TELSTRA BRINGS VIRTUAL REALITY TO STORES ACROSS AUSTRALIA WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 SMARTPHONE

Australians will be able to transport themselves to vivid virtual worlds, sit front row at events and play immersive 3D games from the comfort of their lounge room when Telstra launches the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge alongside a futuristic headset that transforms these smartphones into virtual reality devices.

The new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are Samsung’s most sophisticated smartphones yet featuring a luxurious metal design, high-speed web performance, upgraded camera optics and the return of much-loved features like water and dust protection and expandable memory.

But according to Andrew Volard, Telstra’s Director of Devices, it is the arrival of the Gear VR headset that is set to take the smartphone experience even further and make virtual reality a mainstream way to play games,  be immersed in unique experiences and access entertainment.

“For the first time, we’re making virtual reality headsets available for customers to experience across our store network as part of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge launch. We think they’re going to be hugely popular.

“These clever headsets have sensors and a touchpad and work by drawing on the vivid screen, processing power and wireless connectivity of S7 smartphones.

“They can transport the wearer to another world, place them front row at a concert and send them sightseeing to far-flung cities. The immersive effect has to be seen to be believed. We will be hosting demonstrations at Telstra stores across the nation so our customers can experience it for themselves.”

Volard said the Galaxy smartphone range is one of the most popular in Australia with hundreds of thousands of our customers choosing these phones in the last year alone.

“Orders for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge went live a couple of weeks ago and already we’ve seen our strongest pre-launch demand for a Galaxy phone yet.

“Both phones have secured our Blue Tick, which will also boost their appeal and means they offer the best handheld coverage performance in regional coverage areas.”

Mr Volard said Telstra customers upgrading to the new smartphones can look forward to the fastest web speeds yet on Samsung’s flagship phones with both the S7 and the S7 edge supporting category 9 LTE download speeds of up to 450Mbps on Telstra’s 4GX network (typical download speeds are 5-150Mbps in 4GX areas and 2-50Mbps in 4G areas). That means faster streaming, sharing and surfing on the web when in 4GX coverage areas.

Other features customers will love include Samsung’s new 12MP Dual Sensor camera with even faster auto focus and outstanding lowlight performance, an immersive Quad HD display and wireless charging with an optional wireless charging pad (sold separately).

Virtual reality brought to life

Australians can get hands-on with the new Galaxy smartphones and Gear VR headset in Telstra stores from 11 March. They will be able to experience a range of different immersive VR content from an intergalactic trip to Mars to a serene walk through a Japanese garden to a night at the symphony watching the orchestra play Beethoven.

Pricing

The Gear VR headset is available for $159 or $5 per month over 24 months with $39 upfront payment with a Go Mobile Plan (limited stock at launch). Both smartphones will be available in Black, Silver and Gold on a range Go Mobile Plans including:

Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB: $99/month on a $95 Go Mobile Plan with $4/month handset repayments when customers stay connected for 24 months and 6GB of total data inclusions to use in Australia (min cost $2376), Extra Mobile Data $10/GB automatically added in 1GB blocks to use that month, 2 min standard call $2).

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge 32GB: $105/month on a $95 Go Mobile Plan with $10/month handset repayments when customers stay connected for 24 months and 6GB of total data inclusions to use in Australia (min cost $2520), Extra Mobile Data $10/GB automatically added in 1GB blocks to use that month, 2 min standard call $2).

Things you need to know:

THE TELSTRA MOBILE NETWORK OFFERS 4GX IN ALL CAPITAL CBDS AND SELECTED SUBURBAN AND REGIONAL AREAS AND IS PROGRESSIVELY ROLLING OUT TO MORE PLACES. IN OTHER COVERAGE AREAS AROUND AUSTRALIA, YOU’LL AUTOMATICALLY SWITCH TO OUR FASTEST AVAILABLE 4G, WHICH IS OFFERED IN ALL CAPITAL CBDS AND ASSOCIATED AIRPORTS, MOST SURROUNDING SUBURBAN AREAS AND IN OVER 300 REGIONAL AREAS, OR OUR 3G. CHECK COVERAGE AT telstra.com/coverage.