Samsung reportedly has a 360° video rig called the Gear 360 coming at MWC

Update: SamMobile has uncovered some source code on Samsung’s event page which seems to hint at the presence of 360-degree video, although in reality, that could mean anything. It’s definitely vague, but worth noting nonetheless.

Google unveiled its Jump camera rig for 360 degree video at Google I/O 2015, and now it appears Samsung has something related up its sleeve for Mobile World Congress later this month. According to a report this morning from SamMobile, the previously-rumored Gear 360 camera rig is real, and it’s coming at Mobile World Congress alongside the new lineup of Galaxy phones…

The Gear 360 is a “compact spherical camera” featuring two 180 degree lenses, and it reportedly has a lot features baked in. The standalone device has its own battery, packs its own storage, and connects to your phone via Bluetooth (Samsung would probably prefer a Galaxy S7, but other phones will likely support for the device). It also has support for a broad range of features you would find on any decent camera, including:

Software-wise, the package includes the Gear 360 Gallery, and a seperate remote viewfinder application. In the latter we find all the usual camera features: HDR, exposure control, white balance and ISO settings, a Liveview option, and the ability to switch between recording a 360 (dual lens) or 180 degree (single lens) front or rear view. Other view types include a mode called VR view, dual view, panoramic view, and time lapse and looping video. Maximum resolution seems to be 3840 x 1920 pixels when shooting in dual lens mode, or 1920 x 1920 pixels in single lens mode.

Apparently, the device is going to be seen on stage at Samsung’s Mobile World Congress event, right alongside the Galaxy S7. We told you early this morning that Samsung sent out invites for an event on February 21st. The event is scheduled to start at 10 AM PST/1 PM EST and will be live-streamed through Samsung’s YouTube channel (but you can tune in here).

Thanks to several leaks, we know pretty well what’s coming with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The phones will have a Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 12MP main camera powered by Samsung’s new BRITECELL sensor.The S7 Edge will have a 5.5-inch curved screen, while the standard S7 will purportedly be 5.2-inches. And as we’ve seen in several leaks, they both will look very similar in physical appearance to the current Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.