[2024 Top Picks] Can Samsung compete with Apple's Vision Pro?

Tech

Published: 02 Jan. 2024, 06:00

[2024 Top Picks] Can Samsung compete with Apple's Vision Pro?

From left, Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon, Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon and Google Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer announce their partnership at Samsung's Unpacked event in San Francisco, California, in February. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

If innovation in the smartphone space isn't exciting you anymore, this year's XR, or extended reality devices might.

XR is an umbrella term encompassing technologies including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality.

Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, is working on an XR headset expected to compete with the $3,499 Vision Pro mixed reality headset that Apple unveiled last June. Qualcomm will engineer the headset's processor, while Samsung will be in charge of the hardware and Google will handle the software.

Little has been revealed about the upcoming headset, which is code-named “Infinite.” Samsung has not confirmed a release timeline; the product was originally expected in the second half of this year, but recent rumors have suggested that it might arrive sooner.

If you have a tighter budget, don't worry: There are signs that Samsung plans to release a headset much more affordable than the Vision Pro as well.

Samsung Display, a panel-making subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, filed a U.S. trademark for the term “Flex Magic” in November, stating that it would be used for “virtual reality headsets” and “smart glasses.” Panel technology is key to a preventing dizziness and visual disparities during an XR experience.

Samsung also secured a trademark of “Samsung Glasses” from Britain's Intellectual Property Office last November, potentially hinting at not-so-far-away introduction of an AR device.

But it's not all words — Samsung is hard at work on the technology as well.

The company recently announced two types of ISOCELL Vizion micro sensors that can be deployed in XR devices.

The ISOCELL Vizion 63D sensor, for example, uses electromagnetic waves to measure an object and visualize it in 3-D.

"[ISOCELL Vizion 63D] is planned for deployment in various applications such as serving and logistics robots as well as XR devices and face verification,” Samsung Electronics said.

Pricing for the “Infinite Headset” is still to be announced. Industry analysts have argued that beating the Vision Pro's hefty price tag could give it a competitive edge in the market.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]