The display specs for Samsung's first XR headset may have just leaked
This might be what's coming
We're expecting a Samsung XR/VR headset in the near future – that's extended reality and/or virtual reality – and a new leak gives us a better idea of the display specs the hardware device might bring along with it.
According to Daily Korea (via SamMobile), the headset will use a micro-OLED display supplied by Sony, with a size of 1.3 inches, a resolution of 3,840 x 3,552 pixels, a refresh rate of 90 frames per second, and a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits.
For comparison, the Meta Quest 3 headset launched last year offers a resolution of 2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye, an experimental 120Hz refresh rate mode, and a 90Hz standard refresh rate mode. The size of the displays isn't specified, but they use LCD technology, and you can read our thoughts on it in our Meta Quest 3 review.
As for the Apple Vision Pro, inside that particular device we've got micro-OLED tech. Apple doesn't specify a resolution, but does say there are 23 million pixels across both displays, and the refresh rate goes up to 100Hz. As our Apple Vision Pro review will tell you, it offers rather impressive visual performance.
Coming soon?
Samsung announced it was working on an XR headset all the way back at the start of 2023, with Google and Qualcomm helping out. It's yet to see the light of day though – there have been rumors that the launch of the Vision Pro gave Samsung executives enough food for thought that they decided to take more time over their own device.
Extended reality or XR, if you're unfamiliar, is the catch-all term for virtual reality (entirely enclosed virtual worlds), augmented reality (digital elements laid on top of the real world), and mixed reality (digital elements and the real world interacting in more realistic ways, like an upgraded augmented reality).
So far we've seen a battery leak, got confirmation that the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chipset will power the device, and... that's been about it for specs and features. There've been more leaks regarding a launch, which could happen in the second half of the year,
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Specifically, that might mean July. Samsung held an Unpacked launch event in July 2023, and is expected to do the same this year, giving full unveilings to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Galaxy Watch 7, the Galaxy Ring, and probably more besides.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.