- Samsung’s Galaxy XR headphones finally arrive in the UK
- It will land on July 8 and cost £1,699
- It arrives before Samsung’s Android XR glasses expansion
After months of waiting, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset is finally ready to bring Android XR to countries other than the US and South Korea. A UK launch date has just been announced for July 8th priced at £1,699, and the headset is available to pre-order now.
Previously known as Project Moohan when it debuted in late 2024, this headset is a collaboration between Samsung, Google and Qualcomm and features the best of each: Samsung’s hardware expertise is felt through the excellent 4K micro-OLED displays and comfortable design, Google’s Android XR software powers the beast with Gemini AI enhancements and a suite of Play Store apps at your fingertips, and Qualcomm’s chipmaking knowledge are operated via the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen. 2.
TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff had the chance to try out the Galaxy
I spent a lot less time with Samsung’s headset, but from my hour-or-so demo at Samsung’s UK studio this week, it was clear that the headset offered solid improvements over my Meta Quest 3 experience – mainly those screens and how impressive the visuals are.
If I could, I would have turned on Netflix and just chilled out for a few more hours with a movie. In fact, it was nice to see a full suite of native entertainment apps (courtesy of the Android Play Store), something that’s a bit lacking on Meta’s hardware.
I’d also say that my hour or so in VR was surprisingly comfortable – this is probably helped by the fact that the Samsung Galaxy XR only weighs 545g (just 31g more than my trusty Quest 3). This makes it much lighter than the Meta Quest Pro (at 722g) and the Apple Vision Pro at around 750g, so I’ll be happy to repeat my week-long VR experience from a few years ago.
A glimpse of more to come
The Samsung Galaxy XR looks impressive in its own right with its entertainment capabilities, solid selection of native
I’m getting married next month, and we’re already thinking about our honeymoon, which we plan to take in early 2027. The ability to explore the destination we’re considering in VR via Google Maps and Street View — and even being able to visit attractions that have been 3D scanned by the owners — seems like a great vacation planning tool, especially for places I’ve never been before.
That said, some tools really seem to shine on AR glasses that you can wear all the time, like the headset’s circular search feature, which works both digitally and for the real world. I use my phone for this all the time, but having an even faster way to visually search for something I can see, like details about the origin of an outfit, how to care for a plant in my house, or more information about a landmark I can see, would be a major improvement. It would be like a more precise version of Ray-Ban’s Meta look-and-ask tool, which I already use all the time.
That’s not to say the Galaxy XR isn’t its own thing, and I’m excited to experience it properly now that it’s landing in the UK. I’m just noting that some tools seem perfect for glasses, and as Samsung expands its presence in this area – it just announced AI specs at Google I/O in partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster – I can’t wait to see what else it has up its sleeve.
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