Samsung XR Headset to “surpass the Apple Vision Pro” with Samsung’s dedicated ‘Immersive Team’ consisting of 100 members.
Apple Vision Pro made its debut around two weeks ago and has reportedly been sold to hundreds of thousands of users during this period. This success of Apple’s new $3500 product in a new category has been widely recognized, and it seems that Samsung took notice and doesn’t want to be left behind.
According to the Korean outlet Hankyung, Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Experience (MX) Division has established a dedicated division for XR development aimed to “accelerate the development of extended reality (XR) headset devices”. Referred to initially as the “Immersive Team,” this division is described by the Korean outlet as a “secret organization.”, though it may be a translation error.
Hankyung revealed that the Samsung Immersive Team initially consisted of only a few members, but since its establishment last summer, it has expanded to include a group of 100 people referred to as “Ace Talents”.
Samsung’s development of a VR/AR headset is now official and certain. This was confirmed by the company’s announcement of the “XR Alliance” collaboration with Google and Qualcomm in May of last year. Within this partnership, Samsung takes charge of hardware development, Google concentrates on software, and Qualcomm leads chipset creation for the new XR platform.
The Samsung XR Headset will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. This chipset is anticipated to be a more robust iteration of the one found in the Meta Quest 3. The XR2+ Gen 2 is set to support resolutions of up to 4.3K per eye at 90Hz or 3.7K per eye at 120Hz, along with features like more cameras for better Mixed Reality, Eye Tracking, Face Tracking, and more.
Interestingly, reports from last year indicated that Samsung’s planned headset fell short in comparison to the Apple Vision Pro, making the company reconsider its approach. Samsung’s headset was planned to feature a 2000 PPI display and an underpowered Exynos 2200 chipset, whereas Apple’s headset boasts a 3386 PPI display and a powerful M2+R1 chipset.
Samsung VR Headset Release Date and Price
According to Hankyung, the Samsung VR Headset is slated for release by the end of this year, possibly alongside the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 smartphones. This aligns with information from other sources, which also mention Samsung’s intention to manufacture only 30,000 units this year. This limited production may be caused by Samsung’s reported plan to begin manufacturing in December.
A now-deleted Korean source, which purportedly leaked a prototype of the Samsung XR Headset, also mentioned that the company wants to position its headset in the “mid-range” pricing category. While the exact definition of “mid-range” remains unclear, it suggests a price point between the Meta Quest 3, priced at $500, and the Apple Vision Pro, priced at $3500. The price of a Samsung VR headset can ultimately land somewhere at around $2000, which, interestingly, aligns with the rumored price of the Meta Quest Pro 2.
