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Samsung's new camera has 17 lenses and costs $10,500

The Samsung 360 Round is also about the size of a Roomba.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
James Martin/CNET

With 17 lenses and a $10,500 price tag, Samsung's 360 Round camera is not messing around.

Equipped with two pairs of eight lenses and one in the center staring up, the 360 Round is designed for pros and enthusiasts to capture and livestream 3D video and audio, specifically for creating VR content. 

It's hefty, and about the size of a Roomba (when Samsung first announced it, I thought it looked like a many-eyed hockey puck, until I actually saw it with my own eyes). 

Far outside the reach of the average Joe or Joanne, the 360 Round is still a notable foray into high-end capture from a company that's been steadily pushing into the consumer VR space with its lineup of Gear VR headset and 360 cameras. This is Samsung's way of inching a little bit deeper into the VR world.

In fact, the Samsung 360 Round has been in the works since 2014, when it was called Project Beyond. The 360 Round is resistant to dust and water at a rating of IP65, and will come to the US later this month before launching in other countries "over time."

Samsung 360 Round camera specs:

  • Dimensions: 205 x 205 x 76.8mm, 1.93kg
  • 17 cameras at 2 megapixels, F1.8 aperture
  • Microphones: 6 internal (spatial audio); 2 external ports
  • Video resolution: Up to 4,096x2,048 at 30fps per lens
  • Memory: 10GB (LPDDR3); 40GB (eMMC)
  • External memory: 256GB (or up to 2TB on SSD)
  • USB-C connector port
  • IP65 water and dust resistance


This story originally published at 11 a.m. PT and updated at 3:27 p.m. PT.