The Android-loaded Samsung Galaxy Camera goes on general sale in the UK on 8 November, although customers can snap one up from 5pm on 7 November if they visit an official Samsung-branded store.

Pocket-lint played with the new camera at IFA in Berlin earlier this year and called it "intriguing" while stating that we were impressed with the concept.

It is, essentially, a hybrid between a compact camera and a Galaxy smartphone, running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and sporting a 4.77-inch Super Clear LCD touchscreen. Inside, there's a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, and the camera functionality offers a 21x optical zoom lens with a typical f/2.8 max aperture and a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor.

Because it runs on Android (with wireless and 3G internet connectivity), the Samsung Galaxy Camera is capable of running apps, including Instagram, which you can post to straight from the device.

Storage comes in the form of 8GB on-board, with a memory card slot (micro SDSC, micro SDHC, micro SDXC) allowing for further expansion. And the camera is capable of recording video in Full HD (1920 x 1080p 30fps).

If all goes to plan, this will be just the start of Samsung's foray into Android-powered smart cameras.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera will cost from £400.

Do you like the idea of the Samsung Galaxy Camera concept? Let us know in the comments below...