Samsung HMX-U10 review

Samsung is the latest entrant into the booming mini camcorder market. Its Samsung HMX-U10 follows in the footsteps of Sony's MHS-PM1, but goes one step further. The PM1's video resolution of 1,440x1,080 was a big step up from the 720p sensors found in most mini camcorders, but the U10 tops this with a Full-HD resolution of 1,920x1,080 (1080p).

Before you get too excited, however, it's worth noting that higher resolutions don't necessarily result in drastically improved video, as the MHS-PM1 showed. The HMX-U10 has the biggest sensor we've seen, measuring 1/2.3in, but the 10 million pixels packed on to it suggest that it was originally intended for a digital camera rather than a camcorder. All those pixels are useful for taking stills in good lighting conditions, a task the HMX-U10 manages better than any other mini camcorder, but for generating two-megapixel video they're redundant and can generate unwanted noise.