hello. This is Technologytodaynow. The global XR market has been buzzing since Samsung Electronics announced that it will unveil the Galaxy XR this year at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 in Paris, France. XR is a concept that encompasses augmented reality and virtual reality, and is being touted as a cutting-edge technology with immersive and intuitive experiences. So far, leaks have been sparse, but we recently learned that Samsung will unveil its next-generation extended reality (XR) device in Q1 2025, so we thought we’d take a look.
New challenges for Samsung Electronics
Galaxy XR devices in development
Citing internal sources, US economic outlet Business Insider is reporting that Samsung Electronics is currently working on its first XR device, codenamed “Moohan. The form factor is said to be similar to Apple’s Vision Pro and MetaPlatform’s (Meta) Quest series of devices. Samsung’s development of this XR product also involves other US big tech companies, including Google and Qualcomm.
Declaring the XR Relaunch at Galaxy Unpacked 2024
Samsung announced in February last year that it would re-challenge the previously failed XR market, announcing its new product in the first half of 2023. There was no mention of XR for the next year, but at a recent Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung said it would unveil the XR platform within this year.
Reasons for Delaying the Release of Galaxy XR Devices
Samsung had planned to unveil its next-generation XR device to the market earlier this year, but the official release date was pushed back to the first quarter of next year because the prototype was not yet complete. The technology gap introduced by competitor Apple’sVision Pro also contributed to the delay. In response, Samsung has gone back to the drawing board and strengthened its manufacturing capabilities for XR devices, and is expected to introduce a developer model by October of this year. The Galaxy Unpacked event early next year is the likely stage for the consumer product to be unveiled.
Key specifications for Galaxy XR devices
Samsung’s XR device will feature two 1.03-inch square OLED on silicon (OLEDoS) displays with a 2500×2500 resolution, 3,500 ppi pixel density, and 90Hz refresh rate. They’re a bit less specced than the Vision Pro’s 3660×3200 dual 1.41-inch microdisplays (3,386 ppi), but in the processor department, where performance is key, Qualcomm’s chip for the XR, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 (second generation), will be used. This is powerful enough to control up to 12 cameras.
What the Galaxy XR needs to succeed
The popularization of XR devices is still expected to take some time. It’s because it’s cheap and heavy, but there’s not a lot of content to enjoy. Apple’s Vision Pro is expected to be only half of its expected sales target due to its high price of $3500. To do this, content included in XR devices must be differentiated from competitors, and for this, Samsung will have to provide customized apps and video content that cover a variety of content such as games and streaming.
So far, we’ve learned about the Galaxy XR that Samsung is aiming to launch early next year. Big tech companies such as Meta and Apple have failed one after another in the XR market, and I’m curious about how Samsung will challenge the XR market