Samsung may be preparing to step up its virtual reality game, with a recent report suggesting the company may launch a so-called “Gear 360 Pro” camera alongside the Galaxy S8 smartphone.
So what will the Pro version of the already released camera bring? The report, which comes from SamMobile, mentions that the VR camera will offer improved video and audio capabilities, among other features, but specific details about the camera are so far a little scarce.
The original Gear 360 camera was launched earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, bringing features like a 15MP sensor andthe ability to capture almost 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. The camera was generally quite well received, but there’s always room for improvement, which is where the Gear 360 Pro will come in.
According to the SamMobile report, the Gear 360 Pro isn’t the only VR-related product that Samsung is working on. The company is also looking to bring iOS support to the Gear 360 Manager app, which will allow iOS users to take advantage of the Gear 360 camera, just like Android users. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though that app will be available anytime soon.
Currently, the Gear 360 Manager works with a range of Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, and more.
The Gear 360 currently comes with a $350 price tag, so it’s likely that the Pro will cost a little more than that, depending on how much of an improvement it is over its predecessor. Samsung seems to be one of the major players in the consumer VR market at this point, so hopefully it won’t be so expensive that budding virtual reality filmmakers won’t be able to get the camera for themselves. Samsung also offers the Gear VR headset, which allows users to watch virtual reality content through their phone.
