Besides the S23 and Galaxy Book 3 series, Samsung today announced that it is working on “extended reality” (XR) products alongside Google and Qualcomm.
Android SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon appeared at the end of Unpacked 2023 to talk about the partnership.
Samsung’s TM Roh told The Washington Post that the company is working on XR and it’s “not too far off”. As such, there is no specific product announcement today at Unpacked outside of partnership news.
It’s working with Google on software, specifically an “unannounced version of the Android operating system intended specifically to power devices like portable displays,” according to The Post. Google uses the term “immersive computing”, while XR is notably Samsung’s preferred term.
We’re excited to work with our partners to create a new generation of immersive computing experiences that will further enhance what users can do with Google.
Google spokesperson
Meanwhile, the chipset will be for Qualcomm, which just announced the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 as a 4nm chip specifically designed for augmented reality glasses in November. It also has the XR2 for augmented and virtual reality headsets.
Samsung will also work with Meta and Microsoft on “service partnerships”.
We believe that the ecosystem has to be somewhat ready for the product to launch and for the product to be successful as well.
TM Roh
Given the current state of technology available, the initial form factor is likely a headset rather than goggles, like the Meta Quest Pro or the rumored Apple headset.
Lockheimer talked about collaborating with Samsung on Google Meet and Messages, Wear OS, and large-screen Android devices (tablets + foldables). The Google executive highlighted ARCore, Google Maps Live View navigation and Google Lens visual search, noting that these products are a “prelude to our long-term vision.”
FTC: We use revenue-generating automatic affiliate links. Following.
Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more info: