra appears to be have been built from the ground up with these functions in mind. The camera app is controlled by a haptic-touch selector dial reminiscent of something you'd find on the top of a DSL camera.