Samsung launches Gemini-powered Galaxy XR

While we posted last month about Meta's smart glasses success, the XR headset space just got significantly more competitive.

Apple released the M5-powered Vision Pro this month - the first hardware update since the 2024 launch. An incremental improvement, but we believe Apple is slowly adding more compute + better content = new use cases unlocked.

For example, Apple has also begun testing immersive sports broadcasting by deploying 100+ cameras during the recent Real Madrid vs Juventus match, and announcing LA Lakers (NBA) games will be streamed in Apple Immersive to Apple Vision Pro owners next year, the first-ever live content for the format.

But the bigger news is Samsung Galaxy XR - the first device running Google's new Android XR platform, launching at $1,799.

Galaxy XR is lighter than the Vision Pro and users get access to Google Play's entire ecosystem, reimagined Google apps (Maps, Photos, YouTube, Chrome, Meet), and over 50 XR-optimised experiences from Adobe, Calm, Fox Sports, and more.

All of Google Maps Immersive View interiors are reportedly fully explorable with Gaussian splatting - a technical achievement that hints at where spatial computing is headed.

But what makes Galaxy XR transformative isn’t that Gemini AI is built into the core experience.

As CNET's XR specialist Scott Stein put it, Gemini is the "killer app." It understands what you're seeing and doing in real-time. Watching basketball highlights? Just ask about a player's stats. Exploring the Colosseum in Google Maps? Ask about its history. Workspace too cluttered? Say "Hey Google, organise these windows" and Gemini arranges everything instantly.

This is significant because Gemini is wildly more capable, embedded, and standalone-viable than Meta AI (in smart glasses) or Apple Intelligence (still catching up). Galaxy XR is the clearest sign yet of how AI-first software can reinvent the interface layer for spatial computing.

Google is positioning this as the preview of a broader Android XR ecosystem - with Gemini at the heart.

Three Giants, Three Approaches

• Meta: Consumer adoption through affordable Quest and Ray-Ban smart glasses, betting on volume

• Apple: Premium experience, ecosystem lock-in, waiting for the technology to be "undeniable"

• Google: Platform play via Android XR, betting on Gemini AI as the differentiator and enabling multiple hardware partners

Samsung's return to XR (they exited after Gear VR shipped 6 million units in 2016) signals confidence in the market's readiness. With Google's platform approach, expect more Android XR devices from other manufacturers soon.

The platform war is officially on - and that creates massive opportunity. Startups can now seriously consider building scalable tools, middleware, and applications that work across all three or they'll go deep on the AI layer, where Gemini's early lead in spatial understanding creates openings for specialised applications.

If you're building for this future, we'd love to hear from you.

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• Starstuff is expanding their team with seven roles: Frontend Developer, Backend Developer, Game Developer, AI/ML Engineer, Technical Artist, Animation & 3D Artist, and UI/UX Designer for their playable Gen-AI platform. (apply)

• M-XR has multiple senior positions open in London, UK: MTS - ML Infrastructure, MTS - Applied Research, MTS - Research Lead, MTS - Machine Learning, and MTS - Backend roles for their spatial computing platform. (apply)

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