Shortly after Samsung confirmed that its Gear 360 VR camera is officially hitting the market on April 29th, the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer started opened pre-orders for the said device in its home country. So, South Korean citizens can purchase the said gadget in advance as of today and Samsung has revealed that those who do so will most likely have the Gear 360 delivered to their doorsteps prior to the camera’s official launch. The tiny 15-megapixel camera is priced at ₩399,300, which amounts to around 350 dollars and corresponds to the price tag leaked online earlier this month.
For the uninformed, the Gear 360 features two 15-megapixel CMOS sensors with accompanying f/2.0 Fisheye Lenses. It’s capable of recording 30 fps videos at a 3840 x 1920 resolution, i.e. just under the standard 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, so it offers relatively acceptable recording capabilities considering its price tag. You can also capture 30-megapixel pictures using the camera’s dual lens mode and enjoy all of the standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC functionality that we’ve already grown accustomed to with modern cameras. In addition to that, the Gear 360 is compatible with Google Street View and features a microSD card slot which supports cards of up to 128 GB. Given its small frame and the weight of only 115 grams, this gadget is the very definition of “portable” and therefore suitable for filmmaking enthusiasts who move a lot and aren’t keen on hauling tons of recording equipment with them everywhere they go. All in all, the Gear 360 seem like a really solid piece of hardware considering this is Samsung’s first commercially available 360-degree camera.
Those who pre-order the Gear 360 in South Korea by following the source link below will also be eligible for a complimentary Gear VR headset and a 5,100 mAh portable battery which are worth over a hundred bucks by themselves, so this isn’t a bad deal for people looking to get into 360-degree filmmaking and virtual reality in general. If you’re still on the fence about whether to purchase the Gear 360 or not, you may want to check some of the awesome 360 videos made with it to get a general idea of what this tiny dual sensor camera is capable of.