Samsung partners with Google, Qualcomm to develop new XR device

Samsung recently held its first major launch event of 2023, named Galaxy Unpacked in San Francisco, US. At this event, the South Korea-based tech giant introduced its latest flagship smartphone lineup — the Samsung Galaxy S23 series along with three laptops under the Galaxy Book3 series. Apart from the latest smartphone and laptop lineup, Samsung also announced that it has partnered with Google and Qualcomm to develop new “extended reality” (XR) products. At the end of the event, Samsung MX head TM Roh also invited Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer on stage to announce the partnership.
Samsung’s upcoming XR device: What to expect
According to a report by the Washington Post, Roh has mentioned that Samsung is currently working on the XR device and that it’s “not too far away.” However, the company didn’t make any specific product announcements at the Unpacked event.
The report claims Google is working on the software part of the device which is expected to run an “unannounced version of the Android operating system meant specifically to power devices such as wearable displays”. Samsung will be promoting the upcoming device with the term XR, while Google is expected to prefer the term “immersive computing”.

Qualcomm will be supplying the chipset for the Samsung XR device. In November, the US-based chipmaker recently announced the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1, which is a 4nm chipset designed specifically for augmented reality glasses. The company also has the XR2 chipset under its belt which is a platform for both augmented and virtual reality headsets.
As per the report, Samsung will also collaborate with other tech giants like Meta and Microsoft on “service partnerships.” The initial form factor of the XR device is expected to be a headset, like the Meta Quest Pro or the rumored Apple headset, the report adds.
During the event, Google’s Lockheimer discussed its partnership with Samsung on Google Meet, Messages, Wear OS, and large-screen Android devices (like tablets and foldables). Lockheimer also emphasised on ARCore, Google Maps Live View navigation and Google Lens visual search and explained how these products are a “prelude” to the company’s “long-term vision.”