BARCELONA, Spain – Following weeks of rumors, Samsung finally unveiled its latest flagship smartphone just ahead of this week’s Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain. As predicted, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, but what no one expected was the presence of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as part of the launch.
The Facebook founder showed up at the Samsung Unpacked event to discuss virtual reality, with Facebook and Samsung having partnered to bolster the VR ecosystem through the production, distribution and consumption of 360-degree video content. Zuckerberg claimed VR is the next platform people will use to connect.
“We are working with Samsung to make VR affordable,” Zuckerberg said.
The social media company acquired Oculus, which owns virtual reality technology that powers Samsung’s Gear VR. Samsung also announced its 360-degree video camera, the Gear 360, which is a consumer VR camera.
Facebook is investing to put social experience into VR, and “Samsung can deliver hardware at scale with OLED displays, low-persistence rendering, 360-degree sound [and] head tracking,” Zuckerberg noted. Together, the social media platform can distribute 360-degree content created in Samsung’s devices. Zuckerberg said he expects the eventual launch of dynamic streaming technology for 360-degree video to the Gear VR.
Indeed, the entry of Zuckerberg into the Samsung event was quite expressive. While the audience was using Samsung’s Gear VR, Zuckerberg walked into the venue toward the stage, without anyone noticing him.
“This year, millions of people are putting their hands on VR devices. It’s still early for 360-degree videos, but one day we will have them live,” Zuckerberg said during this speech.
“Every device we develop comes from our commitment to bring this incredible future to live,” said DJ Koh, president of mobile communications with Samsung, while on stage with Zuckerberg.
Koh begun his presentation saying each device launch follows a strategy of listening, learning and understanding people’s demands.
As for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung showed effort to demonstrate higher quality photos, improvements in taking pictures in a low-light condition and enhancing the level of water resistance.
“Instead of protecting the device from outside, why not protecting from the inside,” said Justin Denison, VP at Samsung, who also highlighted features like a microSD slot, improvements to the internal cooling system and improved battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are set to be available for pre-order on March 11 in the United Stated and Europe, with those pre-orders also including a free Gear VR.
Editor’s note: Travel costs to cover Mobile World Congress were paid by Samsung.
