The Samsung Gear 360 is the first 360 degree camera by

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...

. It was released as a part of the

Samsung Gear Samsung Gear is a line of wearable computing devices produced by Samsung Electronics. The first device in the series, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, was announced in 2013. Since then, the line has expanded to include fitness bands and earbu ...

family of devices. It uses two cameras to take 360° photos and videos. There are two models: * The original model released in 2016, the SM-C200, a sphere. * The updated model released in 2017, the SM-R210, a smaller sphere with integral handle.

History

On April 29, 2016, Samsung released the Gear 360 in Korea and Singapore. It is compatible with the

Samsung Galaxy S6 The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a line of Android-based smartphones manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Succeeding the Samsung Galaxy S5, the S6 was not released as a singular model, but instead in two variations unveiled and ...

and later. Critics have praised the ease-of-use and small form factor. In April 2017, an updated version of the Samsung Gear 360 was released. The design changed significantly and three features were upgraded: video resolution was boosted to 4K, live-streaming functionality was added, and it added image stabilization. It also works with

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

devices.

Specifications

Hardware

Camera * Dual CMOS 15MP Sensor (Default Output pixel count equivalent to 25.9M) ** Still resolution: 7776x3888 (2016); 5792x2896 (2017) * Dual f/2.0 (2016) f/2.2 (2017) Fisheye Lens * video up to 60 fps (2016); 120 fps (2017) Memory * 1GB RAM * MicroSD Card (up to 256GB) Battery * 1350mAh replaceable (2016) * 1160mAh integrated (2017) Connectivity * Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) * Wi-Fi Direct * Bluetooth® v4.1 * USB 2.0, NFC Sensors * Gyro * Accelerometer

Software

The dedicated mobile application greatly extends available recording options and add the support for time lapse and looping video. The camera works with all phones that can run the required Samsung Gear 360 Manager app, such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, Note 5, A5 (2017) and A7 (2017).

References

{{Samsung Gear Samsung wearable devices Panoramic cameras Products introduced in 2016