Samsung Galaxy XR Review Roundup: First Android XR Game Changer or Dead On Arrival?

Transcript

0:00 Speaker A: Is this new form factor for our favorite mobile OS almost dead on arrival? Speaker B: It's way cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro. Speaker C: The hardware, solid, comfy fit, sharp visuals. Speaker D: I'm going to show you guys what I am seeing through the headset. Speaker E: I honestly didn't have a problem with it at all. Speaker F: Welcome back to Real Review, where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to. Speaker F: Today, we're diving into the first Android XR device, the Samsung Galaxy XR. Speaker D: Price is $1,799, and I do want to let you know that XR stands for Extended Reality.

0:30 Speaker G: First thing that I'm going to say is that it's much lighter than the Vision Pro. Speaker G: Like, much, much lighter than the Vision Pro. Speaker E: It's 545 grams, which is about 250 grams lighter than the Vision Pro. Speaker A: It's a mostly plastic headset. Speaker A: Durability should, at least in theory, be decent as well, given how all plastic frames can flex and bend without deforming or breaking. Speaker F: That reduced weight seems key.

0:55 Speaker F: But the battery requires an external connection,. Speaker H: A headset that you wear on your face, and a battery pack that you can keep in your pocket. Speaker H: There's one button on the top right and a volume rocker on the top left. Speaker D: So what would happen is you would grab the included cable. Speaker D: This guy right here, that is, that is going to attach right over here. Speaker D: Let's see how that happens. Speaker D: There we go. Speaker D: It clicks in place, and then this will plug in right over here once this battery bank is fully charged.

1:21 Speaker D: So that's how the battery is going to power your device. Speaker D: And, and you're going to take this and you're going to put this in your pocket. Speaker D: That's why you have this battery cable extension. Speaker I: Zach. Speaker I: There's a really big forehead pad right here and that helps to distribute the weight so that I haven't worn this thing for prolonged periods of time just yet. Speaker I: But even just for a short demo, it felt really surprisingly comfortable. Speaker C: The design focuses on comfort, so it includes an elite like style strap with a soft forehead pad and optional light blockers in case you want more focus and less light bleeding in.

1:52 Speaker E: It does fit tightly around your head, adjusting for any size so that it doesn't fall off. Speaker E: Plus, the display on the inside automatically adjusts so that way it can give you the best vision for your eyes and if you wear glasses too or you have poor eyesight. Speaker E: The Galaxy XR also supports prescription lenses, which are sold separately for processing power. Speaker J: The Galaxy XR headset gets the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2, which has a 20% higher CPU frequency and a 15% higher GPU frequency compared to the XR2 Gen 2, which which is what you get on the Quest 3.

2:26 Speaker E: It's got a 4K micro OLED screen with a 109 degree field of view horizontally and 100 degrees vertically. Speaker E: It even has better resolution than the vision Pro with 29 million pixels instead of 23 million. Speaker I: We've been told that we're going to get 4K resolution per eye at up to 90Hz refresh rate. Speaker I: I think I would have ideally liked to see up to 120Hz, but I'll definitely take higher than 60 because every little bit of that refresh rate matters a lot when you're in a VR experience.

2:56 Speaker J: The Galaxy XR headset supports foveated rendering because they have those two cameras tracking eye movement. Speaker J: And what this does is make whatever you're looking at be super sharp, really in focus and super high resolution. Speaker J: And then whatever you're not looking at around the periphery of your vision, that gets rendered at a pretty low resolution. Speaker F: The display spec looks robust, but how responsive is the actual user experience? Speaker B: The responsiveness feels pretty solid thanks to the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip, though speaking purely anecdotally, doesn't quite match the smoothness of the Vision Pro.

3:27 Speaker B: Moving and resizing windows takes a bit of practice, and the eye tracking cursor sometimes lagged behind my gaze. Speaker H: Outside the headset, there are multiple cameras and sensors that track everything your hands do in real time. Speaker H: This allows you to manipulate things in your VR environment without needing to hold a controller or have any sort of apparatus on your hands or wrists. Speaker H: Inside the headset, there are even more cameras and sensors that track your eye movements.

3:52 Speaker G: As for interacting with the device like the Vision Pro, you can just pinchy pinch. Speaker G: They do track your hands and your eyes, but there's also handheld controllers that you can use if that feels more natural to you. Speaker D: I can use any one of the hands, by the way. Speaker D: It doesn't have to be this one. Speaker D: Okay, so I'm gonna go to the setting. Speaker D: Look at the way I'm scrolling up and down. Speaker D: So press the fingers up and down. Speaker D: Okay.

4:17 Speaker E: You can also hook up a mouse and keyboard to it if you want for a more traditional setup, which is honestly even better for searching for things instead of using the virtual keyboard. Speaker E: Or of course you can just use your voice too to search. Speaker B: The Galaxy XR is meant to be kind of that first step to show how AI could Be working with what you see and what you hear to create this multimodal AI experience. Speaker B: This type of stuff has been on glasses like Meta's Ray Bans, where it can see the world around you, but the ability for you to also blend that with the apps that you're using and the world around you.

4:51 Speaker B: That's really new. Speaker C: It runs on the new Android XR platform, which is a big deal because it means support for all Android apps in the Play Store, so the ecosystem is already massive. Speaker H: Gemini is not only an included tool with the Galaxy xr, but is being presented as the key way that Google and Samsung want you to use the headset's various features. Speaker B: Being able to summon the voice assistant instantly to chat or share your screen adds a layer of interactivity that feels genuinely futuristic.

5:19 Speaker B: Apps also feel smarter and more dynamic. Speaker B: As a result, you can explore Google Maps with live directions, get tips in Stardew Valley without leaving the game. Speaker J: Another really cool feature I was able to test out was spatializing 2D images and then turning those into videos. Speaker B: The exclusive Adobe Pulsar app stands out too, letting you edit videos in 3D space and generate titles with Gemini's help. Speaker B: It's like having a copilot in mixed reality, guiding you through every interaction.

5:47 Speaker F: The AI is deeply integrated, handling everything from organization to environment persistence. Speaker G: Gemini is baked into everything. Speaker G: You can go Gemini Live. Speaker G: You can ask Gemini about the videos you're watching. Speaker H: If you have a bunch of windows open within your virtual environment, you can simply ask Gemini to organize them for you. Speaker E: What really blew me away was that I was even told that you can place windows in different areas and they'll actually stay there. Speaker E: Like if I have one in one room and another in the next, the headset will actually remember where they are.

6:16 Speaker E: I can only really imagine how that's going to be in real life. Speaker E: Like Maybe you have YouTube in the living room, maybe like my workspace apps in the Office, and then TikTok or Netflix in the bedroom. Speaker E: When I walk in, it's there. Speaker C: It's also built on OpenXR standards, meaning developers can build an app once and have it run across multiple XR devices. Speaker C: That's exactly what the XR world has needed. Speaker I: You can connect it to Windows. Speaker I: It has a very broad scope of what it can do and what kind of devices that it can work with.

6:45 Speaker H: You can game on it through pretty much every service that isn't proprietary. Speaker H: That includes nearly every game on the Google Play Store, PC, VR games you can buy on Steam, traditional 2D games from Steam and other stores and there will even be a few new games coming to Google Play that were specifically designed for this particular product. Speaker E: It unfortunately only lasts for up to two hours with general use, or about two and a half hours when you watch videos just for videos, so around 30 minutes less than Apple's Vision Pro.

7:16 Speaker E: So that kind of sucks. Speaker A: Heck, even a high end 4K television will provide more years of quality entertainment that you're not bound by with that limited 2 hour battery life and everybody else can experience it in the same way. Speaker F: That battery limitation is coupled with a question about the older hardware and the quality of real world viewing. Speaker A: The internals though leave a bit to be desired though a specialist almost year old Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip is used in this device that might not be the most powerful option to run truly high end experiences and some level of throttling will be used on this hardware to ensure things don't overheat or consume too much power and without having too many experiences that tax the Galaxy XR headset.

7:56 Speaker A: Things might be okay for the kind of things you do right now, but in the future, yeah, you're going to be slowed down by what is available in the here and now two six. Speaker J: And a half megapixel pass through cameras on the front of the Galaxy XR headset. Speaker J: The there is a pass through mode and it does look pretty good. Speaker J: It's definitely better than what you'd get on something like a quest 3, but there is still a bit of graininess to it. Speaker J: So while it is a nice improvement, we're probably going to need maybe 12 megapixel sensors on the front before it starts to look like real life.

8:25 Speaker J: However, the color accuracy on the pass through cameras was incredible. Speaker J: So that means the color of my arm that I could see through the headset matched my actual arms color outside of the headset. Speaker F: While the passthrough color is praised, extended use reveals several comfort and physical design shortcomings. Speaker D: I do feel some pressure on my eyes and my head a little bit 30 minutes into it, but I did. Speaker J: Notice that for me personally I was getting some light leak coming in around this part of the headset and it was putting a little bit of glare on the screens.

8:53 Speaker J: Now there was some overhead lighting. Speaker J: I think that's why it could have also been a bit of a fitment issue. Speaker G: There is some peripheral vision that's happening at your side. Speaker G: You can get an additional optional light seal which will help you feel a little bit more immersed immersive for certain types of content, but it's not by default. Speaker H: The Galaxy XR controllers do not come with the headset. Speaker I: Now here's the big kicker. Speaker I: The Galaxy XR is going to cost 1799.

9:18 Speaker I: That's half the price of the Vision Pro. Speaker I: That alone right there is a huge milestone. Speaker C: Now, the price is still expensive, no doubt about that, but I'm honestly relieved. Speaker C: It's a lot lower than the Vision Pro, and I'm just glad to see real competition starting to form in this space. Speaker I: The headset is also going to come with what they're calling an Explorer Pack, which comes with a huge bundle of subscriptions that you're going to get for free.

9:43 Speaker I: With the Galaxy XR, it's going to come with 12 months of Google AI Pro for free. Speaker I: That's cool. Speaker I: You kind of get that with new pixels, but it's a good start. Speaker I: You also get three months of YouTube TV for a dollar a month, which is normally $80. Speaker I: So that's a pretty big savings right there. Speaker I: You will also get a free year of YouTube Premium, which includes YouTube Music and buyers will also get a free season of NBA League Pass. Speaker I: And you'll also get 12 months of a Google Play Pass subscription.

10:11 Speaker F: But for many reviewers, the timing of the launch and the comparison to cheaper alternatives dampen the enthusiasm for the price point. Speaker A: The Meta Quest lineup has all of the benefits. Speaker A: A much better support system for people who want gaming experiences as you get all of the extras as well thrown in like accessories, like a case, controllers, all that kind of jazz for under $600. Speaker A: I have a sneaking suspicion that at least right now, interest in this form factor is at a low point.

10:38 Speaker A: We've seen lackluster sales of the Apple Vision Pro. Speaker H: It was also made clear to me at the keynote presentation that the sales failure of the Apple Vision Pro is hanging heavy over this launch. Speaker H: This is one of the few launches I've ever been to in which the presenters actively told us that this product is just the beginning and that better things are on the way. Speaker H: The real revolution will be smart glasses that do most most of the things the Galaxy XR can do, but do it in the real world.

11:05 Speaker H: Yes, Meta Ray Bans currently offer a lot of cool smart glasses features, but Android XR is already head and shoulders above Meta's operating system and it's not even out yet. Speaker F: So what's the consensus? Speaker F: Reviewers agree that Samsung has delivered a strong first generation consumer focused Android XR headset by prioritizing comfort, multimodal input and crucially price. Speaker F: The primary differentiators. Speaker F: The deep integration of Gemini AI and the open Android app ecosystem offer capabilities that rivals lack, especially for productivity and general content consumption.

11:35 Speaker G: I would say that it kind of takes the things that I like about the Vision Pro and things that I kind of like about Meta's Oculus headsets and mushes it together. Speaker G: Puts a little bit of Gemini in the mix. Speaker C: The hardware solid, comfy fit, sharp visuals and full app support out of the box. Speaker C: But what's exciting is that Galaxy XR isn't just Samsung's next headset, it's the start of Android XR as a platform backed by Google and Qualcomm, with AI at the core.

12:03 Speaker A: Gemini is the goal for this form factor. Speaker A: Samsung's Galaxy XR headset is that first true step in that direction. Speaker H: The Galaxy XR seems like a terrific product, but it's still at its core, just another VR headset. Speaker H: They might use it once or twice a week if that the real revolution will be smart glasses if you are. Speaker F: An Android enthusiast eager to try the future of multimodal AI in a spatial environment, or a user who needs native Netflix and Google app support at half the price of the competition, the Galaxy XR is a solid evolutionary step.

12:35 Speaker F: However, if you're a hardcore gamer looking for the best pure VR experience, or someone concerned with battery life and long term hardware performance, it might be wiser to wait for the inevitable smart glass revolution that both Google and Samsung are teasing. Speaker F: Thanks very much for watching this ultimate Roundup review of the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. Speaker F: Please find links to full videos down below and come back for more re reviews. Speaker F: Where we watch older reviews so you don't have to.