Ten months after the announcement of Android XR and “Project Moohan”, Samsung is now announcing the name, availability and price of its first mixed reality headset. The headset is called the Samsung Galaxy XR and is available now in the US and South Korea for $1799. This means that the Samsung headset costs around half as much as the Apple Vision Pro, with which it is technically largely on par. Whether and when Samsung Galaxy XR will be released in other countries is currently unknown.
The design and chip were already known: the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 is a higher-clocked variant of the processor that powers Meta Quest 3, but less powerful than the M2 and M5 chips that work in the original and updated Apple Vision Pro. With the official presentation of the device, the rest of the specifications are now known.
The OLED microdisplay has a resolution of 3552 × 3840 pixels per eye, which results in a total of around 27 million pixels. For comparison: Apple Vision Pro has 23 million (3660 × 3200) pixels, Meta Quest 3 9 million (2064 × 2208) pixels. The color coverage of the display is also higher at 95 instead of 92 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. On the other hand, the supported frame rate is lower: Samsung Galaxy XR runs at 72 hertz by default, but supports up to 90 hertz. The M5 version of the Apple Vision Pro, on the other hand, can display up to 120 Hertz. The field of view of 109 degrees horizontally and 100 degrees vertically is on par with the Meta Quest 3 and is thus larger vertically than that of the Vision Pro. The headset detects the interpupillary distance of the user and automatically adjusts the distance of the lenses.
In terms of RAM, the Samsung Galaxy XR and the Apple Vision Pro are on a par with 16 GB each, ahead of the Meta Quest 3, which gets by with 8 GB of RAM. While Apple offers a choice of 256, 512 or 1 TB of storage, Samsung’s headset is only delivered with 256 GB.
Lighter than Apple Vision Pro
The sensor technology of both devices is almost identical: Like the Apple Vision Pro, the Samsung Galaxy XR has six cameras for tracking the position of the room and hands, four cameras for eye and face tracking, and two 6.5 MP cameras for passthrough. The latter can be used to take photos and videos with stereoscopic depth, just like Apple Vision.
In addition, the headset has six microphones and a depth sensor. While Apple’s headset uses a LiDAR sensor, Samsung relies on a simpler time-of-flight sensor. Both headsets have iris recognition for device unlocking and app purchases. The Samsung Galaxy XR is ahead in terms of supported wireless standards: It offers Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 instead of 5.3.
Visually, Samsung Galaxy XR is a mixture of Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest Pro: The visor is based on Apple’s design, while the forehead rest and rigid head mount with back of the headrest and command dial are reminiscent of Meta’s device. Thanks to the forehead rest, the light shielding can be removed and the device can be used with open peripherals, which is particularly useful for mixed reality applications. One disadvantage of this head mount compared to the Apple Vision Pro is that it makes it less comfortable to lean back.
The Samsung Galaxy XR looks less high-quality than Apple Vision Pro due to the use of plastic, but is lighter: Samsung specifies a weight of 545 grams, not including the optional light shielding. With the new, significantly heavier Dual Band made of knitted fabric, the Apple Vision Pro weighs between 750 and 800 grams, depending on the light seal and strap variant, but is more comfortable to wear than before thanks to the better weight distribution.
Controllers sold separately
Samsung follows Apple’s example in terms of input methods: The headset is operated via the proven combination of gaze and hand control as well as voice interaction with Google’s AI assistant Gemini. Controllers are sold separately, as with Apple Vision Pro, and cost $249. However, buyers of the headset will get a 30 percent discount on accessories, bringing the price to $175. In addition to the controllers, Samsung sells an official carrying case for the same price.
Android XR is in the Android ecosystem, which means that all Android apps can also be run as 2D applications on Samsung Galaxy XR. In addition, there are native versions of Google apps such as Chrome, Maps, Photos and Youtube. Netflix has released an exclusive version of its streaming app for Android XR that supports downloads, and Adobe is offering “Project Pulsar,” a 3D video editing tool specifically for Android XR. For the launch of Galaxy XR, numerous games from Meta Quest were also ported, including “Arizona Sunshine 2”, “Cubism”, “Demeo”, “Real VR Fishing”, “Synth Riders” and “Walkabout Mini Golf”. Google’s own VR studio Owlchemy Labs is represented with “Job Simulator” and “Vacation Simulator” as well as the exclusive mixed reality experience “Inside (JOB)”. PC VR gamers are also served and can stream PC VR games into the headset with the paid “Virtual Desktop” app.
AI plays a central role: With Galaxy XR, Samsung and Google want to show how everyday apps, multimodal AI and mixed reality can be combined. The headset uses Google Gemini as its central interface. For example, users can use Google Maps to explore immersive 3D maps from Google Earth, let Gemini guide them through cities and receive personal recommendations on restaurants and sights. The real environment remains visible via the pass-through mode. If desired, objects in Gemini’s field of view can be analyzed by a simple hand gesture and looked up directly online. VR games also benefit from AI integration: Gemini provides tips, coaching and context on the game in real time.
Two other use cases of the mixed reality headset are clearly inspired by Apple’s Vision Pro: Users can watch movies and series on a high-resolution, virtual screen and automatically add a depth effect to their photos and videos from Google Photos using AI. Apple Vision Pro can only do the latter with photos so far.
Smart glasses are the real goal
For Samsung and Google, Galaxy XR marks the start of a new, mobile Android ecosystem that is intended to cover a wide variety of form factors: from mixed reality headsets to AI glasses. Android XR is designed to scale with the performance of the hardware.
In the spring, Google announced the first smart glasses based on Android XR, naming the glasses manufacturers Warby Parker and Gentle Monster as partners. Now it is said that Samsung is developing the smart glasses together with the two companies and the support of Google. Sony, Xreal and Lynx are also working on Android XR devices, but they have not yet been presented.
For Google itself, the focus is, unsurprisingly, on the AI functions. “Android XR is the first Android platform built from the ground up for the Gemini era,” said Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google, on the occasion of the announcement. Due to the deep integration of Gemini, Galaxy XR is intended to act less like a tool and more like a new kind of AI companion that accompanies and supports users through everyday life by seeing and hearing.
A vision that will only unfold its full potential with smart glasses and AR glasses and ultimately represents the actual goal, as this form factor is much more promising than bulky headsets. Sales expectations for Samsung Galaxy XR are likely to be correspondingly restrained: Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S are many times cheaper than Samsung’s and Apple’s headsets and even they have only sold moderately so far.
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