Samsung has already revealed that it is working on an XR device and is likely a mixed-reality headset similar to the Apple Vision Pro. Meta (Facebook owner) is already in the mixed-reality headset segment. All these brands could get competition from Microsoft, as the company seem to be buying hundreds of thousands of micro displays from Samsung.
Samsung Display reportedly supplying Micro OLED panels for Microsoft's mixed-reality headset
According to a report from The Elec (via Android Authority), Samsung Display is supplying hundreds of thousands of Micro OLED panels to Microsoft. Those panels will reportedly be used in a mixed-reality headset. It isn't clear how far ahead Microsoft is in its mixed-reality headset development, but it will reportedly be launched in 2025.
The report claims that it will focus on entertainment use cases, like gaming and watching movies. Since Microsoft has two entertainment-related platforms, Windows and Xbox, there is a good chance that its headset will be able to connect to PCs and Xbox consoles.
Microsoft launched its first mixed-reality headset, the HoloLens, in 2016. In 2019, the company launched the HoloLens 2. Both headsets were priced at a ridiculous $3,500, but the former used an Intel x86-64 chip while the latter used an ARM chip from Qualcomm. It remains to be seen which chipset Microsoft will use in its next mixed-reality headset.
Samsung has been developing an XR headset for over a year and was expected to launch early this year. However, Samsung reportedly canceled its first design after the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, as the South Korean firm's headset wasn't as premium or sophisticated.
Recent rumors claim that the reworked headset will reportedly be sent to developers for testing in October 2024 and launched in early 2025. The device will use Samsung Display's Micro OLED panels, Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR series chip, and Google's version of Android optimized for mixed-reality headsets.
