It looks like a second generation of Samsung’s Gear 360 virtual reality camera could be in development. A mysterious “Sample Camera Set” was recently spotted on an Indian import tracker’s database.
Unfortunately, the listing does not give all that much information about the camera, just that it is a camera set and that it has the model number SM-R210. The listing also says that the camera was brought into the region for “R&D Purposes.”
This is not the first time we heard speculation about a follow-up to Samsung’s Gear 360 camera. A few months ago, details leaked through a report from SamMobile suggesting the company was building a Gear 360 Pro camera, which would serve as a more premium version of the Gear 360. The report highlighted that the Gear 360 Pro would come with improved video and audio capabilities. Not many more details were revealed about the camera.
The original Gear 360 camera was a pretty big release. Not because it was technically an amazing camera, but because it came at such a low price point, allowing almost anyone to get into capturing virtual reality content. Samsung, in general, has been making a serious push into virtual reality and has even released VR headsets to be used alongside its smartphones. That headset was developed in partnership with Oculus, known for the Oculus Rift headset.
The current generation of the Gear VR headset works with a number of Samsung’s smartphones, including the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S7, and Galaxy S7 Edge. It is likely future versions of the camera will do the same, as making virtual reality mobile seems to be an important aspect of Samsung’s VR mission.
The Gear 360 that is currently available comes at $350, so if Samsung ends up releasing a second-generation device, it is likely the price will remain the same. If, however, the company opts for a more premium Gear 360 Pro, we could see a bit of a price hike for the new device.
