The Galaxy XR is unveiled during its launch event at Samsung Gangnam in Seoul’s Seocho District on October 22. Co-developed by Samsung Electronics, Google, and Qualcomm, the Galaxy XR is the first high-performance XR device created through their collaboration. The headset allows users to control the device with their eyes, hands, and voice. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics has unveiled what it calls the beginning of a new era in immersive computing—a headset that doesn’t just show digital worlds but listens, tracks, and responds to human behavior.
The new Galaxy XR, released Wednesday in South Korea and the United States, is the first device built on Android XR, an extended-reality operating system co-developed with Google and Qualcomm.
The partnership, years in the making, reflects how major tech companies are converging around the next frontier of personal computing: a world where voice, movement, and sight replace screens and keyboards.
The Android XR platform fuses hardware and multimodal AI to interpret speech, gestures, and even eye movements in real time. Users can explore three-dimensional environments, navigate apps, or replay a baseball game simply by looking or gesturing.
The device comes preloaded with Google’s Maps, Photos, and YouTube, while Gemini Live, Google’s real-time voice assistant, offers spoken, conversational interaction.
The Galaxy XR is unveiled during its launch event at Samsung Gangnam in Seoul’s Seocho District on October 22. Co-developed by Samsung Electronics, Google, and Qualcomm, the Galaxy XR is the first high-performance XR device created through their collaboration. The headset allows users to control the device with their eyes, hands, and voice. (Yonhap)
Samsung has also struck content partnerships with Major League Baseball and the NBA, promising sports broadcasts reimagined in 360 degrees—games that unfold not just on a screen, but around the viewer.
Weighing 545 grams, the Galaxy XR emphasizes comfort, with weight balanced between the forehead and the back of the head. For users with prescription needs, magnetically attached corrective lenses can be fitted seamlessly inside the visor.
“This marks the starting point of our vision to create a new XR ecosystem in collaboration with Google,” said Lim Seong-taek, vice president at Samsung’s device division. “It represents the highest level of hardware and software integration in the industry.”
The device sells for 2.69 million won, or about US$1,880, placing it squarely in the premium segment. But for Samsung, this is less about price than presence. The Galaxy XR is a bet that the next great platform won’t be in your pocket—or even in your hands—but right before your eyes.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
