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AC thVRsday
In his weekly column, Android Central Senior Content Producer Nick Sutrich delves into all things VR, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technologies, and so much more.
Samsung’s Galaxy XR is one of the most interesting VR headsets I’ve ever used, and I’ve been testing VR headsets for over 12 years now. It’s far from Samsung’s first VR headset — that would be the Gear VR, launched in September 2014 — but it’s easily the best headset the company has ever made.
Mostly very well, and that’s because this headset’s real superpower isn’t in the hardware at all. It’s held almost entirely in the fact that this headset features seamless Android app compatibility through the Google Play Store. That means every app you already know and love to use is already available, and it works so seamlessly that it almost overpowers the negative aspects of the headset.
|
Category |
Specs |
|---|---|
|
Display |
3552 x 3840 pixels, 90Hz |
|
Lenses |
Pancake, 109-degree horizontal by 100-degree vertical FoV 54-70mm IPD Supports prescription add-ons |
|
Chipset |
Qualcomm Snapddragon XR2+ Gen 2 |
|
RAM |
16GB |
|
Storage |
256GB |
|
Camera |
6.5MP 3D camera, f/2.0 |
|
Sensors |
2 high-resolution passthrough cameras |
|
Security |
Iris recognition |
|
Audio |
6-microphone array, two speaker pairs (woofer + tweeter) Supports 8K video playback at 60FPS |
|
Battery |
Up to 2.5 hours of use per charge |
|
Connectivity |
WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Weight |
545g |
I’ve put a ton of hours into using the Galaxy XR and have made it part of my daily routine. While I may be at my desk part of the day, I also find myself working elsewhere in the house from time to time. When I’m on the couch, looking down at my laptop hurts my neck after a while. Using the Galaxy XR as a monitor is easy as can be, especially with apps like Virtual Desktop, which also make a perfect way to play SteamVR games on the headset.
Running my computer’s virtual monitor alongside several Android apps means that I can put down my phone and do everything in-headset. That keeps me in the flow and focused on my work better than constantly being distracted by the phone next to me. It also means I can get everything done without regularly needing to juggle between devices. This headset does it all, and it does it extremely well.
Every single Android app I tried worked flawlessly on the Galaxy XR. Whether it was playing Minecraft or Roblox with my son on a giant virtual screen (using my favorite Bluetooth 8BitDo controller), or using Google’s handy Quick Share to send and receive files between my phone, PC, tablets, and family’s devices, I was constantly impressed with how well a Samsung device worked with all of my non-Samsung products.
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In fact, navigation works so well that I often find myself looking at things in real life and attempting to pinch to select them as if they were part of the XR experience. If you’re not aware, the Galaxy XR features eye-tracking capabilities on its lenses, allowing you to look at UI elements and select them with a finger pinch. Just like on Apple Vision Pro, you don’t need to raise your hand like a laser pointer. Just leave it in your lap, and the cameras on the underside of the headset can see them just fine.
Samsung is also using built-in eye-tracking to automate lens spacing to accommodate various interpupillary distances (IPD). An incorrect IPD can lead to headaches and dizziness, so it’s great to see the system doing this without the need for user intervention. The Galaxy XR also features biometric iris identification (yeah, that one), making it dead simple to log into all your services and pay with full security. This is another area where the Galaxy XR absolutely trumps Meta Quest headsets, especially when it comes to making it easy to log into all your favorite apps and services.
The OLED display behind the lenses is extremely crisp and sports plenty of brightness to make mixed reality content look great. While the PWM dimming on most Samsung Galaxy phones typically gives me a headache, the Galaxy XR only gave me mild discomfort if there wasn’t enough ambient light in the room.
It’s also incredibly easy to multitask between apps or run them side-by-side, although Android XR has a bit of maturing to do to properly compete with desktop operating systems. Snapping windows isn’t as seamless as it is on Windows, Mac OS, or even a Meta Quest headset, and while it’s dead simple to move them around and resize them, there are no advanced options for curving windows or anything like that.
This touches on the main area where Galaxy XR needs the most work: polishing. Taking a screenshot is easy, but you have to navigate through several menus to record the screen. Launching apps from the home screen is ridiculously easy, but Google’s promise of a Gemini AI that can control everything simply isn’t true. I found lots of things Gemini can’t help with on the Galaxy XR, and that might have been the most disappointing thing of all, given the hype of this being the first version of Android “built for the Gemini era.”
I’m also confused about Samsung’s decision not to include controllers in the box. Yes, this headset is primarily designed for productivity or entertainment purposes, where controllers simply aren’t necessary, but the lack of controllers means most VR experiences won’t work without them. Buying them separately might also be fine if they weren’t $250 for a pair, but both of these negative factors weigh heavily on the headset’s value.
This one would easily be the best wireless SteamVR headset available if Samsung just included those controllers in the box, and the lack of default controllers has also created an environment where most VR developers won’t port their games to the headset. In other words, you should only consider this for gaming if you also plan to buy the controllers.
Watch On
I hate that this is such a huge downside to the headset, because I genuinely love the design, fit, comfort, and battery design, even if it won’t work for everyone. The overall design is strikingly similar to 2022’s Meta Quest Pro, offsetting the headset’s weight with generous forehead pads and a built-in cradle for the back of your head.
But while Samsung improved the forehead pad design with modular, magnetically attachable pads, it didn’t learn from Meta’s headstrap design. Both headsets use a rigid plastic strap that is not detachable and cannot be rotated, so there’s a specific way to wear them rather than allowing users to adjust them to their level of comfort.
For me, the design is great, but I can also see how some people would like to be able to offset the weight onto some other part of their head. That great design extends to the weight, which is made lighter by offsetting the battery’s weight into a detachable pack that you can leave in your pocket.
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This also makes it dead easy to plug into a wall for long-term “office work” or connect to another battery to keep playing for longer, a massive improvement on the Quest Pro’s built-in, non-removable battery design.
If Samsung could just include controllers in the box, it would be substantially easier to recommend this headset. That’s especially true now that Meta no longer has the first-party studio dominance it once had, meaning Android XR and the Galaxy XR could be the de facto alternative to Meta if developers started porting to the OS.
As it stands, the Galaxy XR’s primary purpose is to be an “infinite canvas” for all your apps, and while it achieves that goal spectacularly well, it lacks the bespoke VR library that Meta Quest headsets have. Still, the capability to run all Android apps from the Google Play Store is a monumental achievement that ultimately makes this headset something truly special and achieves what Meta or Apple simply were unable to do: give you every app you love in infinitely resizable, movable windows anywhere you are.
The Galaxy XR is an uber-comfortable mixed reality headset that combines the best Android apps with a brilliant, bespoke XR experience.
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