Samsung Electronics filed for a trademark on the term “360 Round” with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) three days ago, with the application indicating that the South Korean original equipment manufacturer may be working on a new 360-degree camera which could either serve as an alternative or a direct successor to the Gear 360 (2017). The device in question reportedly bears the model number SM-R260 which is a clear reference to the trademark itself, with its format suggesting that the product isn’t a smartphone or tablet and may actually be designed as a wearable seeing how SM-RXXX devices have so far been members of its Gear smartwatch and fitness tracker lineups.
The name of the device also hints at some 360-degree imaging capabilities, though the company’s filing doesn’t reveal many other details about the 360 Round. The application that the EUIPO is still in the process of examining was filed as being related to everything from digital cameras and video recorders to tripods and general camera mounts, with the latter two product categories suggesting that the 360 Round may not be a handheld camera or at least might not be solely designed for handheld use. Whether Samsung is planning on bundling the device with a tripod or gimbal or if it ends up selling such accessories separately remains to be seen, provided that the 360 Round eventually makes its way to the market which is something that a sole trademark filing doesn’t guarantee. Some industry watchers have already speculated that the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer could unveil the unannounced camera at this year’s IFA, a Berlin, Germany-based trade show which is scheduled to officially start on Friday, though that possibility remains somewhat dubious given how Samsung has only filed to have its trademark approved on Friday and would have likely acted much sooner if it was planning on advertising the device as early as September; the EUIPO usually takes at least several weeks to approve any given trademark and often takes much longer than that, meaning it’s unlikely that the “360 Round” will be part of Samsung’s intellectual property portfolio come IFA 2017.
The Korean tech giant is currently in the process of promoting its latest Android flagship offering in the form of the Galaxy Note 8 which is now up for pre-orders and will hit the market on September 15. The phablet is also expected to make an appearance at IFA where it should be available for hands-on sessions.
