Samsung Launches $1799 Galaxy XR Headset

Samsung officially announced yesterday the Galaxy XR, the company’s first mixed reality headset powered by Google’s new Android XR platform. The Samsung Galaxy XR is available for purchase in the US today for $1,799, and it’s clearly gunning for Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro headset.

Samsung developed its Galaxy XR in partnership with Google and Qualcomm. The headset is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform, and Android XR also deeply integrates Google’s Gemini AI.

“Co-developed with Google and Qualcomm, Android XR is a powerful platform that puts AI at the center of the experience,” Samsung said yesterday. “It is designed to scale across a variety of form factors, from headsets to AI glasses and beyond, and Galaxy XR benefits from the strength of its open, scalable ecosystem. All apps built on the Android platform work right out of the box on Galaxy XR, ensuring users can enjoy the familiar mobile experiences they already love and making the device as useful day-to-day as it is groundbreaking.”

The Samsung Galaxy XR comes with a 3,552 x 3,840 screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 109° horizontal and 100° vertical field of view. It includes various sensors, including two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, and four eye-tracking cameras that support iris recognition. Samsung also included two speakers and six microphones, and the headset weighs 545g without its forehead cushion. It’s quite lighter than the Apple Vision Pro, which weighs between 750 and 800g, depending on the Light Seal and headband configuration.

“Galaxy XR has been carefully engineered with a human-centric design to deliver long-term comfort. Through a combination of its shape, advanced materials, and the structural optimization of each component, Galaxy XR achieves an optimal balance between lightweight design and robustness for daily use,” Samsung said yesterday. The battery pack is separate from the headset, and it provides up to 2 hours of general use (up to 2.5 hours when watching video). This is slightly below the up to 3 hours of video playback on the Apple Vision Pro, which can also be used while charging the battery.

Overall, Android XR looks quite similar to Apple’s visionOS, though the integration of Gemini should make it easier for users to understand what they’re seeing. The AI assistant can also be used to intelligently rearrange app windows, manage multiple tasks, and more. In pass-through mode, users can see the physical world around them and use Circle to search for information about their surroundings. This works by simply drawing a circle around an object.

Android XR can respond to voice, gestures, and eye movements, and it supports all Android apps plus new experiences made for Android XR. “Since the platform is built on OpenXR standards, it’s easy for developers using OpenXR, WebXR, or Unity to bring their experiences to Galaxy XR — offering them more ways to scale and giving consumers more choices,” Samsung emphasized in the announcement.

Samsung highlighted new immersive experiences on the Galaxy XR, including optimized versions of Google Maps, Google Photos, YouTube, Google TV, Chrome, and Meet. YouTube offers a vast library of 180 and 360-degree VR content, while Google Photos can convert 2D photos and videos into 3D. The Galaxy XR can also be used in productivity scenarios by pairing a keyboard and mouse or linking a PC for a more complete desktop experience.

The Samsung Galaxy XR is available to purchase on Samsung.com or in Samsung Experience stores in the US and Korea. The Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller are also available to purchase separately for $249.99 each. Early adopters who purchase the headset before the end of the year will also get 12 months of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and XR Pack of specialized XR content.

Lastly, Samsung said that it’s already working on other Android XR devices, including AI glasses, in partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. “Seamlessly connected to the Android XR ecosystem, these devices will pair advanced XR capabilities with style, comfort, and practicality, bringing boundary-free discovery, work, and play into daily life,” the company said.