Samsung’s long-awaited “Project Moohan” headset finally arrived earlier this week. The virtual reality headset dropped the codename and is now officially known as the Samsung Galaxy XR.

If you’re in the market for a VR headset, you might have noticed that it’s starting to get pretty crowded now. Meta Quest 3 has so far managed to dominate the space and is the toughest competitor to beat, thanks to a somewhat reasonable price tag. However, the Apple Vision Pro has carved out its own mixed-reality niche, despite the AR/VR headset’s well-documented struggles.

Now, there’s a new option: The Samsung Galaxy XR. How does it stack up? Mashable already pitted it against Meta’s headset. Now, let’s look at how Samsung’s new VR headset compares to the Apple Vision Pro specifications, pricing, and feature set.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Price

Samsung Galaxy XR looked like the premium option when stacked up against the $499 starting price of the Meta Quest 3. Coming in at $1,799.99, the Samsung Galaxy XR is certainly not cheap.

However, when compared to the Apple Vision Pro, the Samsung Galaxy XR swaps positions and looks like the budget option. The Apple Vision Pro starts at a whopping $3,499, making it nearly double the price of the Samsung Galaxy XR.

Again, neither are cheap. The Meta Quest 3’s price point makes it much more accessible to most consumers, though its specs pale in comparison to the Galaxy XR and Vision Pro. However, the Samsung Galaxy XR fits in pretty neatly right between the massive price gap that exists between Meta’s headset and Apple’s headset.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Specs

Both the Vnew M5 Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR are premium products, but Samsung wins out in some key ways. It actually has superior displays, with 4,032 pixels per inch, compared to Apple’s 3,386 PPI. On top of that, Samsung’s headset is lighter.

Of course, the Vision Pro has something else — that signature Apple design and the visionOS interface.

Here are the basic specs for the Samsung Galaxy XR: 

• Two 4K micro-OLED displays with 3552×3840 resolution per eye, 29 million pixels, and up to 90Hz refresh rate 

• Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset 

• 109-degree horizontal, 100-degree vertical field of view 

• Eye tracking and iris recognition included 

• 256GB storage 

• 16GB RAM 

• 545g weight

Apple just released the latest version of the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip. Here are the specs for its basic model:

• Dual Micro-OLED displays with 23 million pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate

• M5 chip (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) and the R1 chip for low latency

• Stereoscopic 3D main camera system with multiple world-facing and eye-tracking cameras

• 256GB storage

• 16GB RAM

• 600g weight

Breaking this down a bit further, display-wise the Apple Vision Pro has the better refresh rate but the Samsung Galaxy XR provides a clearer picture with more pixels.

Operating systems will also come into play here when comparing the two. The Samsung Galaxy XR is the first headset to utilize Google’s Android XR operating system. If you’re an Android user already, that familiarity may be a welcome addition to a VR headset. However, the Android XR won’t be unique to the Samsung Galaxy XR. Other headset manufacturers will also use Google’s new operating system. On the flip side, much like Apple’s other products and their respective operating systems, the Apple Vision Pro’s visionOS will only be found on Apple’s headset.

But, perhaps the most distinctive spec comes to what’s powering the devices. While the Samsung Galaxy XR’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset is very powerful, it is made for mobile. When it comes to the Apple Vision Pro, regardless of whether you have the M2 version or the more powerful M5, you’re still using a headset with a chipset made for Apple’s Mac computers. Either the M2 or M5 will provide significantly more processing power to the Apple Vision Pro than what the Galaxy XR’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 can.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Controls

The Galaxy XR controllers.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Both the Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR use a tracking system built into the headset that tracks both the user’s eyes and hands. This allows the user to control the device without the need for a controller, which is often required for other headsets such as the Meta Quest 3.

However, the Samsung Galaxy XR also has a dual controller option, which the Apple Vision Pro lacks. This might be preferable for gamers who are used to utilizing controllers.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Battery

Neither Apple nor Samsung has managed to figure out something new and revolutionary with what to do about a VR headset’s battery pack.

Both offer a battery that’s separate from the headset itself. This is likely due to how uncomfortable it would be to wear either company’s headset for significant periods of time with the battery adding extra weight. So, both the Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro require users to lug the extra equipment around.

Battery life for both devices is also quite similar. Samsung says that the Galaxy XR headset can be used for up to 2 hours of general use. As much as an extra 30 minutes can be added to the battery life if the device is just used for video playback. The Apple Vision Pro with the M2 chip also has a battery that can support up to 2 hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback.

However, there is a small difference with the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip. The latest version of the Vision Pro extends battery life so that it supports up to 2.5 hours of general use and up to 3 hours of video playback.