Samsung teases XR hardware for 2025 – we think it’ll be AR glasses, and here’s why

And what we expect to see from the Samsung AR specs

News By Hamish Hector published 31 October 2024

Samsung has seemingly confirmed that its XR hardware was delayed after all, but simultaneously revealed that its long-awaited VR/AR device will still land “in the future” – with its inclusion in Samsung’s 2025 outlook suggesting a launch sometime next year. However recent comments have us convinced the headset is dead and the rumored gadget will be a pair of simple AR specs instead.

Initially, it was rumored the South Korean tech giant was working on a Samsung XR headset – something like the Meta Quest 3 or (perhaps more appropriately) the high-end Apple Vision Pro. This project faced two setbacks – reportedly because of the Vision Pro. Once from the hype around the Apple headset scaring Samsung into rethinking the project, and again following the eventual unpopularity of the headset, showing that chasing the Vision Pro might not have been a smart move.

More recently there’s been talk around Samsung AR glasses. It’s been unclear if these specs will launch as well as the headset (perhaps a little later to compete with the Meta Orion AR glasses) or if they’ll launch instead of the XR headset – however, conversations are pointing toward the latter.

When talking about the Samsung and Google XR device back in September, Qualcomm CEO Cristian Amon, (who is also collaborating on the project) said that the product would make consumers rethink their relationship with their smartphone, and make everyone with a phone “go buy companion glasses to go along with it.” Amon didn’t outright say the Samsung device is a set of companion glasses, but it certainly sounds like that’s the sort of tech Samsung is teeing up.

Then there’s the general popularity of smart glasses – like the Ray-Ban Meta specs – and the accessibility of mixed reality compared to the more isolating VR. The industry trend seems to be pushing towards these more casual wearables rather than a full-on headset, so Samsung would likely want to adapt.

Samsung Glasses also make a lot of sense from a business perspective. The likes of the Xreal Air 2 glasses and non-AR Meta Ray-Bans are very reliant on smartphones (especially the former) – something Samsung is very well known for.

What we want to see

So if Samsung is launching AR companion glasses, what should we expect?

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