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It has been Five years since Samsung and Google stopped supporting their respective mobile virtual reality headsets. For a second attempt, the companies have teamed up with a bolder vision in the mixed reality space, starting with the new Galaxy XR. Announced last year as Project Moohan, it is the first headset with Android XR, a new platform for smart glasses and headphones built on Android and Google’s Gemini assistant from the ground up.
The Galaxy XR is available today in the United States and South Korea for $1,800. (You can finance it for $149 per month for 12 months.) That’s a jump from standard VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3, but a significantly lower price than the $3,499 Vision Pro, which Apple is updating this week with the new M5 processor.
Galactic Vision
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
I was able to demo the headphones again last week at a closed-door media event in New York City hosted by Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm (the Galaxy XR is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon The official name and price were the two big questions, but that has now been resolved.
The Galaxy XR claims to do almost everything that Apple’s device does. Put on the headset and you can see the room you’re in through the pancake lenses and layer virtual content over it, or transport yourself to another world. Your hands are the input (controllers are available as a separate purchase) and it uses eye tracking to see what you want to select. You can access all your favorite apps from the Google Play Store; XR apps will be labeled “Made for XR.”
Samsung’s earbuds are plasticier and don’t feel as premium as Apple’s Vision Pro. I noticed that the tethered battery on a demo unit looked very worn with fingerprint smudges on the coating. But this overall construction makes it feel much lighter to carry. I didn’t get to test it for a long period, but I felt comfortable, and the only problem was a sweaty forehead after a 25-minute fight with it on. The earbuds were warm on top, but the battery stayed relatively cool. Speaking of which, the battery lasts 2 hours or 2.5 hours if you are just watching videos. It’s on par with the original Vision Pro, although the M5 version extends it to 2.5 with mixed use.
