Everything we know about Samsung's new mixed reality headset
Samsung and Google have finally launched their attack on Meta and Apple with Android XR and a mixed reality headset that will be released in 2025.
Google today unveiled Android XR, a spatial operating system based on Android that Google hopes will power many future headsets, smart glasses, and AR glasses.
The unspoken end goal is to create the operating system for a thriving ecosystem of face computers, and then control and monetize that ecosystem in a manner similar to Android smartphones.
Google has already found several partners to bring hardware based on Android XR to market. In addition to Samsung, Google names Sony, Lynx and Xreal. The first Android XR device to hit the market will be Samsung's newly announced mixed reality headset, codenamed Moohan (Korean for "infinity"), which is expected to be released in 2025.
Everything we know about Project Moohan
The mixed reality headset is still in development, but several US journalists have been able to try out a prototype (see sources below). Google and Samsung are tight-lipped about specifications and pricing, and there are very few images of the device, but the first hands-ons reveal a number of technical details about the device. Just keep in mind that some features may change before launch.
- The device will run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, a more powerful variant of the chipset that works in Meta Quest 3 and 3S.
- Pancake lenses are be used, which according to Ben Lang are not quite as good as the ones in Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro.
- Like Apple Vision Pro, Project Moohan uses eye tracking for UI navigation, foveated rendering, and automatic IPD adjustment.
- The headset looks like a cross between the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest Pro. The forehead pad and rigid headband are taken from the latter headset, making it uncomfortable to use while lying down. Like the Quest Pro, Moohan can be used with or without a light seal, providing an open periphery in the latter case. Forehead pads will be available in various sizes.
- Like Apple Vision Pro, the device has a wired external battery.
- Unlike Apple Vision, Project Moohan does not have a front display that shows the user's eyes (called "EyeSight" by Apple).
- In the demos, only eye and hand tracking were available as input methods, but the device will get controllers. Whether they will be included or sold separately has not yet been decided.
- Bluetooth keyboards and mice can be paired with the headset for productivity. It will be possible to work via passthrough in the physical environment or in virtual environments.
- No word yet on whether Project Moohan will support native connection to an external computer. But it has already been confirmed that Virtual Desktop developer Guy Godin is an official Android XR partner. So you will probably be able to play PC VR games at some point.
- The user interface is inspired by both VisionOS (Apple Vision Pro) and Horizon OS (Meta Quest) and can be used with or without eye tracking. Windows can be placed anywhere in the room. The headset has downward facing cameras that capture hands well, even when they are on your lap.
- Google promises Play Store support for most Android apps.
- There will be native versions of Google apps, including Google Maps, Google Photos and YouTube. Google Maps will be very similar to Google Earth VR, with some additional functions such as Gaussian splats of indoor spaces, while Google Photos can automatically simulate depth in photos and videos.
- The first games have already been announced: there will be Moohan versions of Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator from Google studio Owlchemy Labs, as well as a mixed reality introduction in the same universe called Inside [JOB]. Demeo has also been announced.
- A big focus will be on the Gemini integration, which Google hopes will set it apart from other headsets. The AI assistant can (optionally) see and hear everything the user sees and hears, has a (time-limited) memory, can answer questions about the environment, translate text, help arrange windows, call up Google Maps destinations, and much more.
Developers who want to build apps for the new operating system can start today with a preview of AndroidXR, which supports existing tools and APIs such as ARCore, Android Studio, Unity and OpenXR.
In the future, Android XR will also power smart glasses and AR glasses, and Google has demonstrated prototypes in this area as well (more on that will follow in a separate article). Initial testing in small groups will begin soon.
A new phase in the headset wars begins
Almost two years have passed since Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm announced that they were working on an unspecified XR device. Now, with the introduction of AndroidXR and Project Moohan, the headset wars are entering the next round.
Meta was still a lone monopolist last year. In 2024, Apple has entered the market. And in 2025, Samsung and Google, two other major players, will follow. The long-term goal of all three parties is to provide the dominant XR operating system. Will it be Horizon OS, VisionOS or Android XR? This question will be with us for the next few years.
Apple and Google's big advantage is that they already control the two largest computing platforms, iOS and Android, and can leverage their content ecosystems for their own XR devices. Meta's advantage is that it is the de facto leader in headsets, thanks to a decade of aggressive investment and subsidies.
Apple and Samsung will have a hard time taking market share away from Meta with expensive headsets, at least until the devices have not become viable general-purpose computers that justify such prices for ordinary consumers. Project Moohan will most likely be cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro, but still much, much more expensive than Meta Quest. So I don't think Meta's dominance of the headset market is going to be challenged in the near future.
Both Apple and Google will need to convince XR developers that they are in this game for the long haul, and Google and Samsung are likely to face particular skepticism here, having already turned their backs on the VR industry once.
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