Samsung Launches Galaxy XR Headset on Android XR

Samsung has launched the Galaxy XR, its first mixed‑reality headset and the inaugural device built on Google's new Android XR platform, priced at roughly $1,700–$1,800 as a lower‑cost rival to Apple’s Vision Pro. The headset uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, dual 4K Micro‑OLED panels at 3,552 × 3,840 (roughly 27 million pixels), a roughly 109° horizontal/100° vertical field of view, and weighs about 545 g with a detachable external battery that delivers roughly 2–2.5 hours of use. The OS supports Play Store and XR‑optimized Google apps and integrates Google’s Gemini AI at the system level for multimodal voice/vision/gesture interactions; the product reflects close collaboration between Samsung, Google and Qualcomm. Early hands‑on reviews praise the displays and relative comfort versus the Vision Pro but flag battery life and real‑world mobility limits. Samsung says the Galaxy XR is a stepping stone toward smaller, fashion‑forward AI glasses and is working with eyewear partners including Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with reports of non‑display AI glasses in 2026 and full AR glasses by 2027. Industry analysts caution that smart‑glasses face an uncertain path to mainstream adoption, so headsets like the Galaxy XR may be more about road‑mapping than immediate mass uptake.