[Samsung Galaxy S 4 Zoom] One Twelve:
Depends what you compare it with. What do you need the camera to do.

Full manual control without manual focus or RAW output. might see raw with lolipop. How fast do you need photo taking to be, its not as fast as an m8. 3-4 seconds to get the first shot vs little over 2s with the m8.

For someone that does not want a carry a dslr then an rx 100 would be better. If you already have a phone. But i use this almost every day where i don't need an rx 100. Just something capable to capture the moment when it happens.

No problems with daylight visibility, amoled screen is a bit more blue but does not bother me. 4.8 inches is just right for me.

i don't have an issue with 720p screen but then i've never owned a 1080p phone and from what i've seen do not really see much difference. Photos look a little better but its still a small screen in the end.

What is your requirement. is 8GB an issue.. is the increased weight (mine is 237gms with a case) a concern. Compacts suck in dust which can end up on the sensor and affecting photos so a case from day 1 that covers the entire lens is preferable for the long term. Possibility of dust on the sensor never happens with other phones.

People looking at note, galaxy s or z are into form factor. They also like design and looks. If you've had phones like these for some time now then it will be different with the k. To go with the k you've got to want enough what the k offers over its cons and want little more than traditional smartphone cameras can offer.

if you're a camera buff than fixed focus is more constraining than having a zoom. The question is do you need 10x or would 4x do. i find myself using 2-5x more often and less out to 10x. Don't mind 10x, it can be handy. Even 4x will get you better portraits and allow you to make better panoramas. Longer shutter speeds means you can play with light painting or even blue hour that others can't do. A 3:2 aspect in an android phone. iphone has had it forever but on android only the zooms or CM1 but with the rest its either 16:9 which is very limited or 4:3 which isn't as big as 3:2. Losing 10% of 20MP in the process isn't a big deal. 3:2 is std in the printing industry which is why dslrs and compacts have it. Bracketing is very useful with night shots where you want exposure but also to avoid overblown lights. Three exposures allows more control to mask and blend in post.

There are more devices with optical zoom coming out this spring so i'd wait for those than note 3, s5 or z2.

Can't answer this until the competition comes out or even the successor to the k. I intend to stick with mine for some more time. Better image quailty isn't going to sway me nor will 1080p, 16GB or a faster cpu. Smartphones are starting to mature now as well as the OS , going by the groans i hear from some reviewers, nothing really new any more just ongoing refinement and more expensive upgrades. xperia, galaxy s & note are nearly 5 generations old now. LG kept if fresh though, each of the three was fairly unique. Liked the Optimus G the most for design.

What's new and unique anymore. I like having something nobody has and this device did not sell much in my country (india) , they imported like 5k units and sold out by November. None of the street shops had it, just online sales exclusively. Compared with the usual flagships that import in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

K is not an obvious choice and i nearly missed it as traditional phones condition one to think in a certain way and this thing comes out of left field and the first question people ask is whether its a phone or a camera. Its a camera with a phone. You won't get a wow response from people with this device more like a curious 'what is that thing' reaction followed by an oh. This thing is so damn l33t it still does not get its own forum on xda :D

Do check out the k zoom group on flickr.