Samsung XR
Reports have been circulating for quite a while now about Samsung's XR project. The company officially detailed an XR project, which Samsung is working alongside Google and Qualcomm, during the launch event of Galaxy S23 in 2023. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has also revealed that Samsung's XR device will take the form of mixed-reality smart glasses capable of connecting to a smartphone.
Now, a South Korean publication Seoul Economic Daily (via Jukanlosreve) reports that Samsung is working on an XR project codenamed "Infinite" and plans to showcase a prototype of its XR device in the first half of 2025. Industry sources suggest that the unveiling of the XR device's prototype could coincide with the Galaxy S25 series launch event in the US, expected to happen in January 2025.
Samsung has decided to launch XR devices in the second half of next year, according to Korean media reports.
Specifically, they plan to ship the devices to the market starting from the third quarter of next year, with an estimated quantity of about 50,000 units for the third and…
— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 9, 2024
Corroborating Qualcomm CEO's information, Samsung's XR device is tipped to be an augmented reality (AR) glasses. The XR device could potentially launch in the second half of next year and Samsung plans to ship more than 20,000 to 30,000 units of the device in Q3 and Q4 of 2025, which appears that the company is looking for a limited launch. Reportedly, Samsung's Mobile Experience (MX) is overseeing the XR smart glasses.
This will mark Samsung's first foray into the XR space, placing it alongside competitors like Meta and Apple. It will be interesting to see what new Samsung will bring to the table with its XR smart glasses, as Apple has been facing trouble selling its ambitious XR headset, the Vision Pro. Some of the reasons behind the sluggish business of Apple's XR device are the lack of apps, the weight, and the price of the device. An industry source said, "We will have to wait and see what kind of innovation Samsung will approach in a situation where the market has not yet fully bloomed."