Samsung says XR headphones will launch “later this year” – should we hold our breath?

News7f July 10, 2024

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Samsung says XR headphones will launch "later this year" - should we hold our breath?

Qualcomm, Samsung and Google executives on stage under their company logos — Screenshot by ZDNET/Samsung

In Samsung unpackedThe company has rolled out its latest projects, including Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch UltraThe next generation Galaxy Z Seriesand more. However, the appearance of a highly anticipated product did not take place – Samsung VR virtual reality glasses.

While the Samsung XR headphones didn’t make an official appearance at today’s Unpacked event, some subtle, easy-to-miss information about the headphones was included in the keynote, reminding the audience that the headphones are still in development.

Also: Everything Announced at Samsung Unpacked July 2024

At the event, Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Devices at Google, took the stage and highlighted Google’s collaboration with Samsung and Qualcomm in making the headset a reality.

“Looking ahead, we are working together to deliver next-generation experiences across Galaxy products, from smartphones and wearables to future technologies like the upcoming XR platform that we have worked closely on through our partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm,” said Osterloh.

After Osterloh left the stage, TM Roh, Samsung’s president of mobile, mentioned that “the new XR platform will be launched later this year.”

Roh’s comments are consistent with predictions from industry analysts who also set a late 2024 launch date for the Samsung XR headphones. Samsung first announced its partnership with Qualcomm and Google at its Unpacked event in February 2023, but has continued to delay the launch since then.

Also: Here are the best new AI features coming to Samsung’s foldable Galaxy phone

Reports have indicated that a contributing factor to the delay is Samsung’s desire to release a model that can compete with the Apple Vision Pro impressive specsannounced in June 2023. For example, Samsung ordered higher-resolution displays to match the 4K display in each eye of the Apple Vision Pro, according to a report.

Samsung continues to reveal that the headphones will be in “The future is not too far away.” That future is still a long way off, however, with the original planned release date of early 2024 having been pushed back multiple times. So I’d recommend taking Roh’s “later this year” comment with a grain of salt.