Samsung Sets A Date For Its Android XR Headset

Samsung is teasing a livestream next week for its Android XR headset – could this be the launch event?

The October 21 Galaxy Event has the tagline “Worlds Wide Open”.

“Come meet the first official device on Android XR”, Samsung teases.

Samsung Galaxy XR?

Samsung first announced that it was working on a standalone headset almost three years ago, with Google handling the software.

It finally revealed the device’s design in December of last year, alongside Google formally naming Android XR, and gave UploadVR’s Ian Hamilton a hands-on demo while saying it would ship in 2025. But what it still has not revealed is the product’s name, price, detailed specifications, and exact release date.

Hands-On With Samsung’s Android XR Headset, Shipping In 2025

Samsung’s first standalone headset is coming in 2025, running Google’s new Android XR operating system and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset.

What Samsung has said is that it will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, a higher-end variant of the chipset in Quest 3 and Quest 3S which has already shipped in Play For Dream MR, as well as “state-of-the-art displays”, eye tracking, hand tracking, and an external tethered battery.

Beyond that, the company confirmed that it was working on controllers, but did not disclose whether they will be included in the box or sold as an optional accessory.

In August the South Korean news outlet Newsworks reported that Samsung is targeting a price somewhere between 2.5 million and 4 million South Korean won, around $1750 to $2800. That compares to 5 million won for Apple Vision Pro, which has been sold in South Korea since November.

Samsung Phones Now Capture 3D Videos For ‘Galaxy XR Headsets’

Flagship Samsung phones can soon capture 3D photos and videos to view on “Galaxy XR headsets”, just like iPhones can for Apple Vision Pro.

In September, Samsung started rolling out an update for the Camera app of its Galaxy phones that adds the ability to capture 3D photos and videos. The option to enable 3D capture describes the feature as being for viewing on “Galaxy XR headsets”, strongly suggesting that this will be the company’s branding.

Samsung’s official event takes place on Tuesday at 7pm PT, and we’ll bring you full coverage of whatever it announces about its headset.

The company won’t be without competition though, as deliveries of the new M5 Apple Vision Pro will start arriving the next day, when the headset will also be available in Apple Stores.