After months of speculation, Samsung has officially unveiled its Galaxy XR headset, setting the stage for a new era in extended reality (XR) technology and a direct showdown with Apple’s Vision Pro. Running on Google’s Android XR operating system and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset, the Galaxy XR combines high-end performance, cutting-edge visuals, and a relatively affordable price tag to compete head-to-head in the growing XR market.
A Premium XR Experience at a Lower Price
The Galaxy XR comes in at $1,800, nearly half the cost of Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro, making it one of the most competitively priced premium XR headsets. Currently available in the U.S. and South Korea, the headset offers up to two hours of general use and two and a half hours of video playback on a single charge.
Under the hood, the Galaxy XR boasts a micro OLED display with an impressive 27 million pixels, about six million more than the Vision Pro. The display delivers a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 with a 90Hz refresh rate, slightly below the Vision Pro’s 120Hz but still more than sufficient for immersive and smooth visual experiences.
Design and Comfort: Lightweight Yet Durable
At 545 grams, the Galaxy XR is significantly lighter than Apple’s headset, which weighs between 750 and 800 grams. Samsung emphasized comfort in its design, noting in its official blog post that the headset’s ergonomically balanced frame distributes pressure evenly across the forehead and back of the head. This reduces facial discomfort while providing stable support for extended use.
Samsung added that the device’s construction uses advanced materials and optimized components to strike the ideal balance between lightweight portability and robust durability, making it suitable for both productivity and entertainment.
Immersive Experiences and AI Integration
The Galaxy XR features a comprehensive camera system, including two high-resolution pass-through cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, and four eye-tracking cameras to deliver precise spatial awareness and seamless mixed-reality transitions.
One of the standout features is its deep integration with Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Users can navigate through Google Maps, explore 3D immersive environments, or use YouTube and Google Photos hands-free. With Circle to Search, users can simply draw a circle in the air to learn more about objects around them using real-time AI-powered recognition.
In pass-through mode, users can interact with the real world while multitasking, opening multiple apps such as browsers, documents, and music players at any scale. The Galaxy XR also supports popular streaming services like HBO Max, Peacock, and Crunchyroll, all optimized for the Android XR ecosystem.
Special Offers and Content Bundle
To attract early adopters, Samsung is offering a Galaxy XR Explorer Pack for those who purchase before the end of 2025. The bundle includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass, along with special perks such as a $1/month YouTube TV trial for three months, NBA League Pass access, and exclusive XR apps like NFL PRO ERA, Project Pulsar, Asteroid, and Calm.
Apple’s Response and the XR Rivalry
Samsung’s announcement comes just a week after Apple unveiled an updated Vision Pro, now featuring the M5 chip, which improves rendering by 10% and extends battery life to 2.5 hours of general use and 3 hours for video playback. With both tech giants now doubling down on XR, the race for immersive computing dominance is heating up.
Conclusion
Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset represents a confident leap into the next phase of spatial computing, blending performance, AI integration, and user comfort. By offering a high-end device at a significantly lower price than Apple’s Vision Pro, Samsung is positioning itself as a formidable player in the emerging XR landscape one that could help make immersive technology more accessible to the mainstream.
