Samsung is believed to be working on an extended reality (XR) headset to compete with the likes of Apple and Meta in the segment. The South Korean technology conglomerate had said earlier this year that it was collaborating with Google and Qualcomm to develop the wearable. Now, a new report says that Samsung’s XR headset could arrive in late 2024. Bear in mind that Apple’s mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, is slated to go on sale sometime early next year. The Samsung XR headset could thus arrive a few months after its competitor.
According to a report from 9to5Google (via JoongAng), Samsung is planning to unveil its XR headset, codenamed “Infinite” in the second half of 2024. The original report states that Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Experience (MX) division is aiming headset production for December next year.
The product announcement will reportedly take place at an Unpacked event in the second half of 2024. This could align with the timeline for the 2024 Unpacked event where Samsung will launch its next generation of foldable phones. The Galaxy S24 series, on the other hand, is likely to arrive at a Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2024. According to the report, the company plans to ship 30,000 units of the XR headset initially. Samsung Display will reportedly develop the OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) display for the headset.
Back in February, Samsung revealed that it was collaborating with Google and Qualcomm to develop a new extended reality (XR) headset. The company said its headset will run on a custom Qualcomm chipset and Google’s latest Wear OS. Samsung has not yet revealed any other details about its upcoming headset.
At the time, a report from The Washington Post had claimed that Samsung’s XR headset project would also include a service partnership with Meta and Microsoft — a sort of technological alliance against Apple.
The Apple Vision Pro was unveiled earlier this year
Photo Credit: Apple
The iPhone maker took the covers off the Vision Pro at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The mixed reality headset packs impressive technology and features, which include dual Micro OLED displays, eye tracking, infrared cameras, and a sophisticated sensor array, including LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth cameras. The headset will run on Apple’s M2 chip, as well as a new chip called R1. Apple’s premium headset has also set a high price of $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2,88,700). To compare, Meta’s latest Quest 3 headset starts at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 41,500).
The Meta Quest 3 was announced earlier this year in June. Meta, an early entrant in the headset market, revealed more details about the Quest 3 at its Meta Connect 2023 annual conference in September, with pre-orders going live at the event. The Meta Quest 3 runs on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform and comes with a 4K+ (2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye) Infinite Display.