Samsung is all in to step into the XR market. Let me remind you of 2023, when Samsung, at its Galaxy Unbox event, teased us all with its XR headset. It was originally set to launch earlier this year but was later delayed due to several reasons. According to a report from Business Insider, the headset will debut in March 2025. But wait! There is a silver lining. The developer version, codenamed “Moohan,” is coming this October.
The continued delay is attributed to two main factors. Samsung, in response to Apple’s Vision Pro, decided to take its hardware to the next level and make it stand out. These elevated expectations contributed significantly to the delay, as the increased ambition raised the precision required and hence the development time. Google further added to this fire as it also aims to create a product that can “dazzle users” and make its partnership with Samsung among the top ones.
So, why this developer version? Well, to facilitate early adoption and feedback from the “expert” side, that is, the developers, Samsung is reportedly going to launch a developer kit in October 2024. Moohan will enable developers to create and test apps for the platform before it is released to consumers. The availability and distribution details, however, are unknown.
Another exciting side of this device is that Samsung has developed this XR headset in collaboration with Google. While Samsung has invested its talent in hardware, Google is contributing to software development. Google has provided the software foundation through a modified version of Android, which we know as “Android XR.” This move highlights Google’s interest in the AR/VR space. If reports are to be believed, Google is in talks with several other companies to use Android XR in their hardware.
Well, these delays on the consumer side are not all positive for Samsung. These repeated delays are opening doors for competitors like Meta and several other Android XR users to jump into the market. However, the October release for developers will allow for a creative space for developers to get ahead of the market and place the device well.
