Samsung invited Google and Qualcomm to the Galaxy S23 Unpacked event in early February 2023 to tease the “next XR experience” the three companies were building. XR stands for mixed reality, and the announcement dropped at the height of Apple Vision Pro rumors. Well, back then, the Vision Pro product name was not official. But we knew Apple would unveil its own mixed reality device a few months later, at WWDC 2023.
More than a year later, I attended the Unpacked event in Paris, where Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. This happened just a few days before Apple started selling the Apple Vision Pro in stores in various European countries, France included.
Google was again present on stage. At the end of the show, Rick Osterloh hyped up the partnership between Google and Samsung. The high-ranking Google executive mostly focused on Gemini AI integration into the new foldable, but he also teased the “upcoming XR platform” the two parties have been developing.
While Osterloh did not provide any specifics about the device, a new report says the Samsung Vision Pro rival might be significantly delayed.
Here’s what Osterloh had to say about the unnamed Samsung XR headset:
Looking forward, we’re collaborating to bring next-generation experiences across Galaxy products, from smartphones and wearables… to even future technologies, like the upcoming XR platform we’ve been working to develop in close partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm for next-generation devices.
Samsung mobile chief TM Roh then confirmed that the new XR platform is “coming this year,” as he thanked Osterloh for Google’s ongoing partnership with Samsung.
That’s all Google and Samsung had to say about a device that should provide spatial computing abilities similar to the Vision Pro. I’m guessing here, but I hope that’s what they’re building. After finally testing the Vision Pro, I’ll say spatial computing is the future of computing.
However, it might take a while to embrace that future fully. That might favor Google and Samsung. The Android XR device might be delayed, but it’s not like the Vision Pro is flying off the shelves. Even if it did, Apple can’t make enough of them to satisfy demand.
Google and Samsung have time to catch up, especially if they add Galaxy AI and Gemini to the device, which I’m sure they will. After all, Google already teased there’s a place for the Gemini assistant on wearable headsets at I/O 2024 when demoing the multimodal capabilities of Gemini with a mysterious pair of AR glasses.
That said, the unnamed Samsung Vision Pro rival might not launch for a while. A new report suggests the device might have faced various issues, hence the lack of updates until Unpacked 2024. But again, Osterloh and Roh didn’t really say anything about the Android XR platform.
According to Business Insider (via 9to5Google), Samsung might launch a developer version of the Android XR headset this October. A consumer version could follow in March 2025. This is the closest we got to a release date for Samsung’s Vision Pro rival.
The report notes that Samsung and Google wanted to launch the device in the first quarter of 2024. The two companies had to push it back repeatedly with leadership reportedly fearing “the device isn’t yet good enough to dazzle users.”
It’s not just the hardware and software that must “dazzle” users. The price will be important too. The Vision Pro will certainly leave one dazzled, but it starts at $3,499. On that note, rumors say Apple might launch a cheaper Vision version next year.
In addition to a Vision Pro rival, Samsung and Google might also work on a pair of AR glasses. That wouldn’t be surprising. I often said the real Apple spatial computer I’m waiting for is a pair of AR glasses that works with the iPhone. Products like the Vision Pro need to exist to get there.
Google is reportedly uninterested in making AR glasses despite working on software for them. The Project Astra glasses we saw at I/O were probably just a teaser for what might be possible with Gemini AI.
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