Samsung’s long-rumored extended reality (XR) headset may not be a headset at all. Instead, the company could be readying a pair of mixed reality (MR) smart glasses. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon revealed it during a recent interview. The chipmaker is closely working with Samsung and Google on the product, expected to arrive later this year.
Samsung to launch mixed reality smart glasses instead of an XR headset
During the Galaxy S23 launch in early 2023, Samsung announced a partnership with Qualcomm and Google on futuristic XR experiences. The company didn’t reveal what kind of XR product it has in the pipeline. However, since Apple’s Vision Pro has been making the headlines in this space, it was assumed that the Korean firm would come up with a rival XR headset.
All subsequent leaks and rumors referred to the device as an XR headset. A prominent industry insider said Samsung redesigned the Galaxy S25 Ultra with the upcoming XR product in mind. It allegedly wanted to make the products complement each other in appearance. While this may still be true, the device in question may be a pair of smart glasses.
In an interview with CNBC, Cristiano Amon said Qualcomm is working with Samsung and Google on mixed reality smart glasses that connect to a smartphone. He called the Vision Pro “a larger headset” and added that they are taking a different approach from Apple. “I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it,” the Qualcomm CEO said.
“It’s going to be a new product, it’s going to be new experiences,” Amon added. “AI is going to run on the device. It’s going to run on the cloud. It’s going to run some in the glass, some in the phone, but at the end of the day, there’s going to be whole new experiences,” Amon said. The glasses will likely overlay useful information over the real world via your phone.
For example, when using maps for directions, you can see turn indicators and other instructions on top of what you are already seeing through the glasses. Amon referenced Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which wirelessly connect to a smartphone. These glasses also have a built-in camera and AI-powered voice assistant. Samsung’s MR glasses may offer similar functionality.
Does Samsung have two different XR/MR products in the pipeline?
A recent benchmark entry showed the rumored Samsung XR headset/MR glasses with Qualcomm’s advanced Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform, 16GB of RAM, and Android 14-based software. It’s unclear if this is the same device that Amon talked about, or if the Korean firm is developing two different devices. We might get a confirmation soon, as a developer version of the device is expected to arrive later this year.
