Samsung Galaxy XR Provides New Way to See the World, Costs $1,799

With a price tag of $1,799, Samsung’s Galaxy XR is the company’s first foray into the mixed reality market. This headset, co-developed by Google and Qualcomm, seeks to make immersive experiences more affordable than Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro.

With its forehead cushion, it weighs only 545 grams, which is much less than the Vision Pro’s 750 grams. The external battery pack weighs 302 grams, so the headset doesn’t feel like a brick when you put it on. The ergonomic frame distributes pressure evenly across your forehead and back of your head, making it comfortable to wear for long periods of time. A little pop-off light shield lets you choose whether to have an open sensation or block out the entire surroundings. The headset supports interpupillary distances ranging from 54 to 70 millimeters, and prescription lens inserts are available if needed. There’s even a dial on the back that allows you to fine-tune the fit so the headset stays in place without compressing your cranium too tightly. It’s a simple, functional headset that works.

The 4K Micro-OLED screen of the Galaxy XR has 27 million pixels, which is 6 million more than the Vision Pro. That’s because it features a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840, which produces stunning colors, especially with the DCI-P3 gamut’s 95% coverage. And if you need to scroll swiftly or play games, a refresh rate of up to 90Hz would suffice. The Vision Pro’s 120Hz ceiling is certainly better, but the difference is less noticeable in real-world use. Whether you’re watching a movie or exploring some 3D maps, the images appear and feel really sharp and colorful; the graphics just come to life. The soundtrack is just as immersive. Dolby Atmos is delivered via two small speakers and a woofer-tweeter pair, giving the impression that sound is all around you. Six microphones are available, two of which have beamforming capabilities, allowing you to have a clear conversation while disregarding background noise.



The Galaxy XR is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 CPU, which works with a Hexagon NPU for AI tasks to give silky smooth performance, assuming you’re chasing numerous virtual windows or getting into a game. You do get 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage, which should be adequate for apps, films, and 3D material. The battery life is roughly 2 hours for regular use or 2.5 hours for video playback, which is standard – in fact, it matches the specifications of the Vision Pro that were originally mentioned. However, and this may be a nice touch, you may use it while it charges, avoiding being stuck near a plug for an extended period of time.

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 provide super-fast and dependable connections to the internet and other devices. The headgear contains numerous sensors, including two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, four eye-tracking cameras, a depth sensor, and five inertial measurement units, to keep track of your head, hands, and where you’re looking. Additionally, iris recognition allows you to securely unlock the device or log in to other apps, which is a nice touch.


The Galaxy XR runs on Android XR, a platform that Samsung, Google and Qualcomm have co-developed. With that, every app from the Google Play Store works seamlessly – there’s no need to worry about getting stuck with a load of niche software. Google’s own apps, like Google Maps, YouTube and Photos, have been completely tailored to the mixed reality experience. So imagine navigating a city in 3D mode with Google Maps as you wander around – you can even ask Gemini to pass on recommendations for the best restaurants while you’re strolling. Alternatively, watch a YouTube video and ask Gemini to fill you in on what’s going on – it can even pick up on the details of what is on screen. Meanwhile in passthrough mode, you can use Circle to Search by drawing a circle with your hand to look up objects in the real world – for instance find out what that llama in the photo is.


Google’s Gemini AI is right at home everywhere on the Galaxy XR – and it’s far more than just a voice assistant. It’s basically a conversational guide that’s got eyes & ears on you at all times. Ask it to find a video, give you the lowdown on some landmark or help you out with the name of an object, and it responds in a pretty natural way. Even tried it out during a demo where Gemini correctly spotted a llama in a photo but then got a bit flummoxed when asked about an Icelandic volcano which it thought was in Hawaii – still, it’s pretty intuitive and useful for exploring new places or just learning stuff on the fly.


Coming in at $1,799, the Galaxy XR manages to undercut the Vision Pro by a pretty significant margin of nearly half, and to sweeten the deal, Samsung throws in an Explorer Pack with purchases made by the end of 2025. That bundle includes a year of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, the usual sports apps like NFL Pro Era and Calm, plus NBA League Pass for the 2025-26 season, or a year of Coupang Play Sports Pass in Korea. You also get three months of YouTube TV for $1 a month, which is – to put it mildly – a steal compared to its usual $83 price tag.