What you need to know
- Qualcomm is releasing a new XR chipset in Q1 2024 designed to match the power of Apple's M2 chip in the Apple Vision Pro.
- Samsung is expected to use the new chipset first in its upcoming XR headset, expected to compete with Apple Vision Pro .
- Rumor has it that the new chip is based on the Snapdragon X Elite, unveiled at Qualcomm's 2023 summit in October.
As we get closer and closer to the new year, more details have begun to trickle in about Samsung and Google's upcoming Apple Vision Pro competitor. Turns out, instead of using the same chipset the Meta Quest 3 uses, Qualcomm is going to be unveiling an even newer chipset made for products like the upcoming Samsung XR headset.
This new information comes from an interview with South Korea's ET News (via SamMobile), noting that Qualcomm will unveil the new chipset in the first quarter of 2024. Given that Samsung's Galaxy S24 is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2024, it's entirely likely that Samsung could also debut its XR headset at the same Unpacked event.
While the interview didn't reveal specific details about this new chipset, we can infer a few things based on what we know of Samsung's vision for the headset and currently available Qualcomm XR chipsets. The Meta Quest 3 just debuted in October, featuring the Snapdragon XR2, which is based on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that powers many of the best phones.
Since the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 debuted at the end of 2022, this new Qualcomm XR chipset is likely based on one of the newer chipsets Qualcomm unveiled at its Summit last week.
Qualcomm's new XR chipset could be based on the Snapdragon X Elite laptop-grade chipset.
Because Samsung is said to be specifically targeting the Apple Vision Pro as its main competition, it's more likely that the company is building this new XR chipset based on the Snapdragon X Elite's Oryon cores, instead.
Apple Vision Pro uses the same Apple M2 chipset that's in MacBook Pro laptops, so it makes sense for Samsung and Qualcomm to debut its Vision Pro competitor with a similar laptop-grade chipset.
This likely would debut a completely new high-end XR chipset product line for Qualcomm, rounding out the company's offerings after also recently unveiling the smart glasses-ready Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1.
We're expecting Samsung's headset to become available sometime before the second-half of 2024, so it shouldn't be too long now before we have even more details.
The Meta Quest 3 is more than just a gaming console. It's also an XR machine that blends virtual reality with actual reality, helping to augment your world in new ways.
