Samsung Galaxy XR

Hands on: The $1799 Samsung Galaxy XR offers a comparable experience to the Apple Vision Pro for about half the price. But are headsets even the future anymore?

The Samsung Galaxy XR builds on the Apple Vision Pro by delivering a much lighter and more comfortable design… at a much cheaper price. The Gemini Live integration is also compelling. But $1,799 is still a lot of money to pay for a headset, and the eye tracking and performance feel slightly behind Apple.

Hands on: Granted, there is a lot of technology and software shared between both categories of devices (Google has already teased upcoming Android XR smartglasses) that should allow Samsung or Google to pivot more easily down the line. But the idea that in the future there will be a headset in every home seems less likely every day. Still, as a showcase for the potential of mixed reality and high-end optics, the Galaxy XR is an exciting piece of tech.

Hands on: Whether or not Android XR is here to stay or goes by the wayside like the Gear VR or Daydream VR hinges entirely on the upcoming wave of smart glasses, which generally garner far more consumer interest than mixed reality headsets. Samsung and Google once again teased a pair of smart glasses at the end of the event last week, though the companies didn't share many new details.

Hands on: These are all extremely hard challenges to overcome, and I won't really know who and what this is for until I'm able to put this thing through its paces properly. Suffice it to say, I came away impressed with my demo, and eager to keep looking for use cases for this device. But I also suspect that, like every headset that has come before it, this is a solution looking for a problem.

Hands on: Galaxy XR is a device for your face that lets Google and Samsung see what you're seeing, and it won't be the only one. Next year, both companies will have smart glasses coming via Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Galaxy XR is a foot in the door, but it also clearly feels like a stepping stone towards the future of glasses, and potentially all of AI as well.