This month, Samsung continued its recent history of leaking details on an upcoming XR wearable when it filed for a “Samsung Glasses” trademark in the UK. The news follows many leaks and comments regarding a potential Samsung headset that looks to bring fresh competition to the XR space and will also expand the firm’s product portfolio as it suffers a loss of revenue from its smartphone lineup.
According to a listing by Samsung on the UK Government’s Intellectual Property Office, the firm initially filled the trademark on 21 August, and the UK Government registered the trademark on 10 November 2023, with the filling running out on 21 August 2033.
Moreover, the listing highlights that the “Samsung Glasses” trademark includes immersive hardware considerations, including virtual reality headsets, augmented reality headsets, headphones, smartphones, and smart glasses – perhaps also suggesting an MR headset and interoperability alongside Samsung smartphones.
Earlier 2023 Rumours
Earlier this month, Samsung’s Electronics Mobile Experience (MX) Division confirmed the production of an Inifinate XR device – a prototype MR headset that circulated across Korean publications.
At the time, reports forecasted a December 2024 debut. Reports suggest that Samsung plans to unveil a new device at its Unpack event next year, with initial production quantities expected to be around 30,000 units. However, Apple will reportedly produce 400,000 units, a reduced number compared to its original expectations while still vastly outnumbering Sasmsung’s potential production numbers.
According to an insider, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display have signed an XR screen technology license agreement. Samsung Electronics plans to introduce XR devices at the Unpack event in the second half of next year.
Samsung also leaked the upcoming design specifications of its MR headset in August. Although the device was unnamed then, the leaked information provided insights into the recently confirmed Infinite MR headset.
According to the now-deleted article from Gyro Technology, the upcoming headset will come equipped with various integrated features such as four tracking cameras, a pancake lens, two RGB outward-facing cameras, a depth sensor, eye-tracking, hand-tracking, OLED microdisplays, and Samsung’s 2200 chipset.
According to the leaks, Samsung’s device will cost between $1000 and $2000, which puts the device as a similarly priced, but slightly more affordable, competitor of Apple’s Vision Pro.
Samsung to Transition Towards XR
In its Q3 earnings call, Samsung announced that it is focusing on providing “hyper-personalized experiences” to its customers by using generative AI technologies and secure “core” technology, such as XR, digital health, and digital wallet.
However, the company’s operating profit notably dropped by 77.6 per cent while its profit increased to 262.6 per cent, and revenue reached 67.4 trillion Korean won.
Earlier this year, Samsung faced a difficult Q2 earnings call, which led the company to prioritize XR to ensure its growth and profitability. Samsung’s Q2 net profits fell by 84.5 per cent from the previous year to $1.4 billion, and its total revenue fell by 22 per cent to $47 billion. The company’s operating income decreased by 95 per cent to $527 million, mainly due to a decline in the number of smartphones shipped.
Despite these losses, Samsung announced plans to move forward with XR products integrating with its Galaxy smartphone ecosystem. The company also aims to become a microdisplay components provider for other headset vendors by the end of the year, which will help Samsung gain industry-wide coverage and increased capital.
Daniel Araujo, VP of Mobile eXperience at Samsung, added:
We see the XR market as a large new growth opportunity, and we’re working systematically to the groundwork for an ecosystem that includes core hardware software technology R&D and content. We set up a dedicated organization for immersive product planning and R&D, and we’re also collaborating closely with affiliate companies and other partners. In particular, this includes a mid-to-long-term collaboration with leading partners like Google and Qualcomm.
With a potential December 2024 debut, Samsung will be debuting its MR headset following the debut of Apple’s Vision Pro – which the firm set for March 2024. Will this release window allow Samsung to get a head-up on the competition by learning from others debuting in the market, or will the date be too late, thanks to many industry giants planning on taking XR by storm in 2024?
