Samsung's Project Moohan becomes a reality as Android XR's first consumer-ready mixed reality headset.
Samsung officially launched Galaxy XR, an $1,800 mixed-reality headset that signals the beginning of a new Android XR platform co-developed with Google and Qualcomm. Samsung calls the Galaxy XR the first AI-native headset, part of a broader roadmap that will later include lighter form factors such as AI glasses.
Powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip and deeply integrated with Google's Gemini AI, Galaxy XR is designed for natural interaction through voice, vision, and hand gestures. Galaxy XR uses a multimodal perception system to contextualize what the user sees and hears, allowing Gemini to provide contextual assistance inside XR apps and throughout the OS experience. "Galaxy XR expands the vision for mobile AI into a new frontier of immersive and meaningful possibilities," said Won-Joon Choi, Samsung's MX COO.
As part of the new ecosystem, Galaxy XR runs Android XR, a platform Google describes as the first version of Android designed entirely for Gemini-era devices. Existing Android apps can run on Galaxy XR out of the box, and Samsung says developers can easily bring 3D experiences to the headset using OpenXR, WebXR, or Unity.
The hardware features 4K-per-eye Micro-OLED panels, eye-tracking, multiple passthrough cameras, downward-facing cameras for face tracking, and a separate battery pack to reduce headset weight. Samsung is positioning comfort as a key differentiator, aiming for longer wear times, a point the company emphasized during the press event. In my brief hands-on time last week, the passthrough video quality and deep Gemini integration stood out as major strengths.
At launch, the headset supports spatial versions of Google Maps, YouTube, Google Photos, and Circle to Search, along with entertainment features such as 3D movie viewing, multi-game sports watching, and XR gaming with AI-assisted coaching via Gemini. Adobe is also bringing Project Pulsar, a cinematic 3D editing tool, to the platform.
Galaxy XR is available today through Samsung.com and Samsung Experience Stores. Early buyers also get The Explorer Pack, which includes one year of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, plus XR content, including full-season access to NBA League Pass and three months of YouTube TV. Optional controllers and a travel case are sold separately.
I wrote for ZDNet and released a video about what I believe Galaxy XR means about the future of smartglasses and the surprisingly value the Passthrough mode.
