My vision of the future was heavily shaped by the “One Day” concept video Google released 13 years ago to show the potential of augmented reality and how we’d use it day-to-day. With Galaxy XR this past week, I got an unexpected approximation of what AR smart glasses will feel like in a form factor that I’ve been bearish about since living with Vision Pro.
Hardware
Galaxy XR is a headset on paper, but it — metaphorically and physically — feels lighter than that. Going all-in on plastic was the correct choice, with the difference between Vision Pro night and day. More important than 1.2 pounds (versus Apple’s 1.7~) is how S…
My vision of the future was heavily shaped by the “One Day” concept video Google released 13 years ago to show the potential of augmented reality and how we’d use it day-to-day. With Galaxy XR this past week, I got an unexpected approximation of what AR smart glasses will feel like in a form factor that I’ve been bearish about since living with Vision Pro.
Hardware
Galaxy XR is a headset on paper, but it — metaphorically and physically — feels lighter than that. Going all-in on plastic was the correct choice, with the difference between Vision Pro night and day. More important than 1.2 pounds (versus Apple’s 1.7~) is how Samsung got the dome-esque forehead cushion design very right. Galaxy XR rests on your forehead, as well as the back of your head, and never your cheeks or nose. It’s simply excellent weight distribution.
If the Vision Pro is a helmet, then the Galaxy XR wears more like a pair of ski goggles. There’s still a level of obtrusiveness, but you’d never confuse the two.
Another notable difference between the two headsets is how I can see the real world to the left, right, and bottom of Galaxy XR’s lenses. This open design blends reality with the virtual and contributes to that metaphoric lightness. It’s akin to pulling down sunglasses.
Using Galaxy XR isn’t isolating and keeps me in the real world, whereas Vision Pro feels like I’m explicitly entering a different one. I think this is crucial to the long-term adoption of augmented reality. This openness is the first time I’ve gotten that sense of blending realities, and is more practical than any passthrough experience possible today. Besides feeling like AR, that openness practically lets you directly view your Bluetooth keyboard (like if you forgot where a special character is) and phone (notifications, 2FA, and more).
When you want immersion, you attach two magnetic (left + right) light shields at the bottom of Galaxy XR. I haven’t found the need to go distraction-free even when watching long videos as I value staying in my current environment so much more. It’s also pretty easy to focus on the screens, which do have a noticeable border around them for a binocular effect that will eventually fade into the background when using any headset. Again, the default open design is a strength, and another thing Samsung got very right.
Speaking of camera passthrough, the 4K per eye resolution is like the Vision Pro. 3,552 x 3,840 is good for virtual content, but still not high enough to view your phone or laptop’s screen without blur, and that should be the benchmark. Additionally, the cameras don’t capture the fidelity of the real-world yet – muted colors are, for the lack of a better word, depressing.
In terms of physical controls, the top edge has a volume rocker and button that lets you open the launcher (1x), camera (2x), start eye calibration (3x), and launch Gemini (long-press). Tapping volume down and the button lets you take a screenshot or bring up the power menu.
There’s also a trackpad at the side that lets you re-center your view and switch between the real world and virtual reality. It’s important to have these two functionalities be tactile, but the touchpad feels like an unneeded control surface. The dial, like a watch crown, on the Vision Pro for adjusting immersion really is clever.
The biggest hardware mistake Samsung made is putting the adjustment knob that tightens everything at the very back. My primary relaxation spots at home sees me rest my head against a wall for extended periods. I’ve watched hour-long TV shows this way with Vision Pro. That’s simply not possibly with Galaxy XR and eliminates most lean-back experiences. It’s also annoying but manageable with high-back chairs.
Hand-tracking is accurate and on par with Apple in my experience. If you haven’t used VR in quite some time, these gesture controls have matured a great deal and are now quite natural if not intuitive. This feels like a solved problem, obviating the need for hand controllers in day-to-day usage.
For the entirety of my review, I wore my glasses within Galaxy XR. This worked surprisingly well, with eye tracking passable. However, I have to wait for prescription optical inserts to give that a fair shake.
I do hear the cooling fan more than I have with Vision Pro. The hum fades away when audio isn’t playing, but it’s otherwise an annoyance with content. I do not get spatial audio outside of movies, but it’s pretty amusing to move a music app’s window around and pinpoint what direction it’s coming from.
The desk, bed, and chairs where I’ve used Galaxy XR all have USB-C cables and power, so I’ve been using it plugged in. There’s no reason not to when working or watching something. When not plugging in to direct power, though, the battery pack is gray, hefty, and perfectly acceptable.
Software
Android XR feels familiar to using Android on phones and tablets, specifically Samsung’s version. The amount of One UI present is fine, but my pet peeves remain. (Why does the Wi-Fi indicator in the status bar equivalent always show what standard — 5, 6, 6E, etc. — you’re connected to?)
Other interfaces like Samsung’s Settings app or multitasking are more than functional, but I wish Google took a more opinionated visual and functional approach. For example, taking phone calls is only available when pairing a Samsung phone, while Google Messages uses the non-native PWA version that’s lacking.
Overall, I’d say Android XR is more intuitive than Apple’s visionOS by relying more on desktop operating system paradigms. For example, window controls take the form of a pill above apps, just like on Android 16, that let you close and hide windows. The Launcher can show up to 10 apps, while the top portion shows the time, date, and a row that lets you access Google Search, Gemini, Recents, Notifications, and Quick Settings. There’s more UI for more obvious controls.
That said, bringing 3-button navigation to Android XR is certainly a choice. It starts by bringing up your palm, and pinching your thumb and index finger together. You then slide to Home, Back, or Recents. I do see the need for a virtual gesture to navigate, but I don’t think this is it. Maybe exaggerated Minority Report-style gestures where you swipe left/right/up/down?
By default, Android apps open in tablet landscape mode. It’s nice how you resize them to their phone versions. I do an embarrassing amount of long-form writing on portrait, phone-sized screens. I did not like the width of the Google Keep window, so I simply adjusted it and that felt like I was manipulating my physical environment. I wouldn’t say window management is a killer use case for XR, but it definitely emphasizes the infinite flexibility and power of floating screens. It’s a reminder that the smallest things can feel the most futuristic.
I wish Android XR remembered these options upon app close, or offered a per-app customization. More broadly, Android apps on XR feels as natural as they do on tablets and phones. It’s obviously the same underlying OS, but breathes familiarity. It also speaks to how work done in the Android 12L era does pay-off (and will continue to do so).
Samsung should have included a compact Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad with every purchase to really aid productivity. Nobody has solved virtual keyboards, while mice feel bad in AR. As such, voice input is the primary way I enter text.
Tablet Chrome is not enough from a functionality standpoint. Several years ago, Google took the phone browser and modified it for larger screens without adding more complex capabilities or controls from the desktop version to let you take advantage of the additional screen real estate. To really be productive, I at least need a full bookmarks bar, and that’s just not an option today.
Some apps like Google TV have been optimized for XR. There is a spatial homescreen with big cards, while apps like YouTube and Google Photos match their tablet counterparts until you view content and get floating controls.
Spatial vs. tablet app
Otherwise, the direct tablet or even phone versions of most apps are fine, if not less distracting and more compact by keeping everything in one window.
Google’s XR software/content contributions are primarily in three apps. YouTube’s library of 3D content speaks for itself and its (intentional) absence on Apple’s platform makes competitive sense. However, the flat browsing (homescreen, search, etc.) experience is distinctly not the Android tablet version. It’s a simplified take that’s missing some features I use.
I haven’t been wowed yet by 3D images and videos in Google Photos, but Google Maps’ Immersive View is fun with Street View a pretty natural fit.
Meanwhile, Circle to Search is launched by bringing up your hand and putting your thumb and forefinger together. This is awkward and should take over the existing camera/video shortcut, which is a double-press of the top button. Circle to Search can be used to copy text on virtual screens, but not the real world in a miss. That said, in true Android fashion, you can download the Google Lens app and go from there.
As for Samsung Avatars that are meant to be your virtual stand-in during Google Meet calls… I just don’t. You’d think that of all companies, Google would be able to offer a photo-realistic avatar, because Samsung’s cartoons are just: no.
Hand and gaze controls are good, but I was hoping voice would be a viable alternative. Simply, Gemini Live doesn’t have enough computer use capabilities. There are some, like navigating in certain apps and app-specific functionality, but they aren’t very broad or universal. Asking for more information about places you see in Google Maps is certainly cool, but not something you do day-to-day.
The first version of any operating system has many UI and UX ideas. It takes people actually using the device to figure out what capabilities should be prioritized. For me, Gemini Live should always open with screen sharing enabled. Right now, the experience is too voice-first, just like on phones.
What is it all for?
AR glasses with infinite floating displays have the potential to replace your smartphone, laptop, and other form factors. We are many years away from display miniaturization and the other breakthroughs needed.
Headsets can’t replace your phone as something you wear into the world, but the idea is that they could replace your laptop, desktop, television, gaming console, and other in-home devices.
How far along is Galaxy XR? On the productivity front, I’ve written most of my review in extended reality using Google Keep and a Bluetooth keyboard. My line of work really only requires a web browser, so I can do a lot of it in Galaxy XR. However, whether I want to is the bigger question. Infinite screens have their advantages. I never found Chrome’s tab strip in 2D to be constrained, but there is a utility to placing a few windows around you.
In terms of content consumption, my longest watches have been an hour of A House of Dynamite using the Netflix app and 30 minutes of the World Series in YouTube TV. The former was immersive and something I’ve been doing consistently with Vision Pro for over a year now when the TV show warrants it.
However, all this requires putting something on your head and being tethered to a battery pack. That’s a trade-off that I know most people won’t make today, and I don’t think they will until headsets get closer to glasses (even chunky ones) that don’t encircle your head.
After using Galaxy XR, I see an interim future where headsets approach the popularity of tablets as a third computing device (after the phone and laptop) that has unique interaction advantages made possible by AR.
Conclusion
The full-blown Android XR experience found on Galaxy XR will take years to make their way to smart glasses. The first Google-powered devices in that form factor will have no display, and the first screen version that comes after will be more heads-up display than anything. It will take some time to get virtual floating windows that let you do smartphone or desktop-class work or entertainment with eyeglasses.
That being said, the Galaxy XR surprisingly lets you preview that eventual future right now. Frankly, I was not expecting a headset to already offer this experience, but the mixture of light, non-immersive hardware and Android XR experiences is compelling. To be clear, this is not a mass-market device, but Galaxy XR is an enthusiast gadget at a vaguely more reasonable price point.
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