So Samsung made a “Vision Pro Lite.” That was my immediate takeaway after this week’s debut of the Galaxy XR, the first Android XR device to hit the market. While Samsung deserves credit for offering something close to the Vision Pro for nearly half the price, an $1,800 headset still won’t get mainstream consumers rushing out the door to experience the wonders of mixed reality. And with the limited amount of content in Android XR at the moment, the Galaxy XR is in the same position as the Vision Pro: It’s just a well-polished developer kit.
The only logical reason to buy a Galaxy XR would be to test out apps for Android XR. If you just want to experience VR and dabble in a bit of augmented reality, you’re better off spending that money on a gaming laptop and the excellent $500 Meta Quest 3. (The Meta Quest Pro, the company’s first high-end mixed reality device, was unceremoniously killed after launching at an eye-watering $1,500.)
But even for developers, the Galaxy XR feels like it’s lacking, well, vision. Samsung has done an admirable job of copying almost every aspect of the Vision Pro: The sleek ski goggle design, dual micro-OLED displays and hand gesture interaction powered by a slew of cameras and sensors. But while Apple positioned the Vision Pro as its first stab at spatial computing, an exciting new platform where we can use interactive apps in virtual space, Samsung and Google are basically just gunning to put Android on your face.
There aren’t many custom-built XR apps, aside from Google’s offerings like Maps and Photos. (Something that also reminds me of the dearth of real tablet apps on Android.) And the ability to view 360-degree videos on YouTube has been a staple of every VR headset for the last decade — it’s not exactly notable on something that costs $1,800. Samsung and Google also haven’t said much about how they plan to elevate XR content. At least Apple is attempting to push the industry forward with its 8K Immersive Videos, which look sharper and more realistic than low-res 360-degree content.
For the most part, it seems as if Google is treating Android XR as another way to force its Gemini AI on users. In its press release for the Galaxy XR, Samsung notes that it’s “introducing a new category of AI-native devices designed to deliver immersive experiences in a form factor optimized for multimodal AI.”
…What?
In addition to being a crime against the English language, what the company is actually pitching is fairly simple: It’s just launching a headset that can access AI features via camera and voice inputs.
Who knows, maybe Gemini will make Android XR devices more capable down the line. But at the moment, all I’m seeing in the Galaxy XR is another Samsung device that’s shamelessly aping Apple, from the virtual avatars to specific pinch gestures. And Google’s history in VR and interactive content doesn’t inspire much hope about Android XR. Don’t forget how it completely abandoned Google Cardboard, the short-lived Daydream project and its hyped up Stadia cloud service. Stadia’s death was particularly galling, since Google initially pitched it as a way to revolutionize the very world of gaming, only to let it fall on its face.
There’s no doubt that Samsung, Apple and Meta have a ton of work left ahead in the world of XR. Samsung is at least closer to delivering something under $1,000, and Meta also recently launched the $800 Ray-Ban Display. But price is only one part of the problem. Purpose is another issue entirely. After living with the Vision Pro since its debut, I can tell that Apple is at least thinking a bit more deeply about what it’s like to wear a computer on your face. Just look at the upgrades its made around ultra-wide Mac mirroring, or the way Spatial Personas make it feel as if you’re working alongside other people. With Android XR, Google seems to just be making a more open Vision Pro.
Honestly, it’s unclear if normal users will ever want to use any sort of XR headset regularly, no matter how cheap they get. The experience making these headsets could help Google, Apple and Meta develop future AR glasses, or eyewear that offer some sort of XR experience (Samsung already has something in the works with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster). But while Apple and Meta have broken new ground in XR, Google and Samsung just seem to be following in their footsteps.
Apple’s Vision Pro was meant to usher in a new era for headsets. However, its high price and somewhat limited utility resulted in what may be the company’s biggestflop in years. Now it’s time for Samsung to give things a go with the Galaxy XR. It’s a fresh take on modern mixed reality goggles developed through deep partnerships with Qualcomm and Google and it attempts to address some of the Vision Pro’s biggest shortcomings.
The hardware
While both Apple and Samsung’s headsets have a lot of similarities (like their basic design and support for features such as hand and eye tracking), there are also some very important differences. First, at $1,800, the Galaxy XR is essentially half the price of the Vision Pro (including the new M5-powered model). Second, instead of Apple’s homegrown OS, Samsung’s headset is the first to run Google’s new Android XR platform, which combines a lot of familiar elements from its mobile counterpart but with a bigger emphasis on AI and Gemini-based voice controls. And third, because Samsung relied more on partners like Google and Qualcomm, the Galaxy XR feels like it’s built around a larger, more open ecosystem that plays nicely with a wider range of third-party devices and software.
The Galaxy XR fundamentally doesn’t look that much different from the Vision Pro. It features a large visor in front with an assortment of 13 different exterior sensors to support inside-out tracking, passthrough vision and hand recognition. There are some additional sensors inside for eye and face tracking. There’s also a connector for the wire that leads to its external clip-on battery pack alongside built-in speakers with spatial audio. The one big departure is that unlike the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR doesn’t have an outward-facing display, so it won’t be able to project your face onto the outside of the headset, which is just fine by me.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
However, the devil is in the details because while the original Vision Pro weighed between 600 and 650 grams (around 1.3 to 1.4 pounds) depending on the configuration (not including its battery pack), the Galaxy XR is significantly lighter at 545 grams (1.2 pounds). And that’s before you consider the new M5 Vision Pro, which has somehow gone backwards by being even heavier at 750-800 grams (around 1.6 pounds). Furthermore, it seems Samsung learned a lot from its rivals by including a much larger and thicker head cushion that helps distribute the weight of the headset more evenly. Granted, during a longer session, I still noticed a bit of pressure and felt relief after taking off the Galaxy XR, but it’s nothing like the Vision Pro, which in my experience gets uncomfortable almost immediately. Finally, around back, there’s a simple strap with a knob that you can twist to tighten or loosen the headband as necessary. So even without extra support running across the top of your head, getting in and out of the Galaxy XR is much easier and comfier than the Vision Pro.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
On the inside, the Galaxy XR is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip with dual micro OLED displays that deliver 4K resolution (3,552 x 3,840) to each eye at up to 90Hz. I wish Samsung was able to go up to a 120Hz refresh rate like on the Vision Pro, but considering the Galaxy XR’s slightly higher overall resolution, I’m not that bothered. And I must say, the image quality from this headset is seriously sharp. It’s even better than Apple’s goggles and it might be the best I’ve ever used, particularly outside of $10,000+ enterprise-only setups. Once again, when you consider that this thing costs half the price of a Vision Pro, this headset feels like a real accomplishment by Samsung to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if the company is losing money on every unit it sells.
In terms of longevity, Samsung says that for general use the Galaxy XR should last around two hours. If you’re only watching videos though, that figure is more like two and a half. Thankfully, if you do need to be in mixed reality for longer, you can charge the headset while it’s being used. As for security, the Galaxy XR uses iris recognition to skip traditional passwords, which is nice.
The platform: Android XR
Sometimes, trying out a new software platform can be a little jarring. But that’s not really the case for Android XR, which shouldn’t present much of a learning curve for anyone who has used other headsets or Google’s ubiquitous mobile OS. After putting the goggles on, you can summon a home menu with an app launcher by facing your palm up and touching your index finger and thumb together. From there, you can open apps and menus by moving your hands and pinching icons or rearranging virtual windows by grabbing the anchor point along the bottom and putting them where you want.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Notably, while there is a growing number of new apps made specifically for XR, you still get access to all of your standard Android titles. Those include Google Photos, Google Maps and Youtube, all of which I got a chance to play around with during a 25-minute demo. In Photos, you can browse your pictures normally. However, to take advantage of the Galaxy XR’s hardware, Google created a feature that allows the app to convert standard flat images (with help from the cloud) into immersive ones. While the effect isn’t true 3D, it adds distinct foreground, midground and background layers to images in a way that makes viewing your photo roll just a bit more interesting.
In Maps, you start out with a view of the world before using hand gestures to move and zoom in wherever you want or voice commands to laser in on a specific location. The neat new trick for this app is that if you find bubbles over things like restaurants and stores, you can click those to be transported inside those businesses, where Android XR will stitch together 2D photos to create a simulated 3D environment that you can move and walk around in. Granted, this doesn’t have a ton of practical use for most folks unless you want to take a virtual tour of something like a wedding venue. But, the tech is impressive nonetheless.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Finally in the YouTube app, the Galaxy XR did a great job of making standard 360 videos look even better. While quality will always depend on the gear that captured the content, viewing spatial clips was a great way to show off its resolution and image quality. Google says it will also put a new tab on the app to make finding 360 videos easier, though you can always watch the billions of standard flat videos as well.
Interestingly, you can use and navigate the Galaxy XR entirely with hand gestures, but voice commands (via Gemini) are also a major part of the Android XR platform. Because the goggles sit on your head, unlike with mobile devices, there’s no need to use a wake word every time you want to do something. You just talk and Gemini listens (though you can choose to disable this behavior if you prefer), so this makes voice interactions feel a lot more natural. Because Gemini can also do things like adjust settings or organize all the apps you have open, in addition to answering questions, it feels like Google is starting to deliver on some of those Star Trek moments where you can simply ask the computer to do something and it just happens. Yes, it’s still very early, but as a platform, Android XR feels much more like a virtual playground than VisionOS does at the moment.
Other features
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
While I didn’t get to test these out myself, there are some other important features worth mentioning. In addition to apps, you can also play your standard selection of Android games like Stardew Valley or connect the headset to your PC (like with Steam Link) to play full desktop titles. Furthermore, I was told that the Galaxy XR can be tethered to a computer and used like a traditional VR headset. And while Samsung is making optional wireless controllers for the Galaxy XR (and a big carrying case), you may not need them at all as you’ll also have the ability to pair the goggles with typical Bluetooth-based gamepads along with wireless mice and keyboards.
Google also says it’s working on a new system called Likenesses that can create personalized avatars for use in video calls and meetings that use data from interior sensors to deliver more realistic expressions. Additionally, you’ll be able to use tools like Veo3 to make AI-generated videos while providing prompts using your voice. But this is just scratching the surface of the Galaxy XR’s capabilities and I want to use this thing more before offering a final verdict.
Early thoughts
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
In many ways, the Galaxy XR looks and feels like a flagship mixed reality headset in the same vein as the Vision Pro, but for the Android crowd (and Windows users to some extent as well). On top of that, Google has done some interesting things with Android XR to make it feel like there’s a much wider range of content and software to view and use. In many ways, the addition of a dedicated AI assistant in Gemini and voice controls feels much more impactful on goggles than a phone because you can’t always count on having physical inputs like a mouse or keyboard. And with the Galaxy XR being half the price of the Vision Pro, Samsung and Google have done a lot to address some of the most glaring issues with Apple’s rival.
In case the price drop wasn’t enough, it feels like all the companies involved are doing as much as possible to sweeten the deal. I actually started laughing when I first heard all the discounts and free subscriptions that come with the headset. That’s because in addition to the goggles themselves, every Galaxy XR will come with what’s being called the Explorer Pack: 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, 12 months of YouTube Premium (which itself includes YouTube Music), 12 months of Google Play Pass, 12 Months of NBA League Pass and a bundle of other custom XR content and apps. So on top of a slick design, top-tier optics and a new platform, Google and Samsung are basically tossing a kitchen sink of apps and memberships in with the headset.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
My only reservation is that when it comes to mass adoption, I think smartglasses have supplanted headsets as the next big mainstream play. Granted, there is a lot of technology and software shared between both categories of devices (Google has already teased upcoming Android XR smartglasses) that should allow Samsung or Google to pivot more easily down the line. But the idea that in the future there will be a headset in every home seems less likely every day. Still, as a showcase for the potential of mixed reality and high-end optics, the Galaxy XR is an exciting piece of tech.
The Samsung Galaxy XR is available now for $1,800 on Samsung.com.
Samsung’s take on the Vision Pro is here — and you can already order it. Costing just over half as much as Apple’s reality machine, the Galaxy XR has a 4K micro-OLED screen and a 100-degree horizontal field of view. The $1,800 mixed reality headset is available now for pre-order on Samsung’s website.
The Galaxy XR isn’t only a Samsung product. The company developed the long-rumored headset alongside Google and Qualcomm. It’s the first Android XR product, a line that will eventually include AI glasses “and beyond.” You can read more about the headset and its ecosystem in Engadget’s news coverage.
Given Google’s connection to the Galaxy XR, it isn’t too surprising that the company has bonuses for early orders. If you buy the headset before the end of 2025, you’ll get “The Explorer Pack.” That includes a year of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. Also included until the end of the year is the “XR Pack.” This adds three months of YouTube TV, a year of NBA League Pass, NFL Pro Era, Adobe’s Project Pulsar, Asteroid and Calm.
You can order the Galaxy XR now from Samsung’s website and in Samsung Experience Stores. The headset costs $1,800. An optional Galaxy XR Controller costs $250. And somehow, the official Galaxy XR travel case also costs $250, which is — yikes — a lot. Perhaps consider waiting for third-party alternatives on the case front.
Samsung is offering a 24-month financing plan for the headset ($75.01 monthly) on its website. Meanwhile, Samsung’s stores have that plan as well as a 12-month one ($149 monthly).
The company got really wild and original with the headset’s name. You’re truly not going to believe what it’s called… Actually, it’s got the most unsurprising name of all time: Galaxy XR. What’s more, you can buy the headset right now in the US and Korea for $1,800. That’s just over half of what the Apple Vision Pro costs.
Samsung
The first Android XR device is here, and it’s Samsung’s $1,800 Galaxy XR headset.
Aside from an Android-powered headset that looks very much like an Apple Vision Pro, you might be wondering exactly what you’ll be getting in return for forking over 1,800 smackeroos. As expected, Galaxy XR is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Qualcomm worked with Samsung and Google on the headset.
The micro OLED display has 29 million pixels (6 million more than the Apple Vision Pro), a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and 96 percent of the DCI‑P3 color gamut — four percent more than the Vision Pro. Where Apple does have Samsung beat on the display front is with the refresh rate: the Galaxy XR tops out at 90Hz and the Vision Pro can hit 120Hz.
Galaxy XR has dual high-res passthrough cameras to support mixed reality use, six other external cameras for tracking things in the environment and two eye-tracking sensors. The device supports iris recognition for unlocking the headset and entering passwords in some apps. As with the Vision Pro, you can capture 3D photos and video using the headset.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The cameras allow for hand tracking and gesture control, though it’s possible to operate Galaxy XR with physical controllers as well. If you prefer, you can pair a keyboard and mouse to the headset or link it to your PC and access your desktop that way.
The dual speakers support Dolby Atmos and there are six microphones built in. As for battery life, Samsung says you’ll get up to two hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback on a charge. That matches the original battery life promises of the original Vision Pro, but Apple said its latest model (which has the new M5 chipset) offers an extra 30 minutes or so of usage.
The interpupillary distance of the Galaxy XR’s optics is 54~70mm, and it’s possible to buy insertable prescription lenses if needed. As for connectivity, the headset supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Even with a forehead cushion attached, Galaxy XR weighs 545g (1.2lbs), while the latest Apple Vision Pro has a minimum weight of 750g (1.7lbs). The Galaxy XR’s battery pack — as with competitor’s offerings, the battery is external — weighs 302g (0.7lbs).
Samsung claims the Galaxy XR was designed with comfort in mind. “The headset’s ergonomically balanced frame distributes pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, minimizing facial discomfort while providing steady support,” the company said in a press release. There’s also a detachable light shield that you can employ to block out external light.
What you can actually do with Galaxy XR
There are no prizes for guessing that Google’s generative AI chatbot Gemini is at the heart of Android XR. “Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR,” Sameer Samat, Google’s president of Android Ecosystem, said.
Every Google Play Store app works out of the box on the headset, though of course Google has reworked some for mixed reality. You can use Gemini to navigate Google Maps and ask for personalized recommendations while checking out 3D visuals with Immersive View. Google Photos can bring an extra dimension to 2D photos and videos via auto spatialization.
On YouTube, you can ask Gemini to find videos and tell you more details about what you’re watching. And, while using the passthrough mode, you can look at any object in your environment and use Circle to Search to look up more info about it. Google has also made new versions of Google TV, Chrome and Meet (because what is mixed reality for if not conference calls?) for Android XR.
Multitasking is a factor here as well. The operating system allows users to have multiple, resizable apps open at once. These can be arranged in a virtual space, or you can simply ask Gemini to do that for you.
On the entertainment front, you’ll be able to stream shows and movies in 4K in a virtual theater setting. You’ll have access to a library of 180-degree and 360-degree VR content, and you can view 3D content via a “spatial” tab. Some streaming platforms have reworked their apps for Android XR, including Crunchyroll, HBO Max and Peacock.
There’s a multi-view option for watching sports, with apps from the likes of MLB and Fox Sports available. With Adobe’s Project Pulsar (an immersive video editing app), you’ll be able to add 3D depth to videos and seemingly place captions behind subjects with ease, if that’s something you’re interested in.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Galaxy XR has games too. NFL Pro Era — an NFL-licensed virtual reality title that’s also on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR and Windows — is available for Android XR. So too is Inside [JOB] by Owlchemy Labs (Vacation Simulator, Job Simulator). For compatible games, Samsung says Gemini can offer real-time coaching, tips and “enhanced gameplay experiences.”
The arrival of Galaxy XR is an important next step for Google and its grand vision of an Android XR ecosystem. But the company isn’t stopping with headsets. It’s also making smart glasses, a product category that Meta has been trying to conquer. Samsung and Google are working with Warby Parker on Android XR smart glasses. At I/O earlier this year, we got some hands-on time with a prototype of Google’s Android XR glasses.
Once again, Galaxy XR will run you $1,800, and Samsung is offering financing options. The Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller will each run you $250 — at those prices, they almost need financing options too. Ouch.
Anyone who buys Galaxy XR by the end of this year will get an Explorer Pack at no extra cost. This includes 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. The NFL Pro Era, Project Pulsar, Calm and Asteroid apps are bundled in too. You’ll also get NBA League Pass access for the 2025-26 season in the US or 12 months of the Coupang Play Sports Pass in Korea. Charging $1 for each of the first three months of YouTube TV seems a little cheap considering the outlay for Galaxy XR, but it’s still a decent perk. YouTube TV typically costs $83 per month.