The tech world is about to descend on Barcelona to get a first (official) look at the Galaxy S7, but you don’t have to jump on a plane to join in – Samsung’s going to stream the whole thing online with 360° cameras.
The Unpacked 2016 event is one of the busiest parts of MWC, but anyone with a PC, smartphone or Gear VR headset will be able to avoid the crowds and watch with their feet up instead.
It’s the first time Samsung’s streamed one of its big launches as 360° video, and could be a sign that it’s going to show off the Gear 360, the rumoured 360° camera that will let anyone shoot videos or snap photos for watching back in virtual reality.
You’ll get four choices of where to watch from; center stage, to the left or to the right (where you’ll find Samsung’s executives and employees) or from the auditorium – otherwise known as the cheap seats, which are usually filled with journalists frantically typing up stories on their laptops. Each angle will be shot with a 360° camera, so you can pick your preferred angle.
The Galaxy Unpacked webpage will start streaming the event automatically once it starts if you’re on a PC, but you’ll need to download Samsung’s Unpacked 360 View app to watch on a mobile.
It’s available for iOS and Android, though, so you don’t have to miss out if you’re an iPhone owner thinking about making the switch to Samsung this year.
You’ll need it to watch on a Gear VR too (a Google Cardboard could also work), but you’ll need to launch it using the headset rather than with the touchscreen.
The event kicks off at 7PM local time (so that’s 6PM GMT, 1PM EST, 10AM PST) if you’re looking at tuning in. We’ll be there somewhere too, so keep an eye out for us!