Last week, Apple unveiled its highly anticipated Vision Pro augmented reality headset. It’s an impressive piece of technology that has the potential of kickstarting a whole new premium market segment, and rumors have it that Apple’s reveal may have forced Samsung to go back to the drawing board and redesign certain aspects of its own upcoming Galaxy XR (extended/mixed reality) headset.
Even though Samsung already has a couple of VR headsets under its belt and Apple doesn’t, there was no doubt that the Korean tech giant would face fierce competition from its rival once Apple entered the VR/AR market with a full-fledged pair of goggles. And sure enough, a new rumor claims that the Apple Vision Pro may have already altered the Galaxy XR headset’s development course and future.
According to a new rumor, Samsung is now reevaluating some of its Galaxy XR headset’s specifications. For years, the company has supposedly developed the headset with a display that has a pixel density of 2,000 PPI. But after seeing the Vision Pro, which has a ~3,500 PPI panel, Samsung decided to upgrade the Galaxy XR display to 3,000 PPI.
New and upgraded display samples will reportedly be manufactured in November (via @OreXda). Do take this information with a pinch of salt, as the source doesn’t have the most accurate track record.
Due to these changes, Samsung may have to delay its XR headset
A new display for the Galaxy XR headset is no small feat, and if the rumor is true, Samsung will have to rethink some of its strategies along the supply chain, which may force the company to push back the launch of its augmented reality device.
Another tipster on Twitter notes that Samsung will be unable to release the Galaxy XR before the end of 2023. If sample panels for the updated 3,000 PPI displays aren’t available before November, Samsung can’t possibly release the device this year.
We may yet see a demonstration of the Galaxy XR headset at the next Unpacked event, which Samsung may host in Korea in late July. But the device we may see on stage could have lesser display specs than the production model, and pre-orders may not go live right after Unpacked — assuming that the device will be there in the first place. Fortunately for Samsung, Apple said it won’t release its Vision Pro headset before 2024.
