Latest news with #ProjectMoohan
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Samsung Project Moohan Headset Specs Revealed In Benchmark Test
Samsung Project Moohan headset A benchmark result published online appears to have revealed as-yet unannounced core specs of the upcoming Samsung Project Moohan headset. It will be the first to show off the Android XR platform. Geekbench 6 is a great tool for comparing the power of mobile hardware, but by default any results are automatically uploaded to the platform's online database. This has happened to Samsung's upcoming SM-i610, revealed to be Samsung's Project Moohan headset months ago. Abishek Yadav highlighted the Geekbench entry on X, which reveals the headset on test has 16GB RAM and CPU specs that match those of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. That includes six performance-driven CPU cores and an Adreno 740 graphics chipset. This chipset is one generation on from the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor used in the Meta Quest 3, but they both use an Adreno 740 series CPU. In Geekbench 6's test run, the device scored 2453 points overall, which is only roughly comparable with a flagship phone many years old. However, the graphics processor is the more important metric here, and the headset lacks the additional efficiency cores found in phones — an architecture style Geekbench 6 is really designed to test. The Adreno 740, meanwhile, is used in the punchy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. And a phone with one of those SoCs might score somewhere in the ballpark of 9000 points in Geekbench 6. It's also worth noting VR headsets often will not score well in Geekbench 6, likely influenced by the additional overheads of the interface, compared to a plain Android phone. It may still be worth comparing the 2453 points of Project Moohan with the Meta Quest 3, which scores around 1500-1600 points in most test runs. Some listed on Geekbench's database are far higher, though, with scores above 2000 points. The Geekbench listing also suggests Project Moohan runs Android 14, suggesting this is the kernel used in the first version of Android XR. It's behind the latest phones, which run Android 15, while Android 16 was unveiled earlier this month. Android XR is Google's new interface for mixed and augmented reality, the showing off of which is a primary reason for Samsung's Project Moohan to even exist. A handful of journalists and influencers have already had the opportunity to try out the Project Moohan headset first-hand. The Verge's Victoria Song says it's 'much lighter and more comfortable to wear' than the Apple Vision Pro, while noting the experience of actually using it feels quite similar to that of Apple's headset. TechRadar's Jacob Krol says the headset is 'clearly a bit less premium' than Apple Vision Pro, but with that comes significantly reduced weight. He also highlights the tight integration with Google Gemini, which is core component of Android XR. Two important questions remain unanswered. Samsung has not announced when Project Moohan is out beyond that it's planned for 2025 still, or revealed how much it will cost.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Google tries smart glasses again
More than a decade after its Google Glass flopped, Google is developing a new generation of augmented reality glasses designed to merge the physical and digital worlds. Why it matters: Augmented reality glasses are shaping up to be a key interface for AI-powered computing. Meta has invested steadily in the category and Apple and others are ramping up development. Driving the news: At Google I/O, the company offered more details on its prototype Android XR glasses and announced partnerships with Samsung and Warby Parker. Unlike Meta's existing Ray-Ban smart glasses, Google's prototype adds an optional small display to the standard cameras, speakers and microphones. Google also showed off its Gemini AI assistant running on its Project Moohan headset, the Apple Vision Pro rival that Samsung and Google plan to start selling later this year. Google teased a third device, Project Aura, by Chinese hardware maker Xreal, known for glasses that allow users to both see the real world and watch movies and other content on a large virtual display. How it works: Google's XR glasses connect via a nearby smartphone, while Aura glasses tether to a small custom computer powered by a Qualcomm processor. Flashback: Introduced in 2013, the "explorer edition" of Google Glass cost a whopping $1,500 despite its limited function and awkward design, including a small display that was housed in a prominent acrylic block. Those who bought the device were often mocked, with some dubbing wearers as " glassholes." Google has had an on-again, off-again relationship with virtual and augmented reality ever since. It has had a range of products, many short-lived, including its low-end Cardboard and its Daydream family of devices. Between the lines: Reflecting on Google Glass, Sergey Brin said the product was too expensive and too distracting, among other flaws. "I definitely feel like I made a lot of mistakes with Google Glass," Brin said during an on-stage interview at Google I/O, appearing alongside Demis Hassabis. "I just didn't know anything about consumer electronic supply chains." "I am still a big believer in the format, so I'm glad that we have it now." Hassabis said modern AI gives the glasses a purpose. "I feel like that the universal assistant is the killer app for smart glasses and I think that's what's going to make it work," he said, adding that the underlying hardware technology "has also moved on and improved a lot." Zoom in: I got to try both the prototype Android AR glasses and Project Moohan and both felt like a glimpse of the future and solid competitors to the products on the market. The display on the AR glasses is small, but has enough detail to show images, such as a small map with directions. Google's Gemini AI assistant is available at the touch of a button and was able to answer a wide array of questions about paintings and other objects in the demo environment. Project Moohan felt lighter than the Vision Pro and had an impressive field of view. The controls were just as intuitive as the Vision Pro, but with an easier setup. Yes, but: Google's augmented reality glasses aren't coming this year, while Meta is expected to offer a version of its Ray-Bans with a small screen included.
Tom's Guide
22-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I tried out Samsung's Project Moohan headset — Android XR won me over
We've heard a lot about Samsung's Project Moohan in the past six months, from Samsung's teaser announcement last December to appearance at everything from Galaxy Unpacked to MWC 2025. But we're still waiting on key details on the virtual reality headset, including its specs and how much it will cost. After yet another appearance this week at the Google I/O 2025 developer conference, we're just waiting on those details. But having had a chance to wear a Project Moohan headset and even experience running a few apps on the device, I at least have a better sense of what you'll be able to do with Samsung's product once it arrives later this year. My hands-on time with Project Moohan was less about the headset itself — the Samsung representative walking me through my demo was politely tight-lipped about anything spec-related — and more an introduction to the Android XR platform that the headset is built upon. And from what I saw during that demo, Google apps updated for a virtual environment are very much a critical part of the Android XR experience on Moohan. Despite the lack of details on Project Moohan, we do know a little bit about the headset, which is the result of a partnership announced by Samsung, Google and Qualcomm in 2023 to develop an XR product together. According to Qualcomm back when Moohan was announced, the headset features a Snapdragon XR Plus Gen 2 chipset. That particular silicon offers support for up to 4.3K resolution in each eye, running at 90 frames per second. So it wasn't particularly surprising that graphics and apps looked very sharp when I tried on the headset. The passthrough mode does put an unusual tint around the people you're looking at through the Moohan lenses. I assume that's to add some depth to your view, so you don't feel cut off from the world around you the way you might wearing other headsets. Indeed, that's been my biggest complaint with any type of mixed reality headgear, but it's not an issue I ran into when trying on the Moohan headset. While Samsung hasn't confirmed the weight of its headset, it didn't feel particularly heavy during my demo — I certainly wasn't looking forward to removing it, as I am most of the time when trying on headsets. Putting on Moohan is simply a matter of slipping on the headset like a visor and then turning a knob on the back to tighten the fit and hold things in place. You'll definitely feel like you're wearing something over your face, but it's not overly burdensome, at least for the short time that I had it on. When I tried out Moohan, the headset featured light blockers that enclose the viewing area. But you can take those out to keep things open at the periphery — a way of staying rooted in the real world, the Samsung rep told me. And whether it was the light weight, the passthrough mode or just the overall design of the headset, I never experienced the sensation of disorientation that usually makes headsets a non-starter for me. You control Moohan with hand gestures: a pinching motion selected things while flipping around your hand and making the same pinching gesture takes you back to the home screen. There may be more gesture-based controls but apart from using my hands to scroll — more on that when we talk about the virtual view in Maps — those were the only controls I really needed on my tour of Moohan. I've never used Apple's Vision Pro, but I imagine the Project Moohan experience is pretty similar. When you go into virtual mode, you've got panels floating before you with different apps and information. The word "Moohan" apparently means "infinity" in Korean, and it seems like Samsung is using that as a guiding principal for its headset. The virtual world offers a seemingly infinite canvas, so why not take advantage of that with the apps running on Android XR? For the purposes of this demo, Samsung kept the focus on Google-built apps — things like Maps and YouTube that you'd find preinstalled on any Android device. Here, they've been optimized to work on Android XR, though, and the results can be very visually engaging. In YouTube, for instance, I selected a video highlighting the sights and sounds of Costa Rica, which played before my eyes like any 2D video on any platform. But I also had the option of watching a larger version of the video that took advantage of Moohan's display. Some YouTube videos could even display in 3D in the headset, adding a sense of depth to the footage. The effect felt a little bit like watching a 3D movie in a cinema, for good and for bad. For example, some motorcycles driving toward me looked three dimensional right up until they reached the camera, nullifying the 3D effect and reminding me that I was ultimately watching a flat image. That's more a limit of 3D video, though, and not really the headset's problem. In Google's Photos app, you can also view images with depth, wether it was photos of Google and Samsung reps setting up the demo space or a video of a little boy, cuddling his baby brother. The sensation is exactly what I imagine spatial photos and videos to be like on the Vision Pro, which is not to say that they're any less affecting when viewed on another headset like the Moohan. Perhaps my favorite demo featured Google Maps, as I could leap into an immersive view of a map and get a 3D bird's eye view of the area I had been searching for. It took a little to master the controls for scrolling and zooming in on the city scape — you have to use both hands, and I had a hard time controlling the precision of my zoom in the short amount of time I had to experiment with the controls. Nevertheless, I managed to go from a wide overhead view of Mexico City to a zoomed-in view where I could see the Arena Coliseo close-up. Summoning the Gemini assistant — Google's AI-powered assistant is as present on Moohan as it is on the company's own Android XR-based smart glasses — I could get information on Arena Coleseo, including when upcoming lucha libre matches were being held. Even better, when I asked Gemini to show me videos, we returned to the YouTube app with several lucha libre highlights cued up for my viewing pleasure. Project Moohan got a shout-out during the Google I/O keynote, including a reminder that the device will be coming out later this year. And when it does, all those remaining questions about its specs and price should be answered. The price question seems particularly salient, given how similar the experience of Samsung's headset seems to be with the Vision Pro. Apple's headset costs $3,499, clearly a factor in why sales and interest in the headset have petered out in the year its been available. If Samsung can deliver something that's in the ballpark features-wise but for a fraction of the cost, you may see an uptick in the interest in mixed reality devices like this one and the other Android XR-based offerings on the way. But that's not really what I came away from my time with Project Moohan thinking about. Rather I was struck by how well the Google apps running on Android XR had been optimized for the virtual space. It's that experience that's ultimately going to determine just how people react to Samsung's upcoming headset.
Channel Post MEA
21-05-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Google Unveils Android XR Platform and Smart Glasses Powered by Gemini AI
Google has revealed the next phase of its AI evolution with the introduction of Android XR, a platform designed to power a new wave of immersive devices including headsets and smart glasses. Built for the Gemini era, Android XR integrates Google's AI assistant directly into wearable technology, allowing users to interact hands-free with devices that understand their surroundings and respond in real time. Android XR aims to redefine how users interact with technology by offering a perspective-aware AI assistant. With Gemini at its core, the assistant can see and hear through the devices, enabling contextually intelligent responses and proactive help. This innovation promises seamless integration of virtual and real-world experiences, starting with headsets like Samsung's upcoming Project Moohan, which delivers immersive content on an infinite screen. Gemini enhances these experiences by interpreting what the user sees and offering relevant actions. During the Google I/O keynote, the company also showcased Android XR smart glasses. Equipped with cameras, microphones, and speakers, the glasses sync with a user's phone to provide access to apps and real-time information. An optional in-lens display delivers private updates and notifications. Demonstrations included live messaging, photo capture, appointment scheduling, and live language translation—effectively turning real-world conversations into subtitled experiences. To make smart glasses more appealing for daily wear, Google announced collaborations with fashion-forward eyewear brands like Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with more partners like Kering Eyewear expected in the future. In parallel, Google is expanding its partnership with Samsung to create a full-stack platform for Android XR glasses, including software and reference hardware. Developers will be able to start building for this ecosystem later this year, as Google pushes the boundaries of contextual AI and wearable technology. 0 0
GSM Arena
21-05-2025
- GSM Arena
Google reveals when Samsung's Project Moohan Android XR headset will be available
Samsung announced its first Android XR headset, Project Moohan, last December. It was then showcased at the Galaxy Unpacked event in January by the Korean brand without providing any definite timeframe for its launch. We still don't have its launch date, but Google has revealed that Project Moohan will be available for purchase later this year. This revelation came from the Mountain View-based internet search giant yesterday during its Google I/O 2025 keynote. Google also said that Samsung's Project Moohan - which might not be its actual name - will be the first Android XR device and it will have "Gemini by your side." Additionally, Google said that Android XR was built together as one team with Samsung and optimized for Snapdragon with Qualcomm, and there are hundreds of developers building for this platform since the release of its developer preview last year. Neither Samsung nor Google has divulged much about Project Moohan, but we know it will be powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip. Source
