In his weekly column, Android Central Senior Content Producer Nick Sutrich delves into all things VR, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technologies, and so much more.
The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy XR is finally here, and it debuts the incredible new Android XR operating system. But there's a huge barrier to entry that's going to require a lot of convincing for people to accept it: the price. At $1,799, the Samsung Galaxy XR is expensive, no matter how you frame the argument.
On the bright side, it's half the price of the Apple Vision Pro while retaining many of that headset's best features, including a cutting-edge micro-OLED display, eye-tracking capabilities with iris biometric authentication, and more.
But at 3x the cost of a Meta Quest 3, is it really possible to justify the cost of Samsung's headset over Meta's? Yes, especially if you fall into one of the three following categories.
Enjoy our content? Make sure to set Android Central as a preferred source in Google Search, and find out why you should so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews, features, and more.
I need my space
One of the best reasons to watch movies, TV shows, or play games in VR is the personal nature of the experience. Say you get home from work, have a nice dinner with your family, and then are ready to sit on the couch for some much-earned relaxing time... but your kids want to watch KPop Demon Hunters for the 346th time. No shade on KPop, but sometimes you need a break from the same old thing.
That's where Galaxy XR comes in. Pop this sweet headset on and you're instantly transported to the entertainment and relaxation you want, without having to fight over who is using the TV tonight.
It's your own TV, and you can do whatever the heck you want with it, even play those mature-rated games or watch HBO shows without your kids having to see or hear it before they're ready.
Better for work
I've used a lot of smart glasses over the years, and while some of the best smart glasses offer incredible ways to give yourself a personal theater (see the above section), their field of view is limited.
Take Xreal One, for instance. The screens in those glasses offer a 50-degree FoV, while Xreal One Pro ups that to 57 degrees. That's impressive for smart glasses, but the Samsung Galaxy XR offers a 109-degree FoV. That's double the field of view, and it means your workspace looks like real life through the Galaxy XR's lenses rather than through a small window.
When you're using apps or working with your headset on, this wider field of view truly matters. The experience feels like you're sitting at a desk with monitors that you can move around at will, kind of like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. The difference here is that your windows aren't restricted to a 2D plane; you can move them anywhere you want in space.
Not to mention the fact that Android XR supports every single Android app on the Google Play Store, so you're not going to be worried about missing that important app you use every day. That makes Galaxy XR massively more appealing for work, especially when comfort is involved.
While it's a long way from the diminutive weight of smart glasses, Galaxy XR's headset design mimics my favorite productivity headset, the Meta Quest Pro, taking all the weight off your face and making it easy to eat and drink while wearing it. Don't discount that last part as a big deal; it's seriously a game-changer.
Gaming
Samsung isn't selling this as a gaming VR headset, but that doesn't mean it isn't excellent for gaming. Ironically, the optional Galaxy XR controllers are now backordered into December because owners clearly want to game on this thing.
And why not? Android XR supports the OpenXR standard, which means developers can port their existing Meta Quest games to Galaxy XR with relatively little work if they use the OpenXR API. But don't just take my word for it, here's what the developers of Walkabout Mini Golf had to say:
"Android XR was a medium difficulty port, mainly because the game was written before things like OpenXR was well supported, so there were a few systems that had to be replaced with newer standards. It's good housekeeping for a game like ours to keep our tech stack up to date and ports like this are part of that practice.” — Lucas Martell, CEO of Mighty Coconut
Gaming on a Galaxy XR isn't just about native VR games. You can play any Android game on Galaxy XR on a giant, resizable screen, so no more squinting down at your phone trying to read the text in Stardew Valley or trying to snipe across the map in Fortnite.
And Galaxy XR's incredible eye, hand, and face tracking technology all transfer to your PC when you use the Virtual Desktop app from the Google Play Store. This means that you can play amazing SteamVR games like Half-Life: Alyx or jump into the wide world of Resonite or VRChat and get full facial tracking capabilities to enhance your social skills. It's the ultimate wireless PC VR headset!
Just the beginning
As Android XR adds more functionality and gains more XR-native apps, we'll start seeing more reasons Galaxy XR is worth its high price. Just as you pay extra for a big, foldable phone to get a premium experience, the Galaxy XR's hardware, display, and bespoke Android XR software make it a superb premium headset for VR and mixed reality.
If you're picking up a Galaxy XR this year or thinking about picking one up, what's your biggest reason for doing so? Let us know in the comments below!
Cutting-edge hardware meets the best XR operating system ever made. With every Android app on Google Play, bespoke XR apps from popular services, and an incredible new Gemini-powered assistant that can interact in never-before-seen ways, Samsung Galaxy XR is the start of a new generation of AR and VR devices.
