Samsung reportedly had established a specialised team of experts known as the “Immersive Team” last summer in order to ramp up development of its own extended reality (XR) headset. According to South Korean publication Hankyung, the new group operates under the tech giant’s Mobile Experience (MX) division and has grown to over a hundred people since its formation, with the aim of releasing the device later this year.
Previously, it was reported that the company had initially planned to start production at the start of 2024, but decided to delay the project after Apple revealed its own Vision Pro headset in June. Sources familiar with the matter said that company officials wanted to study its rival’s product first in order to understand its specifications, features, and design.
In its report, Hankyung suggests that Samsung is now hurrying the pace of its own XR headset’s development in response to the launch of the Vision Pro, which is reported to have sold over 200,000 units globally. As revealed by the company during the debut of its Galaxy S23 series last year, the upcoming device is developed in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, and is expected to feature the latter’s new Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 platform.
Specs-wise, unofficial sources are suggesting that Samsung’s XR headset will likely feature two 1.03-inch OLEDoS microdisplays from Samsung-owned eMagin, providing 3,500 ppi pixel density and high resolution graphics up to 90 fps. Additionally, the device is said to run on a customised version of Android for mixed reality, offers full-colour passthrough video along with powerful AI processing, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, and seamless integration with the brand’s ecosystem of phones, tablets, and laptops. It is also worth reminding that photos of the product’s alleged prototype had appeared online in August of last year.
https://twitter.com/Tech_Reve/status/1757941639702851887?s=20
Whether Samsung will actually launch its own XR headset this year remains to be seen. According to reliable tipster Revegnus (aka @Tech_Reve), the device is scheduled to be released in the second half of 2024, meaning that it could debut alongside the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Galaxy Z Fold6 – two allegedly upcoming products that the brand has yet to announce as well.
(Source: Hankyung)
