We have identified for a while that Samsung is growing an XR headset. It needs a mixed-reality gadget to problem the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, even delaying its previous XR prototype after seeing Apple’s announcement to offer it a aggressive benefit. And now, due to a current Samsung trademark, we might know its identify: Samsung Glasses.
We do not know for sure if the Samsung Glasses trademark refers to its headset or one other prototype. Samsung might be growing AR glasses, or sensible glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans. However we have heard no leaks about these, whereas we have heard a lot about Samsung’s mixed-reality plans.
No matter it is referred to as, we all know when the Samsung XR headset is meant to launch, what sort of {hardware} it might use, and what software program tips Google is perhaps planning. Here is all the pieces we find out about Samsung Glasses, its mixed-reality headset.Â
Samsung Glasses: Launch and pricing rumors
After Apple introduced its Imaginative and prescient Professional in June 2023, Samsung allegedly despatched an inner memo to staff stating, “We determined to evaluation all inner specs and efficiency, such because the design and panel of the brand new XR product.” Basically, the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional spooked Samsung into delaying its XR headset into “mid-2024” for a serious redesign.
Ultimately, their inner XR launch goal shifted to December 2024. A number of sources and leakers have confirmed this date, as Samsung has apparently advised XR builders to attempt to end their mixed-reality apps by this month.
Samsung might push its headset out once more, however the report additionally signifies that the corporate solely plans to fabricate 30,000 headsets, in comparison with Apple’s 400,000 Imaginative and prescient Execs. With that conservative aim, the corporate should not have an excessive amount of hassle delivering sufficient Samsung Glasses in a 12 months earlier than ramping up with future prototypes.Â
As for pricing, we realized from a Korean report a couple of Meta-LG partnership for the Quest Professional 2 that each Meta and Samsung hope to promote their subsequent high-end headsets for about $2,000, effectively beneath the $3,500 Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. This report could also be analyst hypothesis slightly than certainty, nevertheless it’s actually seemingly that Samsung will attempt to undercut Apple whereas nonetheless focusing on a premium value level.
Samsung Glasses: Design
VR陀螺 revealed info on a Samsung XR HMD prototype that was as soon as the idea for what they wished to make to compete with AppleIt included:•Micro-OLED shows/Pancake optics•Exynos 2200 chip w/ AMD RDNA2 structure•Inside Out monitoring with twin RGB digital camera… pic.twitter.com/xTFV8uiSvzAugust 10, 2023
The above tweet reveals an alleged leaked prototype of the Samsung XR headset earlier than the corporate scrapped it. One factor’s clear: it would not seem like “glasses” in any respect. However as a prototype, it is seemingly that it would not have been the official remaining look of Samsung’s headset.Â
What’s nonetheless unclear is whether or not they’ll have an analogous look to the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional or Meta Quest Professional — each of that are correct “glasses” designed for XR passthrough — or have a stable entrance and passthrough that is absolutely dependent upon RGB cameras, just like the Quest 3. The prototype factors to the latter, however a premium XR headset (or the Samsung Glasses identify) would almost certainly have to have a extra trendy, see-through look.Â
Allegedly, Samsung’s unique prototype had OLED microdisplays, pancake lenses, dual-RGB cameras with a depth sensor for passthrough, inner eye-tracking cameras, no controllers, and a rear-mounted battery.Â
Even when Samsung went again to the drafting board with its new prototype to make it extra highly effective, it is seemingly that a few of these design decisions would carry over. A few of its decisions make us optimistic: the pancake lenses and rear battery pack would make it well-balanced in your head while not having an exterior battery pack just like the Imaginative and prescient Professional.
Samsung Glasses: Specs and efficiency
We already talked about Samsung’s plans for its first XR prototype, which allegedly would have used the infamous Exynos 2200 chip discovered within the worldwide Galaxy S22 sequence. But it surely reportedly scrapped these plans after seeing Apple’s headset, which is able to use a laptop-quality M2 chip and a separate R1 chip for cameras and sensors. It appears Samsung realized it wanted extra energy than a cellphone chipset might ship, in different phrases.
It is now engaged on a brand new design, based on a Enterprise Insider report on Google’s present XR plans. Google has entry to Samsung’s headset as a way to develop software program for it; it allegedly calls the headset “Challenge Moohan.” Considerably worryingly, Google staff supposedly advised BI that they have been “skeptical” Samsung might redesign its headset rapidly sufficient to compete with Apple by its 2024 deadline.
Plus, as a result of Google has its personal {hardware} aspirations, Samsung demanded this Challenge Moohan crew not converse to another Google XR groups, “for worry they could construct a competing product based mostly on that info.” It is clear that Samsung is being very secretive about its prototype, and in addition that it might not be completed but.Â
Samsung is reportedly altering up the design and will use a chip extra highly effective than the one within the Quest 3.
Regardless of all of that uncertainty, there’s one factor we do know: Qualcomm plans to launch a new XR chip in early 2024 that is extra highly effective than the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 housed within the Meta Quest 3. And we suspect Samsung might use that chip to compete with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, as a substitute of Exynos {hardware}.
Qualcomm might theoretically construct this new chip off of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, however we suspect as a substitute that it will use a variation of the Snapdragon X Elite, with its 12-core Oryon CPU that hits 3.8GHz, or as much as 4.3GHz when boosted, together with a GPU with 4.6 TFLOPS. These stats might simply compete with what the Imaginative and prescient Professional’s M2 brings to the desk.Â
In any other case, the one concrete Samsung Glasses spec we have heard is that it will allegedly use a 3,000-dpi show, based on tipster @Tech_Reve. We most likely will not know extra for a while.
Samsung Glasses: Software program
The Samsung XR headset, like Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional, targets a singular mixed-reality productiveness section; it will not be like Samsung Gear VR — or newer gaming VR headsets just like the Quest 3 and PSVR 2 — based mostly on Samsung’s plans to concentrate on eye and hand monitoring with out conventional controllers.
Blended-reality passthrough will allow apps that sit on digital screens inside your “actual” lounge, some extent of emphasis with Apple’s VisionOS.Â
Apple’s OS makes use of design parts from MacOS and iPadOS whereas pulling apps from the Apple App Retailer. We are able to safely assume an analogous method for Samsung Glasses: it might pull from conventional One UI 6, its tablets’ DeX mode, or different Android software program tips. Because it’s Google designing the XR OS, we’re unsure how a lot of Samsung’s persona will seem within the OS, or if it will be extra “inventory” Android at first.
Nonetheless it really works, the OS ought to help Android Play Retailer apps. We just lately heard that Google vetoed Android apps on the Meta Quest, which is sensible if Google needs to maintain that unique to Android XR headsets whereas shutting out the competitors from its productiveness apps.Â
We haven’t any different exhausting info on Samsung XR software program, however Google has given us a lot to take a position about. Google has its personal {hardware} plans, and any software program leaks might pertain to these. However since Google has to develop Samsung’s working system as effectively, these software program tips may additionally apply to Samsung Glasses.
First, an October Google app beta replace revealed a buried code string for a Challenge Iris command: “Simply contact & maintain the correct temple to speak to your Assistant.” Iris, for context, refers back to the long-rumored codename for Google’s personal XR challenge that was supposedly canceled earlier this 12 months.
If Google needs to allow you to press a button to activate Google Assistant on its sensible glasses, we might simply see Samsung providing Assistant or Bixby on its Glasses by way of an analogous shortcut.
Subsequent, a Google patent filed in November confirmed plans to make use of a smartwatch as a makeshift touchscreen controller for an XR headset. The gadget would have a “gesture library” and would use cameras to evaluate if the consumer was taking a look at their smartwatch earlier than accepting instructions. You might then open particular apps with gestures, like drawing a “U” to open Uber or a “C” for Calendar.
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The reference to Uber makes us assume that is meant for transportable sensible glasses, not an indoor productiveness headset. And we assumed Google would use the Pixel Watch 2 as its controller. Nonetheless, Google might very simply make this type of expertise accessible for Samsung Glasses, with the Galaxy Watch 6 or Watch 7 as its controller as a substitute.
The aforementioned @Tech_Reve leak urged that Samsung is “contemplating including help for contact and even scent(!)” to its Glasses. We’re not likely positive if a smell-o-vision gimmick could be particularly helpful or well-liked, however a touchpad controller could be helpful (and would mesh with Google’s smartwatch contact management concept).
Samsung Glasses: Wishlist
If the above leaks are true, the Samsung XR headset will use a 3,000-dpi OLED show, pancake lenses, full-color passthrough just like the Quest 3, eye monitoring, an built-in rear battery pack, hand-tracking controls with an elective touchpad, and a extra highly effective chipset than the Exynos 2200.
That each one quantities to a fairly nice baseline to problem the finest XR headsets. Nonetheless, based mostly on our time testing different mixed-reality and virtual-reality headsets, we’ve got different hopes and requests for what the Samsung Glasses carry to the desk to problem Apple — particularly because it might price about $2,000.
A robust software program launch lineup
One key downside that sunk the Quest Professional was its lack of apps, making it very depending on the Oculus Browser for working. Meta made partnerships with sure third-party devs that both by no means panned out or took too lengthy to materialize.Â
The Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional may have the developer’s personal first-party apps from the bounce, and it is partnered with Microsoft, Disney, Zoom, Adobe, and Zoom for a (seemingly) sturdy third-party app lineup. Samsung will want to supply one thing related.Â
Particularly, it will need Google Workspace apps, Microsoft, and different productiveness suites to sound compelling, not simply its personal Galaxy Retailer apps. In any other case, nobody exterior of Samsung superfans will wish to spend a pair thousand {dollars} on one.Â
An opulent head strap
The very idea of a productiveness headset solely works if it is snug sporting it for hours a day at a time. Apple wished to make its headset cool-looking and glasses-like for advertising and marketing, however then we discovered that the Imaginative and prescient Professional has a secret high strap to higher help your weight.Â
Samsung can take an analogous sneaky, “elective” method when unveiling its Glasses, nevertheless it wants a high strap. Blended-reality headsets have so many cameras and elements that they put lots of stress in your brow and again of your head with out one. It is a criticism lots of people had with the strapless Quest Professional, in order that they could not put on it for lengthy.Â
High strap apart, we merely hope that Samsung comes up with an general head strap that is extraordinarily snug and works with quite a lot of head configurations and dimensions. Selecting the best supplies to relaxation in opposition to your face is essential, too.Â
Highly effective, balanced efficiency
We hope that Samsung will use a sturdy XR chip just like the Snapdragon X Elite to compete with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. However we won’t know for sure what it will do and whether or not this chip will be capable to compete with Apple’s M2 and R1 chips. With a $2,000 price ticket, the Samsung Glasses will actually have to ship on efficiency.
It is also essential to notice that Apple gadgets sometimes beat Android gadgets in benchmarks and that Apple designs its software program to work in tandem with its personal silicon. Samsung has the problem of counting on Qualcomm {hardware} and Google software program in its personal design; with that many shifting components, it might be tough to make all the pieces work in equilibrium, an essential facet for any XR headset.
Sturdy battery life
Apple makes use of an exterior battery pack that sits in your belt; regardless of that, the Imaginative and prescient Professional barely hits two hours per cost. If Samsung intends to match its M2 chip in energy whereas additionally integrating the battery into the headset, that’ll be a problem.Â
It is potential that Samsung will find yourself taking an analogous external-battery method. No matter it does, it will have to ship a minimum of a comparable battery lifetime of two hours, and ideally longer.Â
Gaming on the facet
We perceive that the Samsung Glasses particularly goal productiveness customers. However even probably the most severe employee will obtain Steam on their laptop computer, and Samsung’s previous work on Gear VR makes us hope that it will incorporate a few of its gaming legacy into the headset.Â
Despite the fact that there are many nice hand-tracking Quest video games, one of the best experiences depend on controllers. It would be good if Samsung bought elective movement controllers to pair with its headsets, particularly for gaming functions. Because the headset may have cameras and sensors for hand monitoring, they might theoretically work simply as effectively for following controller actions.Â