Samsung’s New Galaxy XR Headset Could Succeed Where Apple Failed

Google and Samsung have finally released their first Android XR headset, the Galaxy XR. This may be the best attempt at a mixed reality computer and virtual reality headset, depending on

If this headset looks familiar, it's probably because it was announced almost a year ago as Samsung's “Project Muhan” and Samsung presented the release again last week. However, the big day has finally arrived – this is a real headset that you can buy for real money, with a real name. Meet Galaxy XR.

Galaxy XR is a mixed reality headset, so it can display windows and interface elements on top of your real-life surroundings in augmented reality (AR), as well as fully immersive virtual reality (VR). Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro have similar capabilities. Under the hood, it is powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 “up to”, 256GB of internal storage and 18GB of RAM.

The main screen is a 3552 x 3840 Micro-OLED panel for each eye with a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The OLED screen is a significant upgrade from the LCD panel used in the Meta Quest headsets, with deeper blacks for VR content and a higher resolution than the Quest 3, Valve Index, Bigscreen Beyond 2 and PlayStation VR2. It has multiple cameras for end-to-end video and motion detection, as well as iris recognition and eye tracking support, similar to Apple's Vision Pro.

This is the first headset to feature Android XR, a new software platform that… must Over time they will arrive on other headsets and glasses. Since it's based on Android, you have all the typical Android apps and games from the Google Play Store. Some software has been updated to include XR-specific modes, such as immersive 3D maps in Google Maps or depth effects in Google Photos.

There should be a growing library of AR and VR software for Android XR, but we won't have the full picture until the headset arrives. Gemini Assistant is also front and center here, capable of answering questions in natural language when using other apps and games – hopefully it won't order you around there is glue and stones.

Samsung said in a press release: “All apps built on the Android platform work on Galaxy XR right out of the box, ensuring users can enjoy the familiar mobile experiences they already love, making the device as useful in everyday life as it is innovative. Because the platform is built on OpenXR standards, it's easy for developers using OpenXR, WebXR or Unity to bring their expertise to Galaxy XR, giving them more ways to scale and giving consumers more options.” choice”.

As you might expect, the catch is the price. The Galaxy XR is priced at $1,800, which is much more expensive than the $500 Meta Quest 3, the only (somewhat) successful standalone headset on the market today. The PlayStation VR2 ($400) and Valve Index ($1,000) are also cheaper, but are designed primarily for gaming and require a PC or gaming console. Samsung motion controllers cost $250 separately.

The Galaxy XR is clearly not intended for the mass market, and launching the Android XR platform without a more affordable device for the general public seems like a bad idea. didn't work for Vision Pro. However, the Galaxy XR is cheaper than the Vision Pro and the Android platform gives it a good starting point.

If Google and Samsung can get ports popular apps and games Meta Questand introduce a cheaper model to compete with the Quest 3, the platform may have a chance of success. Google and Samsung already have dead XR platforms in their closets.Daydream and Gear VRaccordingly – so hopefully these will be valuable lessons for creating a better platform. The Galaxy XR looks like an impressive flagship model, but I'm looking forward to more affordable headsets.

You can buy Galaxy XR from Samsung online store for 1800 dollars. The company will also introduce “The Explorer Pack,” a package with dedicated XR content, YouTube Premium, Google AI Pro and other benefits.

Source: Samsung