Built on an open, scalable platform with multimodal AI at its core, Galaxy XR marks the beginning of the Android XR ecosystem, unleashing a future of discovery, play, and work. But controllers will cost you $250 more…

Samsung revealed its Galaxy XR, then still under the name Project Moohan, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, in Barcelona, last March, and has now officially announced the VR headset, which is available for $1,799.99 in Korea and US, a price that is – a lot – less than Apple asks for its Vision Pro, while the specifications are similar, and the Galaxy XR even has more resolution, at 3552×3840 pixels against 3660×320 on Apple’s headset.

Samsung’s Galaxy XR is, the company says, the first step in Samsung’s long-term XR journey, with innovations to come across the full spectrum of XR form factors, including AI glasses. As the first product built on the new Android XR platform developed together by Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm Technologies, Galaxy XR showcases the future of discovery, play, and work, enabling users to enjoy natural, deeply immersive experiences — from daily tasks to bold new frontiers, the Galaxy XR is, Samsung adds, “unlocking new possibilities with multimodal AI, transforming how people connect with the world through technology in their daily lives.”

According to Samsung, Galaxy XR benefits from the strength of Android XR, which is a powerful platform that puts AI at the center of the experience, and is designed to scale across a variety of form factors, from headsets to AI glasses and beyond. All apps built on the Android platform work right out of the box on Galaxy XR, ensuring users can enjoy the familiar mobile experiences they already love and making the device as useful day-to-day as it is groundbreaking. Since the platform is built on OpenXR standards, it’s easy for developers using OpenXR, WebXR, or Unity to bring their experiences to Galaxy XR — offering them more ways to scale and giving consumers more choices.

We’ve shared information about the headset before and it’s probably a good idea to go and read it. Here we share the news and how Samsung wants the Galaxy XR to be perceived.

“With Galaxy XR, Samsung is introducing a brand-new ecosystem of mobile devices,” said Won-Joon Choi, Chief Operating Officer of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Built on Android XR, Galaxy XR expands the vision for mobile AI into a new frontier of immersive and meaningful possibilities, allowing XR to move from concept to everyday reality, for both the industry and users.”

“Galaxy XR embodies our vision for the future, where the synergy of AI and XR transforms the possibilities of personal computing,” said Alex Katouzian, Group GM of Mobile, Compute & XR at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We’re thrilled to be collaborating on this initiative, as Galaxy XR will help to bring new use cases across various industries and pave the way for exciting multi-device experiences, all enabled by our work with Samsung and Google.

Although the headset is designed to offer new levels of immersion in entertainment, Samsung says that it is also committed to meeting a wide range of use cases for enterprise needs such as virtual training in heavy industry and construction, including a partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries to utilize Galaxy XR for virtual shipbuilding training for work productivity and safety. Samsung also partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to utilize their efforts with Snapdragon Spaces technology to tap into an Enterprise ISV ecosystem, giving developers the tools to bring their applications to Galaxy XR and create new opportunities for the enterprise world to adopt business solutions optimized for Android XR. Together, these collaborations bring enterprise-ready XR capabilities that enable advanced training, co-design of solutions, and secure remote collaboration.

In terms of entertainment Galaxy XR opens, Samsung says, entirely new dimensions of discovery, providing a wide array of experiences optimized for XR such as Google Maps, YouTube, Circle to Search, and Google Photos. Here are some examples:

• Travel and search with Google Maps: Users can use Gemini as a guide to navigate to any place on Google Maps and ask for personalized suggestions about nearby places while exploring the world in immersive 3D maps.
• Deep-dive into content with AI: Users can naturally ask Gemini to find the content they want to see on YouTube and get more information about the video they are watching — unlocking richer learning and entertainment experiences.
• See more with video pass through and Circle to Search: In pass through mode, users can see the physical world around them and draw a circle with their hand to instantly search for information about anything in front of them.
• Auto-spatialize videos and photos into 3D: View your 2D photos or videos with added depth and dimension. Google Photos with Media Auto Spatialization turns memories into immersive experiences.

Samsung announced during the presentation that those who purchase Galaxy XR by the end of 2025 will also enjoy the exclusive benefits of The Explorer Pack, which is worth more than $1,000. This benefit bundle includes 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and XR Pack of specialized XR content.

Now, although the price for the Galaxy XR is $1,799.99, if you need/want controllers you’ll have to pay $250 more, this because Samsung believes that controllers are not needed for most apps the VR headset can run. The Internet has already reacted to this decision, considering it a “bad marketing option”, as controllers should be bundled with the headset. Not having controllers in the package means developers, when porting a title to the Galaxy XR, must consider that some users will have controllers while others don’t. Some of those developers may not even bother, because despite the Galaxy XR being cheaper than Apple’s headset it’s still three times more expensive than a Quest 3.

According to UploadVR, only two hours after the launch in US of the Galaxy XR, “optional tracked controllers are sold out already, meaning new buyers will have to wait to get them” a clear indication that buyers want the controllers. In fact, controllers are essential for many of the ports from Quest to Android XR, and most PC VR games, that can be used with the Android XR platform through the Virtual Desktop app, need controllers.

PC VR may, in fact, be the reason why many will buy the Galaxy XR, as the resolution offered by the headset appeals to users who like to experience total immersion in games such as DCS or Microsoft Flight Simulator or Elite: Dangerous, where the resolution offered by the Galaxy XR is essential. PC VR also includes some of the most exciting entertainment apps, from the Museum of Other Realities to CAPCOM GO! Apollo VR Planetarium … for which you need a controller!