Samsung Unveils Its Moohan XR Headset to Rival the Apple Vision Pro

Samsung on Friday unveiled its first extended reality (XR) headset, which is codenamed Project Moohan. The upcoming device was seen in a demonstration when Google showcased its new Android XR operating system that is designed for mixed reality headsets and for augmented reality (AR) glasses. Samsung’s Moohan XR headset will offer support for Google’s Gemini AI assistant and will arrive with apps that are optimised to run on a large, virtual display. It will launch next year, as a competitor to the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.

Samsung’s Moohan XR Headset to Arrive With Gemini AI Assistant Support

The new headset, which is dubbed Moohan (or infinity in Korean) runs on Android XR, which is Google’s new platform that is designed with support for features that rely on AR, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI). Google says that it will be the first device to arrive with Android XR next year, although there’s no word from both companies on a release timeline or how much it will cost.

The South Korean technology conglomerate says the Moohan XR headset will sport state-of-the-art displays and will offer passthrough capabilities, as well as support for multi-modal input. Its closest rival, the Apple Vision Pro, is equipped with Micro‑OLED displays with a per-eye resolution of 3,660 × 3,200 pixels.

While we don’t know much about the price of the Moohan XR headset or when it will be launched, the presence of Android XR confirms that it will support the new functionalities shown off by Google when it unveiled the new operating system.

These include the ability to use Circle to Search with gestures, viewing videos and photos on a virtual display using Google TV and Google Photos, or browsing the web using Google Chrome. It will also support features like live translation of text seen in the wearer’s point of view, or the ability to see immersive views of various locations using Google Maps.

Samsung first teased the arrival of an XR headset at its first Galaxy Unpacked of 2023, when it unveiled the Galaxy S23 series of smartphones. At the time, the company announced that it was partnering with Google and Qualcomm to build its first XR headset.

On Thursday, Google announced that it had developed Android XR with Qualcomm and Samsung, but said that it was working with other companies including Magic Leap on upcoming XR products that will feature AI and AR technology.