Apart from the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung also announced a new version of the Gear 360, a 4K resolution-capable 360-degree camera.
“As consumers turn more to video to share their experiences, we want to deliver accessible and innovative products to make digital content easier to create, share and stream,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Wearable Business, Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics. “The updated Gear 360 will continue to expand the horizons of what consumers can experience and share.”
Video resolution has been increased from 3,840 x 1,920 to a true 4K of 4,096 x 2,048. The camera also now supports live streaming video to Facebook, YouTube, and Samsung’s own platform, but that live streaming is limited to full HD. It’s capable of 8.4-megapixel stills from a single camera covering a 195-degree field of view, while full 360-degree images are 15 megapixels. The device has a battery capacity of 1,160mAh and for memory, it supports microSD card for up to 256GB.
Another exciting thing about this new camera is that compatibility has expanded beyond just Samsung devices. Before now, the Gear 360 only worked with certain Samsung phones, but now it works with S8 and S8 Plus, other models of Samsung phones like the S6 and S7, as well as recent iPhones like the iPhone 6S and 7 and then Mac and Windows PCs.
Samsung will launch the Gear 360 alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in April for $399.
