We should be getting our first glimpse at Samsung’s next VR-ready phone in just a few weeks’ time.
Samsung Electronics has this week confirmed that it will soon unveil the next entry in its Galaxy Note series of enlarged smartphones, the Galaxy Note 7. The device has been rumored for a long time, but this is the first time the company has made specific reference to it. It’s set to be revealed at the next Samsung Unpacked press event in New York at 11:00 am ET on August 2nd, with simultaneous events also being held in Rio de Janeiro and London.
Surprisingly, the company has also offered a small tease of what to expect with its next phone, touting the kit’s S Pen. The company also explained the decision to skip out on naming the phone the Galaxy Note 6 (last year’s update was the Galaxy Note 5). It said that the phone will “complement” the company’s current flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and “unify” the product portfolio in turn. It’s also set to “minimize confusion” within the brand.
That’s a surprisingly non-PR answer; we were expecting to hear that it was ‘such a leap’ over last year’s model that the company couldn’t help but add another number on.
What hasn’t been detailed, however, is what kind of VR support the new phone will boast. We’re expecting the Galaxy Note 7 to be another Gear VR-ready device, though recent rumors have suggested that it will utilize a new type of USB port. This in turn would necessitate a new Gear VR with USB input to match, and a recent shipping listing suggested that this is indeed the case. Could we also see a new Gear VR at next month’s event, or will Samsung choose to unveil it at the recently-announced Oculus Connect 3 developer conference, where last year’s model made its debut?
The other big question is if the Note 7 will be Samsung’s Daydream ready phone, which was confirmed to be in production when Google announced its mobile VR ecosystem a few months ago. If so that could mean a lot of things for the next Gear VR, but we’ll have to wait to find out.
