The Huawei Ascend P7 is an ultra-slim 4G/LTE-capable Android smartphone with two camera modules. The main camera has a 13-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, an f/2 lens and a flash, whilst the front-facing camera features an unusually high resolution of 8 megapixels for selfie enthusiasts. Other highlights include a 5-inch, 445ppi Full HD touchscreen, 'Voice Photo' function, quad-core 1.8GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory and a 2,500mAh battery. Running Android 4.4 KitKat, the Huawei Ascend P7 carriees a recommended retail price of €449.

Want to see exactly what the new Samsung Galaxy K Zoom smartphone looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the new entry-level Samsung Galaxy K Zoom smartphone, which offers a 10z optical zoom lens and a 20 megapixel sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom is a new smartphone that blends advanced digital camera technology with Samsung’s industry-leading Galaxy experience. The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom provides a 10x optical zoom in a remarkably slim and chic body, with a 20.7 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Full HD video, and a Xenon Flash. The price and availability of the Galaxy K Zoom will be announced in due course.

The OnePlus One is a high-end, mid-priced smartphone with a 13-megapixel camera module and a 5.5-inch, 401ppi Full HD display. Key photographic features include a Sony Exmor IMX 214 sensor, a six-element lens with an aperture of f/2, dual LED flash, 4K video recording with stereo sound, and 720p/120fps movie capture for slow-motion playback. The 16GB variant will sell for $299, and the 64GB version will cost $349.

Website: OnePlus

Lensbaby have announced that their Sweet Spot Lens, originally developed for the Apple iPhone, will also be available for certain Android handsets. The company has added a $50 Android pledge level to the project's Kickstarter page and vowed to commence development on an Android app "shortly." The Android version of the lens and associated smartphone app will be available in October.

Sony has issued a firmware update for its DSC-QX10 and QX100 camera-lens modules. Version 3.00 enables users to focus with a half-press (and take a photo with a full-press) of the shutter release, and improves upon the "NFC One-touch connection." Note that this requires PlayMemories Mobile app version 4.2 or later.

Website: Sony UK

Nokia today announced three Windows Phone 8.1 powered Lumia smartphones. The Nokia Lumia 930 (pictured) is a flagship smartphone with a 20-megapixel PureView camera module with a 1/2.5-type sensor, dual LED flash, an optically stabilised 26mm eq. f/2.4 Zeiss lens, 1080p videos and a 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display offering a resolution of 441ppi. The Lumia 630 and 635 each features a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with a 1/4-type imager, 28mm eq. f/2.4 lens, 720p movies and a 4.5-inch, 218-ppi, 854x480-pixel screen. The Nokia Lumia 930 is expected to roll out globally in June starting with Europe, Asia, Middle East and India, available from $599. The Nokia Lumia 630 will be launched in May, beginning with Asia,South America and Europe, at $159 for the single-sim variant, and $169 for the dual-sim version. The Nokia Lumia 635 is expected to be broadly available, including in the US starting in this summer, from $189.

Lensbaby has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for its LM-10 Sweet Spot Lens for the Apple iPhone. As Lensbaby's first add-on lens designed specifically for mobile devices, the Lensbaby LM-10 Sweet Spot Lens will be compatible with the iPhone 4s, 5, 5s, and 5c models. The new optic lets iPhoneographers pick a single spot of sharp focus within the frame, and allow the rest of the image to be dominated by gradually increasing blur. “Our customers have long been requesting a Lensbaby for their mobile devices,” said Craig Strong, Lensbaby Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer. “A lens in the mobile phone market is a bit of a departure for us, hence a Kickstarter campaign. This is the first of many mobile products we have in development, and we wanted confirmation from our customers that they really do want an optical way to create a sweet spot of focus in their iPhoneography.”

Want to see exactly what the new HTC One (M8) smartphone looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the HTC One (M8) smartphone.

HTC today launched its new flagship Android smartphone. The HTC One (M8) offers a 5-inch Full HD display and a new camera module with faster auto focus and an intriguing UFocus feature that allows you to shoot first and focus later, quasi-Lytro style. The technical solution employed is completely different, though: the HTC One (M8) is not claimed to have a light-field camera - instead, it has a separate depth sensor, which collects distance information about the various elements in the frame, making it easier for the on-board software to achieve a credible background blur at the postprocessing stage. Like its predecessor, the HTC One M8's main camera has a 4-megapixel, 1/3-type BSI sensor with a 2-micron pixel pitch, and a 28mm (eq.) f/2 lens - but it no longer features optical image stabilisation. The 16GB version will set you back $199, while the 32GB variant will cost $249 (or $649/£530 unlocked).

Los Angeles-based LifePrint has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the commercialisation of its new product, a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled photo printer for smartphones. Measuring roughly 6.5" long x 4.5" wide x 1.5" thick and weighing in at approximately 1.5 lbs, the LifePrint wireless smartphone printer produces prints of standard 3"x4" size. "Beautifully designed and smaller than an iPad Mini, the LifePrint photo printer lets you instantly print photos from wherever you are - simply open the LifePrint app (iOS & Android), select a photo and hit print," the company says. "Take LifePrint with you to print on-the-go or send a photo directly to a friend’s LifePrint printer so they can instantly hold that special photo in their hands." Interested readers are encouraged to visit the project's Kickstarter page.

Want to see exactly what the new Kodak PixPro SL25, SL10 and SL5 smart lens cameras look like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Kodak PixPro SL25, SL10 and SL5 smart lens cameras.

The Oppo Find 7 is a new smartphone with a 5.5" QHD display, 13-megapixel camera, an f/2 lens, raw image capture and 4K movie recording capabilities. One of the most interesting features of this already well-specified handset is its ability to combine four exposures (automatically selected from a 10-frame burst) into a single 50-megapixel photograph. Other highlights include 720p video capture at 120fps for slow-motion playback and a robust 3,000mAh battery. The Oppo Find 7 will sell for around 3500 yuan in China, with international pricing and availability to be announced.

The latest work from leading light artists Ian Hobson of Newcastle, UK and Jeremy Jackson from Virginia, USA demonstrate how people can make spectacular light art using a Nokia Lumia smartphone. Armed with a Nokia Lumia 1020, the artists have created a series of images and guide which are intended to inspire a new generation of smartphone light painters. All made possible by the 4-second maximum exposure time and remarkable low light photography capabilities of the Nokia Lumia smartphone cameras with PureView technology. Ian Hobson comments: ‘The Nokia Lumia 1020 is the first smartphone I’ve ever seen that has the capability to capture quality light paintings due to its 4 second shutter speed and its 41mp camera. With the advances of cameras in mobiles, it allows anyone on the go, to try out light painting.’ Click through / scroll down for a helpful video giving hints about how to light paint with a Nokia Lumia 1020.

The Sony Xperia Z2 is a new waterproof smartphone with 4K Ultra HD movie recording and digital noise cancelling technology. Other photography/videoraphy related features include a 20.7-megapixel camera module incorporating a 1/2.3-type CMOS image sensor and Sony G lens, SteadyShot image stabilisation technology, 5.2" Full HD screen and a new Movie Creator, allowing you to trim and crop your videos so that you can easily pick out what you want to share. The Xperia Z2 will launch globally from March 2014.

Samsung today announced the fifth generation of the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S5, which boasts a 16-megapixel camera, 0.3-second autofocus, HDR exposure blending, software-based selective focus capability, 4K Ultra HD video capture and a 5.1" Full HD super-AMOLED display. The water- and dust-resistant Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is expected to hit the market in April 2014.

Sony has released a firmware update for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10 and Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 lens-sensor modules. Version 2.00 changes the resolution of MP4 video files from 1440x1080 to 1920x1080 pixels and expands the ISO range to ISO 3200/36° on the QX10 and ISO 12800/42° on the QX100. Additionally, the Sony Cyber-shot QX100 gains a "shutter priority auto" shooting mode, enabling users to control shutter speed directly.

Website: Sony QX10/QX100 Firmware Update 2.00 (Mac)
Website: Sony QX10/QX100 Firmware Update 2.00 (Windows)

Nokia has released DNG colour profiles for the Nokia 1520 (pictured) and the Nokia 1020 camera phones. These camera profiles allow Lightroom users to simplify their raw image conversion workflow when working with images shot under fluorescent or halogen lights, daylight, or with the phones' built-in flash. These camera color profiles are only available for Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1020 and will only work in Adobe Lightroom, the company warns.

Source: Conversations - Nokia

Sony are set to unveil more new compact, bridge and mirrorless cameras at next month's CP+ show.

In a briefing held by Sony UK today, company representatives stated that a new ultra-zoom bridge camera will be announced in February with a faster processor than previous generations. The mystery product was demoed live with no annoying "Processing..." messages while images were saved, and burst shooting continuing indefinitely until the memory card is filled, albeit at a reduced frame-rate. The new super-zoom bridge model is just a small part of Sony's emphasis on faster speed for their 2014 cameras, which will also encompass faster auto-focusing speeds.

In addition to the bridge camera, new compact cameras will be announced in February, along with new compact system camera models at both the CP+ show and Photokina later in the year.

Meanwhile, the Sony Cyber-shot QX10 smartphone module apparently sold out in the UK during the Christmad period. Aided by strong sales of the more expensive QX100 model, the Sony QX series will definitely continue into the second generation.