I Tried The Samsung Galaxy Xr Headset, And Here's How It'll Coexist With Smart Glasses

ZDNET's Sabrina Ortiz demoing nan Galaxy XR headset up of Unpacked.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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Samsung's Galaxy XR headset is yet real. After a twelvemonth of teasing it pinch appearances astatine nan Google campus, Mobile World Congress, and Google IO, nan company's premium, AI-driven device, powered by Google's caller Android XR operating system. is shipping for $1,799. 

It offers a profoundly integrated Gemini layer, awesome real-time spatialization features, and a slick creation that's meant to compete pinch nan Apple Vision Pro.

Also: Samsung offers free $100 woody to caller Android XR headset users - really to redeem it now

But I walked distant from my 2nd demo of nan headset reasoning this motorboat isn't arsenic overmuch astir a virtual reality headset arsenic it is simply a span to thing smaller, lighter, and infinitely much transformative: AI-powered smart glasses.

What's changed since I saw it 1 twelvemonth ago

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Samsung flew maine retired to a highly controlled New York City demo that served arsenic a culmination of an awesome collaboration pinch Google and Qualcomm.

One twelvemonth ago, erstwhile nan headset was still known internally arsenic Project Moohan, I was 1 of nan first journalists invited to Google's field to trial an early prototype. Even backmost then, nan hardware felt notably premium and intelligibly built to spell toed to toed pinch nan Apple Vision Pro's level of finish. 

On apical of nan build quality, I was instantly struck by nan clarity of its pass-through camera, having ne'er seen a integer practice of nan room pinch specified accuracy.

Also: I tested Meta Ray-Ban Display alternatives, and these are amended successful respective ways for little money

What's changed astir successful nan twelvemonth since isn't nan concept, but nan polish of nan hardware and package experience. Galaxy XR has evolved from an awesome prototype to a afloat realized product, refined successful almost each way. I did announcement 1 measurement backward successful nan easiness of hand-tracking during my latest demo. 

One twelvemonth ago, I was overmuch much capable to time off my hands successful my thigh and trust connected nan downward-facing cameras to seizure my manus controls. This clip around, I had nary prime but to raise them further into position successful beforehand of maine to get much accuracy, and nan alteration was notable. Otherwise, this is simply a assured portion of hardware meant to present consumers to a caller computing category.

How Gemini fits into each of this

What really impressed maine astir nan first prototype was really crisp and perfectly scaled passthrough mode looked, and I'm happy to stock that Galaxy XR refined that acquisition moreover further. The 4K-per-eye position feels natural, lifelike, and spatially accurate. My hands anchored decently to my assemblage successful space, and nan region betwixt existent objects and virtual overlays felt beautiful spot on.

Where Project Moohan sometimes separated nan existent and nan digital, pinch overseas occlusions successful my early hands-on, Galaxy XR merged them much seamlessly. Smaller matter connected signs clear crossed nan different broadside of nan room was crisp and legible, shadows didn't go acheronian voids, and felt natural, and virtual objects stayed anchored wherever they were placed. The statement betwixt beingness and integer blurred successful a measurement that yet felt believable.

When I tried Project Moohan, nan Gemini AI furniture proved its utility, but still had plentifulness of pauses betwixt responses that reminded maine it was each a activity successful progress. Now, successful Galaxy XR, Gemini feels a spot much refined and integrated.

You tin summon it pinch a fastener aliases your voice, usage it to do each kinds of OS-level tasks for illustration launching apps and cleaning up nan visible space, aliases moreover circle to hunt connected thing whatsoever that is coming successful nan OS and successful pass-through. Samsung calls overmuch of this activity "on-device AI," but conscionable arsenic is nan lawsuit connected nan smartphone, plentifulness of that activity still happens successful nan cloud.

This integration signals a early wherever AI becomes nan bid furniture for everything you spot and sound power becomes a first-class input source. Android XR isn't nan only OS moving successful this direction, either, arsenic evidenced by caller news that Windows 11 will merge its Copilot AI into nan instauration of nan OS arsenic well.

ZDNET's Kerry Wan navigating Android XR done pinches and gestures.

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

The existent eye-opening infinitesimal for maine was experiencing pass-through and Gemini moving together wrong Galaxy AI. They whitethorn look for illustration abstracted tricks, but moving together, I judge they specify nan adjacent awesome measurement successful AI and individual computing. The precocious value of pass-through mode connected Galaxy AI yet makes nan beingness world look existent done those lenses. 

Gemini moving successful tandem gives that world instant entree to discourse and meaning. That pairing creates a clear through-line from ample XR headsets for illustration Galaxy AI to smaller, much accessible AI and XR-driven glasses. 

Also: Snap's latest Specs AI updates beryllium that it's taking smart glasses earnestly (but successful a different way)

While nan headset makes a powerful statement for ambient, contextual computing, it besides acts arsenic impervious that nan larger XR shape facet is simply a hindrance to that destination. During a promo video shown to a room afloat of journalists, a segment depicted what it looks for illustration to locomotion down metropolis streets pinch a Google Maps overlay showing nan path. No matter really bully this headset mightiness beryllium astatine that scenario, nary 1 is going to take to deterioration a Galaxy XR connected a metropolis street.

And that correct location makes Galaxy XR consciousness much for illustration a gateway instrumentality than nan existent destination for Samsung. Even Apple seems to beryllium making akin discoveries arsenic a report by Mark Gurman shows really they are reallocating engineers from its stalled Vision Air headset task to activity connected smart glasses.

Immersion is simply a instrumentality that's unsocial to Galaxy XR

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Don't get maine wrong, Galaxy XR serves a different intent that AI glasses can't touch. During my latest demo, Samsung showed a black-and-white photograph that had been colorized and animated pinch AI into a spatial video. The image abruptly had existent extent and moved pinch believable life. I was instantly reminded of my dad's ample postulation of aged photos from his clip successful Vietnam. What a travel it would beryllium to acquisition those aged memories successful a measurement I ne'er could before.

In past year's prototype, that spatialization effect sometimes collapsed down astatine nan edges pinch mini artifacts that reminded maine it was each synthetic. Many of those imperfections were smoothed retired connected nan latest hardware. The only hiccup came during an unreleased real-time spatialization demo wherever I was fixed nan chance to take immoderate level video from YouTube. 

Also: I tried nan Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses (including this unreleased feature), and I'm astir sold

I chose an NBA hoops game, and nan extremity consequence was beautiful remarkable, particularly considering nan spatialization of nan video was happening successful real-time pinch astir 20 milliseconds of latency. However, I did announcement that a player's caput occasionally misaligned pinch his assemblage successful a glitchy fashion. But fixed nan velocity of mobility and nan truth that this characteristic isn't shipping yet, it's a characteristic that fans of watching 3D contented should get excited about.

Bottom statement (for now)

A twelvemonth of hands-on clip crossed a fewer different prototype devices really makes nan favoritism evident to me. Headsets for illustration Galaxy XR are astir immersion successful that they region you from nan world. AI glasses and, by extension, XR glasses, are astir inferior because they adhd meaning to nan world.

Gemini is nan exertion that efficaciously bridges those 2 realities. Inside nan headset, it serves arsenic a co-pilot for nan immersive value of nan experience. In early glasses demos, for illustration nan clip I spent pinch Google's Project Astra 1 twelvemonth ago, it felt for illustration a real-life copilot. It brought intelligence to nan world I was already utilized to surviving in. That duality whitethorn beryllium Google's biggest strategical advantage pinch Android XR and nan Gemini integration recovered wrong it.

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