Today at MWC 2024, Samsung unveiled an upcoming XR headset the firm created alongside partners Google and Qualcomm, with a scheduled release window coming in 2025. At the event, Samsung unveiled several innovative tech products, including the immersive device, a smart ring, and an assistive mobility robotics device.
The device is currently early in its lifespan. While rumours about a Samsung headset have swirled over the past few months, this is the first time the world has laid eyes on a Samsung XR headset.
Samsung is naming its upcoming device simply “XR,” the name may be a placeholder until a release date comes closer. However, the name could tell us that Samsung may not be going down the spatial computing moniker; instead, it is sticking to the classic AR/VR/MR name.
Details are slim. However, reports suggest the device will have a microOLED display, eight tracking cameras, a ToF sensor, voice commands, eye tracking, and hand tracking.
Moreover, based on its partnership with Qualcomm, it is fair to assume that the device will contain Qualcomm’s recently released XR2+ Gen 2 Platform, developed alongside Samsung and Google.
Moreover, with Google’s involvement, genAI integrations may also be present on the Samsung headset, partly due to the XR2+ Gen 2 Platform that supports AI-ready wearables.
The device will likely appear in another more complete reveal later in the year.
Qualcomm Partners with Google Samsung for New 4K XR Chipset to Empower AI Smart Glasses
To kick off 2024, Qualcomm quietly set the stage for the Samsung XR headset when it first revealed its XR2+ Gen 2 Platform, with Samsung and Google as partners.
At the time of the chipset’s release, Inkang Song, the Vice President and Head of the Technology Strategy Team at Samsung Electronics, noted:
Samsung is thrilled to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies and Google in revolutionizing the mobile industry once more. With Samsung’s mobile expertise and our joint commitment, we aim to create the best-in-class XR experience for Galaxy users.
Meanwhile, Shahram Izadi, the Vice President of Augmented Reality at Google, highlighted the benefits of Android ecosystem support, emphasizing that it would allow developers to leverage the capabilities of Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 and work with Samsung and Qualcomm to create groundbreaking immersive and spatial XR experiences.
The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset has gained popularity for its ability to unlock 4.3K resolution, with Hugo Swart, the Vice President and General Manager of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, stating that the new hardware brings spectacularly clear visuals to use cases, including demanding user display requirements such as room-scale screens, life-size overlays, and virtual desktops.
By introducing the upgraded GPU considerations, Qualcomm can power AR/MR devices with more than 12 concurrent cameras that accurately track the user, their movements, and their environment. The GPU upgrades also improve AI assistant features on smart glasses or headsets.
In addition to the 4.3K resolution and GPU improvements, the chipset also includes 8x better AI performance, 12ms full-colour video see-through, support for the 4.3K x 4.3K resolution, “Game Super Resolution,” “Space Warp,” Foveated rendering, support for depth sensors, eye tracking, hand tracking, face tracking, and controller tracking, Wi-Fi 7, and Wi-Fi 6/6E support.
While the Qualcomm chipset doesn’t give us every detail on the Samsung device, the XR2+ Gen 2 Platform’s features provide insight into the upcoming product’s usability and performance.
