We’ve been eagerly awaiting some genuine news about Samsung’s impending XR headset for months now – ever since the company announced its partnership with Google and Qualcomm. Finally, we have some genuine insights to share about “Project Moohan”.
The “Moohan” (Infinity in Japanese) headset is still definitely in its early stages, but Samsung has already allowed a handful of journalists to test out a prototype. That means we already know a lot about the design, components, and even the features this headset is likely to have.
Plus, we now know that the system is going to be powered by Google’s brand-new Android XR platform – in fact, it’s the first MR headset designed with Android XR.
So, is Moohan ready to compete with the likes of the Meta Quest 3, or even leave the Apple Vision Pro in the dust? Here’s everything we know so far.
What is Project Moohan? An Introduction
Announced in December 2024, at the same time Google introduced its revolutionary Android XR platform, project Moohan is a mixed reality headset, designed by Samsung. The culmination of Samsung’s partnership with Google and Qualcomm, this headset combines a state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, with a sleek (Vision Pro-style) design, and Android operating system.
As the first headset designed for Android XR, Project Moohan has a lot of work to do. It doesn’t just need to prove that Samsung has skin in the extended reality game. It needs to show developers and customers alike that Android XR, and cutting-edge AI, has the potential to transform the industry.
So far, Samsung still hasn’t released any official “documentation” about the headset. We know it’s going to support multi-modal input, passthrough capabilities, and Gemini AI. However, Samsung hasn’t revealed any specific specs, like the weight, price, or the imaging tech. From an imaging perspective, we only know the headset is “high resolution” (more on that in a moment).
The Moohan Specs: A Cautious Insight
Notably, although Samsung hasn’t released technical specifications, as we mentioned above, it has shared a prototype of the headset with a handful of journalists. So based on their insights, we can make some observations. Just keep in mind that some of the features might change before this headset is fully “released”. Here are the spec details we know so far:
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon (Likely the XR2+ Gen 2 chip)
- Lenses: Pancake (although potentially not as good as the Quest 3 or Vision Pro lenses)
- Tracking: Hand tracking (for interactivity), eye tracking, and foveated rendering.
- Battery: Wired external battery (similar to the Vision Pro)
- Controllers: Included, but not essential
- Operating system: Android XR with Google Gemini
- App support: Play Store support
Project Moohan: Design and Comfort
Again, we haven’t had an opportunity to test this headset for ourselves, but we have seen it and spoken to a few early testers about their experience. At a glance, the Samsung headset looks similar to a mix between the Meta Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro.
It’s reasonably bulky and plasticky, but it’s definitely lightweight, thanks to the use of an external battery – although that does mean you have an extra wire to contend with.
There’s an optional light seal available (to further block out the world around you), and a soft forehead pad for additional comfort. Notably, while the Vision Pro has a soft strap, Project Moohan (currently) has a rigid strap with a tightening dial for personal adjustments. This might actually be a better option if you’re looking for more “stability” in your headset.
There’s a goggle-style front section, covered in glass, but Samsung doesn’t appear to be replicating the “EyeSight” feature on the Vision Pro with this device (which is a good thing). You also get automatic IPD adjustment, thanks to integrated eye-tracking. However, people in need of prescription lenses will still be able to access inserts that stick to the inside of the pancake lenses.
Beyond that, we can’t say for certain how comfortable this headset will be to wear for long periods – but the lightweight nature should be a positive thing for XR enthusiasts.
Controller Systems and Tracking
As mentioned above, the Project Moohan headset will support controllers – but Samsung didn’t share a set of these with any of the beta testers. We don’t know what they’ll be like – but hopefully they’re sleek and ergonomic – like the Meta Quest 3 controllers.
Really though, the default way to interact with content through the headset is likely to be using hand and eye-tracking. You can use your hands similarly to how you would with the Vision Pro. Users can control a cursor with their finger, and “pinch” their fingers together to select an app. You can also use gestures to zoom in or out, scroll, and so on.
With eye tracking, you can “gaze” at an icon and make the pinch gesture to select it – without having to raise your arm – which is a nice touch. Of course, with six degrees of freedom, you can also move around a room in a virtual environment, and you can set up a virtual “guardian” to protect you.
What really makes the control system stand out, aside from the downward facing cameras (so you don’t have to move your arms as much) is how sharp your hands look in pass-through. According to early testers, there’s a lot less motion blur and pixelation than you’d get on other headsets.
Project Moohan: The Display Quality
The Project Moohan headset will feature pancake lenses, similar to those on the Meta Quest 3 and Vision Pro. We already know from experience that these lenses generate sharp images. However, some early testers say the lenses aren’t as good as those on other devices.
We don’t know the exact resolution the display will have, but testers say the image quality is great – although things do get a little messy in mixed reality pass-through mode, which is pretty common. Like many premium headsets, Project Moohan also uses foveated rendering, which is excellent for ensuring your visual experience remains “consistent” as you move around.
From what we can see from early tests, however, the field of view of the Project Moohan headset may be a little smaller than what you’d get on something like the Vision Pro. The “sweet spot” also seems a little smaller, due to a reduction in brightness on the outer edges of the display.
However, testers say that the experience is still deeply immersive, and you might find that calibrating your headset a little better (with the IPD adjustments), helps to eliminate these problems.
The Software and App Options
We know that the Project Moohan headset is running on Android XR, which means you immediately get access to a huge range of apps from the Google Play store. Additionally, the headset should boast a selection of unique apps at launch – but we’re not sure what those will be.
Ultimately, if Samsung wants to compete with the likes of Meta with its huge Horizon ecosystem, it’s going to need to go beyond simply “porting” existing Android apps into XR. Apple discovered that strategy doesn’t pan out when it launched the Vision Pro too.
The good news is that Google has already released Android XR SDK kits for developers, and Moohan has its own SDK. This means if Google and Samsung can attract the attention of developers, they have a good opportunity to get a head start on proprietary app creation.
In the meantime, the apps that were available for beta testers worked relatively well. Users can easily open up various Google apps, resize them, and place them around the room. The text is sharp on apps like Google Chrome, and 3D models pulled from Google Search look fantastic. You can even use Google Photos to convert images from 2D into 3D – regardless of which camera you captured the image with initially.
The YouTube app also offers a fantastic immersive experience, allowing users to essentially “step into” the videos they’re watching. Plus, it seems like you can work in a mixed reality environment with Project Moohan too. For instance, you can load up Google Docs, and start entering content with a connected Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Plus, you can place yourself in an immersive environment (and block out the world around you) if you need help focusing.
The Biggest Selling Point: Gemini in XR
Though Samsung may surprise us with some amazing feature announcements in the months ahead, what really makes Project Moohan stand out right now is its AI capabilities. Google (and Samsung apparently), believe artificial intelligence is the key to incredible XR experiences.
With Android XR, Project Moohan gets access to an incredible multimodal assistant. Sure, the Vision Pro has Siri – but Siri can only hear users, and focus on one task at a time. The Meta Quest has Meta AI, with more multimodal capabilities (it can see what you’re doing), but it’s not perfect.
Gemini in Project Moohan promises a much more intuitive AI experience. The AI assistant can see what you’re seeing in both real and virtual worlds in real-time. It also has a memory, which means it can recall details of past conversations, for a more consistent experience.
All users need to do to access Gemini is tap on the side of their headset, and toggle Gemini on or off. In see-through mode, you can then walk up to an object and ask Gemini about it. For instance, you could look at a record or CD, and ask Gemini to tell you the band’s top hits.
Gemini can also answer questions with visual results. As an example, you can ask it to take you to Italy, and it will open a 3D version of Google Maps, where you can explore with streets. Google even says it can use AI to stitch together images of a venue’s interior for you to step into.
There’s also the handy “Circle to Search” function too. Just walk up to an object, press the button on the top of the headset, and pinch to draw a circle around the thing you want to search for.
The Outlook for Project Moohan
Even with all the information we now have, there’s still a lot up in the air for Project Moohan. Google and Samsung believe that the rise of AI has shifted XR into a new era, unlocking new ways for people to interact with the world around them, and the content they love. Clearly, they believe the intuitive AI experience is going to make the Moohan headset one to be reckoned with.
However, while enabling natural spatial experiences with AI is definitely going to be useful, we think Samsung will have to do more than this to really get ahead. Tapping into the flexibility of Android XR is a good start, as it should ensure that Samsung’s headset has a lot of valuable (user-friendly) apps to offer when it launches.
Plus, based on what we know about the design and features, it seems like Project Moohan is going to be a relatively impressive high-end headset. It might not compete with the Vision Pro in terms of overall visual quality and functionality – but it does offer a lot of the same features. Plus, we’re hoping that this headset is going to be a lot cheaper than the Vision Pro too.
With a little luck, Samsung’s Project Moohan headset will demonstrate not just Samsung’s potential in the XR arena, but the benefits of a new platform like Android XR. We already think that Google’s XR platform is going to reshape the market in the years ahead, enabling more competitors to enter the space and give users more variety. Hopefully, Samsung will prove that there’s a lot of opportunity in this space, and pave the way for a new generation of XR devices.
