Samsung May Have a Bigger Opportunity in AR as Apple Scales Back

SammyGuru is reader-supported. We have affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site — at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

There’s no rivalry quite like that of Apple and Samsung. And we’re not just talking about iPhones vs. Galaxy phones. Samsung has long been rumored to be working on AR glasses, and Apple has had its eye too. It would’ve been a perfect stage for a rivalry to reignite. But it seems Apple has pulled back, calling it quits on the project, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.

We may not see Samsung AR glasses vs. Apple AR glasses comparisons

A few days ago, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on AR glasses. If these were to see the light of day, they could’ve rivaled the AR efforts of Google and Samsung. But in typical Apple fashion, the company pulled the plug—much like last year when it hit the brakes on its self-driving car project.

Mark Gurman, who’s solid with reliable insider info, writes that Apple’s AR glasses “would have looked like normal glasses but include built-in displays and require a connection to a Mac.” From what I gather, this suggests that Apple’s AR glasses wouldn’t have been a standalone product, unlike the company’s Vision Pro XR headset, which comes with a steep price tag of $3,499.

That doesn’t mean Apple isn’t working on a more affordable Vision Pro variant—it is. But it’s pulling out of the AR race. This may be because Meta has already made a name for itself in this space, and now Samsung is jumping in too.

Gurman adds that Apple ran into several design issues with the AR glasses, especially when pairing them with an iPhone. This caused problems with processing power and battery life, leading Apple to shift to a Mac-connected version. However, the AR glasses still didn’t perform well in internal reviews, and it was eventually canceled. In all fairness, it would’ve been great to see the two biggest tech giants rival again.

Written by

Abhinav Anand

Abhinav Anand is the News Editor at SammyGuru and a technology journalist based in New Delhi. Before joining SammyGuru, he contributed to numerous outlets, including Android Headlines, ExtremeTech, The Mac Observer, Financial Express, Economic Times, iGeeksBlog, KnowTechie, PhonesWiki, SlashGear, and more. You can reach him at [email protected].

XWebsiteLinkedInMore from Abhinav Anand →