The rise of the smartphone camera was seen as one of the final nails in Kodak's coffin when it filed for bankruptcy four years ago, but the American photography icon has returned with a premium British-built handset.
Kodak has teamed up with Bullitt, a Reading-based manufacturer that specialises in building unconventional handsets, to release the Ektra, a premium phone to go on sale this year.
![The Ektra has a plastic faux-leather finish and big camera bump - reminiscent of old Kodak cameras.](/web/20161028205909im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/7/a/l/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gs8v82.png/1477296539165.jpg)
The two companies hope to carve out a niche in the brutally competitive smartphone market by focusing on photography obsessives, rather than trying to challenge Apple, Samsung and Google directly.
The Ektra — named after Kodak's ground-breaking 1941 camera that ushered in an era of accessible photography — claims to far surpass the cameras on mainstream smartphones.
![Ektra's bespoke case also calls back to classic cameras.](/web/20161028205909im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/7/a/k/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gs8v82.png/1477296539165.jpg)
It features a 21-megapixel camera, advanced menus for tweaking shots and detailed editing software, as well as a dedicated shutter button and styling more reminiscent of a retro photography age than the glass and aluminium designs of modern handsets.
Although it is the second Kodak smartphone produced by Bullitt, it is the first that truly aims to capitalise on the company's photography credentials. A previous device, released in a low-key launch last year, was aimed at novices.
Bullitt, founded in 2009, does not build self-branded handsets that compete with bigger manufacturers but designs electronics for niche areas of the market by licensing well-known brands.
It builds ultra-rugged handsets for JCB and Caterpillar, as well as speakers and headphones for Ted Baker and Ministry of Sound. It is also developing a Land Rover smartphone.
![The Ektra has a physical shutter button.](/web/20161028205909im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/7/a/l/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gs8v82.png/1477296539165.jpg)
The Ektra, which will cost £449 ($715) when released in December, is going on sale first in the UK and Europe. Bullitt is holding off on a launch in the US, where sales are dominated by mobile networks. The company is talking with several retailers and operators about selling the device.
The Telegraph, London
2 comments
New User? Sign up