Samsung could launch its very first XR headset next year
Samsung’s alleged XR headset could be available to developers as soon as October this year, according to a report. The South Korean tech conglomerate teased its extended reality (XR) platform during its recent Galaxy Unpacked event, with TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, stating that it would “release this year.” Now, a new report speculates that it may not be available to developers until later in 2024, but the public launch could be delayed until 2025.
Samsung’s XR headset
According to a Business Insider reportThe XR headset is being developed by Samsung in collaboration with Google, and is therefore speculated to run on a form of Android firmware provided by the latter, called Android XR, which is currently being developed in-house. However, the device is reportedly not ready yet and its launch could be delayed until Q1 2025, likely to March next year.
Before the device becomes available to the public, Samsung is tipped to introduce an early version of its XR headset, codenamed “Moohan”, to developers in October this year. The report adds that this isn’t the first time the headset’s release date has been pushed back, with multiple delays tied to the refinement of the technology involved.
What’s notable is that XR is an umbrella term that encompasses all three visual technologies: augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). While Samsung has already dipped its toes into the world of VR with its Gear VR, this will be the first time that an XR headset has been launched by the tech giant. It could be powered by a Qualcomm processor, which is speculated to be the Snapdragon XR2 Gen2+ platform designed to bring AR and MR experiences to devices while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).
There is speculation that Samsung will use its headset to compete with companies like Apple and Meta, which already have their own mixed reality headsets on the market. According to a report from November 2023, Samsung (at the time) was aiming to initially sell 30,000 units of the XR headset. The OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) displays used for the headset are expected to be developed by Samsung Display, the company’s in-house display manufacturing unit.
