Project Moohan: Take a look at Samsung's upcoming MR headset in first hands-on video
Marques Brownlee was the first to show and try out Samsung's mixed reality headset on camera.
Unveiled to the public in December, Project Moohan is a joint project between Samsung and Google. Google is providing the operating system with Android XR, while Samsung is responsible for the hardware design.
Project Moohan is expected to be released later this year and will be the first headset to run on Android XR. Other headsets, smart glasses and AR glasses running the spatial operating system are planned for the future. With Android XR, Google is taking on Meta and Apple, who have their own XR operating system and digital store.
The device does not yet have a name and a price has not yet been announced. I have summarized the main features of the device in our Project Moohan article.
The first hands-on articles of the device were published in December. Tech Youtuber Marques Brownlee is the first to show off the device and try it out on camera.
In his video (see below), Brownlee doesn't reveal any surprising new details, but you can see the device from new perspectives and the software in action, which Brownlee says is the most interesting thing about the new headset.
The Youtuber points out that this is an unfinished prototype and that minor details may change before launch. He describes his first impression of the device as "pretty solid".
The headset looks very similar to the Apple Vision Pro, while the back of the headset with its cup and dial is reminiscent of the Meta Quest Pro. Unlike the Vision Pro, the headset sits on the forehead and therefore puts less pressure on the face. In fact, Brownlee believes that a top strap may not be necessary. The light seal can be removed to allow for peripheral vision. Project Moohan has a touchpad on the right temple.
Like Vision Pro, the headset comes with a wired external battery, but the cable can be disconnected from the battery and another battery can be connected via USB-C.
There is nothing new about controllers in the video. Samsung and Google have confirmed that there will be controllers, but it hasn't been decided whether they will be included in the box or sold separately. Brownlee was unable to see or try out the controllers, and we do not yet know what they will look like.
What makes the headset cool is less about the hardware and more about Android XR and the software, especially the integration of Google's AI assistant Gemini, Brownlee says.
The Youtuber confirms that Project Moohan will support all smartphone and tablet apps from the Google Play Store. There are also spatial apps developed specifically for Android XR. Brownlee shows a YouTube app that can display immersive environments to watch videos in.
For Brownlee, the Gemini integration is the most interesting thing about the device. You can talk to the AI assistant, and it sees everything you see and can translate text or identify objects.
Brownlee shows an example of opening a book with a picture of a desert. Gemini was able to identify the desert and open it in Google Maps. From Google Maps, Brownlee could then switch to an immersive Google Earth view. A "circle-to-search" feature allows users to circle an object in the world with their finger, whereupon Gemini finds the object in Google Search - a feature reminiscent of Google Lens.
Gemini can also help with UI navigation by arranging and closing windows and performing other tasks. Brownlee says this will make navigation much less tiring than using hand gestures.
The AI features would make a "massive difference" between Project Moohan and the Apple Vision Pro, as the latter device offers nothing comparable.
In his video, you can also see the quality of the passthrough, but the sharpness in the headset is said to be much better than in the screen recordings. Brownlee describes the quality of the display and the width of the field of view as "both fine", but "not remarkable".
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