Samsung and Google try to one-up Apple with AI-powered headsets

More than 17 years have passed since the launch of the modern smartphone era iPhoneAnd tech companies have been trying to disrupt that ever since.

The most common approach is the mixed reality XR headset: computerized goggles that put all your apps and other digital content right in front of your face.

Samsung is the latest to take on the range with the Galaxy XR. Samsung will start selling it Tuesday night for $1,800, about half the price appleVision Prof.

Early adopters will also get a set of digital freebies, such as free access to the paid version Google’s Gemini AI Assistant and YouTube Premium for a year.

The headset was made in partnership with Google for software and QualcommThat makes up the chip that powers the Galaxy XR.

Samsung’s Galaxy XR lets you enter an immersive, virtual computing experience where your apps and other content seem to float within your field of view. The external cameras project the real world onto the tiny 4K display inside the headset, meaning you can walk around the room without bumping into anything while wearing the Galaxy XR.

You control everything with hand gestures, your voice, or a combination of both.

As for the headset itself, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re looking at someone Apple Vision Pro.

From the curved glass on the front of the Galaxy XR to the metal trim and external battery pack that dangles from the headset via a cable, it looks like Samsung and Google reverse-engineered the Vision Pro over the past two years.

And in those two years, we’ve learned a lot about these computers for your face.

They’re niche, expensive products that most people don’t want to use, and there’s still no killer app or enough immersive content to keep you consistently entertained, and you’re spending $2,000 or more.

The promise of Metaverse evaporated as ChatGPT came on the scene in late 2022, and the tech industry turned its attention to artificial intelligence. exactly Mark Zuckerbergwho changed the name of his company to “Meta” In 2022, the Metaverse is rarely talked about anymore.

But Samsung has a different pitch for the Galaxy XR.

It may come with all the flaws of Apple’s or Meta’s headsets, but Samsung and Google say the Galaxy XR is actually a stepping stone for AI glasses that are currently in development with the eyewear brand. Warby Parker And gentle monsters.

Those devices will rely on Google’s AI assistant Gemini, which is also central to the experience on the Galaxy XR.

Google showed Here’s an early demo of those specs There is an annual I/O event in May, but there are no details on when such a device will be launched. Google also has a long track record of announcing products at I/O that never actually go on sale to the public.

Remember Google Glass? What about the Nexus Q?

But Google and Samsung are acting like things are different this time around, and that’s why the Gemini is a big part of the Galaxy XR.

You can control everything in the headset using hand gestures, and Samsung has replicated exactly the same gestures that Apple brought to the Vision Pro.

However, the most impressive part of Samsung’s Galaxy XR demo in New York last week was the Gemini controls.

I can use Gemini to organize floating windows of apps in my virtual workspace, ask questions about landmarks I see in Google Maps, or prompt it to generate a silly video using Veo, Google’s AI video generator similar to OpenAI’s Sora.

Overall, the Gemini demo was flawless. It understood everything I said, even in a noisy conference room, and executed my commands quickly.

It wasn’t exactly revolutionary, but it was a step beyond the capabilities of Vision Pro, which lacked generative AI features at all.

I can see how the Gemini will evolve to fit a more comfortable and stylish form factor with Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses. And now I can understand why Apple is Allegedly his plans changed From developing a new version of Vision Pro in favor of AI glasses that will launch in 2026.

Now for the main downside.

Gemini runs in the cloud, which means it allows you to “see” everything you do on your headset by transmitting it over the Internet to Google’s servers. Google doesn’t have the private cloud technology that Apple has for its AI systems, so it risks sharing a lot of personal information with the company about what you do on your device. That’s going to be a nonstarter for a lot of people.

Although you can see the promise of AI-powered glasses, they are more niche products than immersive headsets, much smaller than smartphones, laptops or tablets.

Meta, the market leader for the category, sold only 2 million pairs of Ray-Ban glasses in its first two years. By comparison, Apple sells 200 million iPhones a year. We’re a long way from becoming a must-have for your phone, like wireless earbuds or a smartwatch.

And as impressive as the Gemini has been so far, the future of smartphones being replaced by glasses-like AI devices never seemed far away.