Samsung’s and Google’s mixed reality headset is coming this year — here’s what we know

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During Galaxy Unpacked, Google teased a new XR product

Google's Rick Osterloh on stage at Galaxy Unpacked JUly 2024
(Image credit: Samsung)

Toward the end of last February's Unpacked 2023 event, Samsung brought on executives Google and Qualcomm to hint at a future mixed-reality platform that the three companies would team up to build. At the time, Google senior vice president Hiroshi Lockheimer spent some time going into detail on the special version of Android that will run this potential AR, VR, XR platform.

Fast forward to Galaxy Unpacked event today (July 10), where Rick Osterloh, now Google's senior vice president of platforms and devices reminded us that this partnership is ongoing with a mixed reality product on its way.

To draw a line under Osterloh's comments, Samsung's TR Roh then appeared to confirm that "a new XR platform is coming later this year."

There have been rumors that Samsung is working on a headset device similar to Apple's Vision Pro called the Samsung Infinite. Qualcomm's part in the headset involves creating a new "super chip" to rival Apple.

It's believed that Samsung's version will be a more affordable option to the Vision Pro, with rumors that Samsung wants the price to be closer to $1,500 rather than the $3,499 that Apple charges for its headset.

Last year, around the February 2023 Unpacked event, Roh told The Washington Post, "Many different companies...have been making these announcements about different realities...so we have also been making similar preparations."

Before today's surprise announcement, we weren't expecting this elusive headset or platform until 2025 at the earliest.

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Scott Younker
Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.