Samsung had planned to release its own Extended Reality (XR) headset by February 2024. However, due to the tough competition of Apple’s Vision Pro, the release was pushed back. Now the company appears to be ready to show the world what it has conjured after returning to the drawing board. In this article, let’s explore the expected features and launch details of the Samsung Extended Reality (XR) headset.
Samsung XR Headset / Galaxy Glasses Rumours Round-up
For those unaware, Extended Reality (XR or xR) is a technology that combines Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and even Mixed Reality (MR). Samsung has been aware of the potential of this cutting-edge technology having worked with companies like Ross Video. Though it has products like Gear VR and Odyesse VR to its name, Samsung doesn’t have a proper XR product of its own.
Google 🤝 Samsung 🤝 Qualcomm
Back in February 2023, Samsung announced that it would be partnering with Qualcomm and Google to build an XR ecosystem of its own. After having delayed the initial project, the partnership still stands. The Samsung XR Headset will apparently run on a new version of Android specifically optimised for XR devices.
Likewise, this headset will have the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 launched earlier this year, for its computing power. Previously, an independent report by the Korea Economic Daily revealed the LSI division of the South Korean tech giant was also working on an XR chipset independent of the mobile division. We might get an XR headset with the company’s in-house silicon. But for now, Samsung sees Qualcomm to be fit for the duty.
Design and Display
Some rumours suggest that the Samsung XR will be “glasses” rather than a headset. This is likely because the company filed for the “Galaxy Glasses” moniker a while back. Now that we have seen Meta put up Orion, it won’t be an easy way out for Samsung even if they go with glasses instead of a headset.
Regardless, the chances of the company taking the latter design route are higher, complete with full-fledged integrated displays. According to reports, the Galaxy Glasses will have a 3,000 PPI display and could adopt Micro OLED or OLEDoS panel technology.
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Features
Rumoured features of Galaxy Glasses include eye tracking, hand tracking, and foveated rendering. It utilises eye tracking to track the user’s eye movements, enabling cursor control in VR/AR. Hand tracking enables controller-free interaction with virtual objects. Foveated rendering optimises graphics by focusing on the user’s field of view, conserving battery life.
Samsung XR Headset / Galaxy Glasses Availability
Samsung XR Headset was supposed to launch in February 2024. However, it was delayed after Apple dropped a bombshell of a headset in the form of Vision Pro. Apple’s headset was visibly more powerful and feature-rich than any other headset in the market. Given the intense rivalry between Apple and Samsung, the South Korean firm might have delayed its headset to further improve it. Such that, it could present proper competition to Vision Pro.
Now, the company seems to be ready to show the world what it has come up with. Samsung initially teased the XR Headset during the launch of Galaxy S24. The company recently held a conference to announce its financial standing for 2024 Q3. At the event, the company mentioned “Improve connectivity among products, including upcoming XR devices” under its 2025 Outlook.
This has led sources to speculate the headset is coming in 2025. In the meantime, Samsung could just be looking to improve ecosystem features in the headset and actually launch it even later.
- Meanwhile, check out our Apple Vision Pro vs Meta Quest 3 comparison video:
