Android XR has 5 confirmed hardware partners so far, and I hope these 3 manufacturers will follow suit

As we saw in Apple’s case, the new hardware design that will deliver the Android XR experience to users is equally important as the software development, if not more. Uncomfortable or unwieldy gear can be more of a bother than an asset when the novelty wears off. So, Google is partnering with several big consumer tech brands that specialize in the tangible. Here’s a look at every hardware partner Google confirmed will be making headsets, along with a few brands that we hope will make cool wearables.

What is Android XR?

Android XR was unveiled at a developer-only event early in December 2024, giving interested indie creators and corporations a head-start on the ins and outs of the OS. Apple’s Vision Pro borrowed several apps from iPadOS and added the element of spatial depth to them, with support for gesture detection as user input. Keeping OS-exclusive apps to a minimum seems rudimentary, but Google is going down the same road with a handful of XR specials while several current Android apps are ported over to XR.

The approach could ensure an expansive app library at launch, but it softens the blow if Google’s project doesn’t take off. At the launch event, company executives enthusiastically announced how codebases and SDKs are shared between Android for handheld screens and Android XR for headsets. To keep these running smoothly on the hardware side, Qualcomm will prove to be a key partner.

Qualcomm’s XR2+ Silicon

Setting standards for the future

Qualcomm is one of the two biggest makers of SoCs for smartphones, alongside MediaTek. The company has a line of chips dedicated to AR, VR, and now, mixed reality. The base model is the Snapdragon AR1 platform with support for content capture, livestreaming, on-device AI, and notifications. This newer AR2 platform is better, and details are scarce, but this is meant for more compact AR glasses.

Google is more interested in the Snapdragon XR2 and XR2+ platforms built for mixed and virtual reality. The former powers the Meta Quest 3 headset, and Google’s on-stage presentation confirmed its flagship project with Samsung, codenamed Project Moohan, will use the more powerful Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. A cursory glance at Qualcomm documentation for this SoC reveals specs that are more elaborate than the other chips.

For instance, the company claims it can process input from 12 or more cameras concurrently and display the output on dual 4.3K displays at 90fps for each eye or 3.7K per eye at 120fps. The image signal processor on board boasts a short 12ms latency for video passthrough so that the headset wearer can see their surroundings in near real-time. XR2+ Gen 2 can also support on-device AI algorithms for head tracking, eye tracking, and controllers.

Powerful on-device capabilities reduce or eliminate the need for a companion device that typically handles data processing. It also reduces the bandwidth impact on connectivity tech, such as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. We are confident Qualcomm silicon will power several mixed reality headsets this year and set the benchmark for performance standards expected of rivals like MediaTek and others. For now, we eagerly anticipate Samsung’s headset debut with Project Moohan.

Samsung’s project Moohan

Samsung’s first and Google’s flagship

At its XR launch event, Google wooed app developers with a hardware demo, suggesting that headsets will soon be available on store shelves. The company did this the same way it launched Circle to Search on smartphones, a Samsung collaboration. As Mishaal Rahman told us on launch day, Moohan is a VR headset purpose-built around Android XR in collaboration with Qualcomm for silicon. Details remain scarce, but we should learn more at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, where rumors suggest we might see AR glasses.

Moohan is Korean for “infinity,” and Samsung’s closeness with the other tech titans for this project could give it a strong competitive edge when the headset market gathers momentum. Past reports pointed to a March 2025 launch for the Moohan headset, but it might be pushed back, given that we haven’t heard much about it through the grapevine. The Apple Vision Pro headset will likely be expensive, typical of first-generation hardware. Nonetheless, expect performance to outdo the Meta Quest 3 by a landslide margin and a proper Android XR software experience, even if some apps aren’t polished.

Other known hardware partners and some wishful thoughts

More collaborations on the horizon

While Google showed us a headset on stage in December, and the presenting executives spoke extensively about the Qualcomm partnership, Google name-dropped other well-known brands in the headset and smart glasses industry. These include Sony, Lynx, and XReal.

Sony is no surprise, considering its display tech is used on the Apple Vision Pro, and the company is working on micro-OLED displays, which are considered the benchmark for current-gen headsets. With its display fabrication tech prowess and proficiency in developing products across several categories, foraying into headsets with Android XR should be a walk in the park.

Earlier this month at CES in Las Vegas, Sony unveiled a VR headset called XYN and a companion app for PCs called XYN Motion Studio. ZDNet reports this headset is more dev-centric, promising to make motion capture, body tracking, and character animations more realistic. Sony Pictures Animation is working on an experimental proof-of-concept using a prototype XYN headset. Other sources say Sony’s SRH-S1 mixed reality headset will be the first with Android XR.

Sony XYN with companion software

As for Lynx, the brand has been working on a mixed reality headset called the R1 for a long time. The standard edition costs $850 while the Enterprise Edition is $1,300, and a commercial launch is anticipated, given that the pre-order window has closed. Meanwhile, the company’s CEO told RoadToVR the Lynx R1 won’t use Android XR, but subsequent models will. Although the company will reap the benefits of a developed app ecosystem that XR offers, it may not be anytime soon.

Lastly, XReal is primarily focused on smart glasses, and it isn’t clear when the company will use Android XR, but it is unlikely the current product line will switch software ecosystems. More information about an upcoming hardware release that could use XR remains a mystery.

XReal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses

While these brands are making their partnership with Google known, we would love to see Meta pick Android XR as the way forward since the Quest series of headsets is well-established as a market leader and potential customers may warm up to the idea of just the software changing quicker than they would to an all-new product. Meta also partnered with PC hardware brands Asus and Lenovo, who make smart glasses comparable to XReal. Such ties could help Meta fast-track an XR version of products like the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Another brand we hope will enter the fray is the South Korean consumer electronics maker LG. The brand is a major OEM supplier of display panels for smart TVs. With that expertise and prior experience working with Android for its now-shuttered smartphone business, it’s easy to see how LG could be successful with a mixed reality headset. Even a conservative start with a basic headset would be welcome.

The future holds possibilities

Astra revived our interest

The announcements about Google’s plans to create a mixed reality product have sat along the fringes of consumer tech news for the past few years. After a disappointing abandonment of the Google Glass project, we rekindled hopes last year when the company showed off Project Astra for Gemini. The AI assistant was used on stage to enable interaction with Android XR. With the above-mentioned hardware brands prepping products around the new OS, the next few years will be exciting for headset and smart glasses buyers.