Many of us would not associate Kodak with current generation smartphones, they recently announced the launch of their second smartphone, the Ektra. It looks nice, handles well and has a good camera. The phone itself is not a revolution for the smartphone industry as it is produced by a company who specializes in making ruggedized phones for the CAT brand, Bullitt.
Even though the main feature of this phone is the camera, it is not one of the best, using a Sony IMX230 sensor, it produces good looking pictures in terms of 2015 smartphone flagship cameras. It is probable that Kodak chose to focus more on the look of the phone by providing a retro aesthetic and including a leather carrying bag that looks like you’re carrying a camera which is also due to the camera hump on the back of the phone.
It is an interesting move, especially since we know it is not the first-time Kodak is launching a smartphone. The IM5 was not a hit, but Kodak continues to maintain its brand image, focusing on a different market instead. It is an interesting partnership as it allows Kodak to outsource a significant part of the phone design process to Bullitt, but it is unknown if Kodak would have managed to implement a better camera if they focused their resources more on the image sensor of the phone.
The nostalgia is there, and a lot will be interested in supporting an old beloved brand, but is this enough for Kodak? Nowadays, when flagship smartphones are becoming more and more affordable, it makes it easy for customers to choose another smartphone which has a better camera for a cheaper price. They may not look as retro and nice as the Kodak Ektra, but for a photographer, the image quality should matter more than nostalgia.
I doubt the disruptive potential of it as I was expecting a phone that focused solely on the quality of the images and videos it takes, having design and cost as secondary priorities. People who enjoyed the brand would be willing to purchase a much better phone as Kodak has always been associated with quality, and should not settle with last year’s performance.
Sources:
https://www.engadget.com/2015/01/09/kodak-polaroid-smartphones/
https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/20/kodak-ektra-camera-smartphone/#/
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13333632/kodak-phone-ektra-bullitt
Kodak for photography is just a brand. Currently Kodaks main business is Digital Printing & Enterprise and Graphics, Entertainment & Commercial Films. For this phone they’re just outsourcing all the design to another company and rent out their brand for marketing purposes. This is the same thing Nokia I’d planning on doing and will not really lead to successful phones being produced.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your post, I didn’t know that Kodak had already tried to gain a position in the smart phone market. I agree with your statement that there may not be enough disruptive potential – those who value a quality camera as opposed to other features form the niche segment for the firm. Considering that Kodak isn’t popular by many as a ‘smart phone’ producer, I think the firm should have tried to fully satisfy the aforementioned segment, as it will be hard to gain profits from other consumers. However, I do believe that the product may be popular for early adopters (of the smartphone/camera product) who place a heavier weight on product value as opposed to price. It will be those who would rather pay a little more for a unique retro product with a camera and smartphone function that will form the small customer market for the Ektra.
– http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/20/technology/kodak-ektra-smartphone-camera/
– http://www.ondigitalmarketing.com/learn/odm/foundations/5-customer-segments-technology-adoption/
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the interesting post.
I am actually pretty surprised to know that Kodak is now producing smartphones. I got very curious about the name, since Ektra was one of their cameras back in 1940s. Given company’s legacy, I was expecting to find an amazing camera with great resolution and outstanding image quality. However, given the cameras of the smartphone giants – Apple, Samsung and Google, Kodak Ektra is definitely lacking behind. But again, a spokesperson from Bullit, the company that manufactured Ektra, said that the phone is not intended to compete with those giants. Instead, the firm specifically targets photographers, going for a much smaller customer segment. Considering the specialisation of Bullit (such as rugged phones for CAT), I think that they are making a smart move targeting a niche. And, even if it is not a rival to more expensive devices from Google and Apple, Huawei’s P9 model offers a superb camera through collaboration with Leica for the same price. Another company trying to catch up in the smartphone race – Nokia, introduced Lumia 1020 with a 41MP camera sensor. However, it was not particularly popular, although its price was cheaper than Kodak Ektra. Nevertheless, the sensor is not the only determinant of picture quality, so I guess we will have to wait and see whether it lives up to its expectations. Kodak also did something very smart – it developed custom Android applications for its camera, and the phone comes with some editing applications pre-installed.
All in all, it is interesting to see Kodak trying to catch up after such a long time. For me personally, the phone is quite thick (9.69 mm as compared to 7.1 mm of iPhone 7) and buying a phone purely for its camera seems kinda pointless.
Hi Dan, I did not know Kodak still exists, thought they filed for bankruptcy a few years ago. Interesting to see that they have entered the smarrphone market. Seems like a very average phone to say the least, and not something that could bring them back to be a force to be reckoned with.