Google has unveiled Android XR, an operating system for computers and smart glasses powered by Google’s Gemini AI large language model. Samsung confirmed that it will release an extended reality headset that runs on Android XR sometime in 2025. Samsung worked closely with Google and Gemini throughout 2023, leading up to the Galaxy S24 series of smartphones that debuted at CES 2024 last January. Google announced the release of the Android XR SDK Developer Preview kit so new apps can be built and existing ones ported over to the new platform to support Samsung’s new headset and other devices.

“Android XR will first launch on headsets that transform how you watch, work and explore. The first device, code named Project Moohan and built by Samsung, will be available for purchase next year,” Android XR GM and VP Shahram Izadi wrote in a blog post.

Izadi says Android XR was “created in collaboration with Samsung,” and Tom’s Guide reports that “Qualcomm confirmed that the headset will run on Snapdragon XR Plus Gen 2 silicon, which offers support for up to 4.3K resolution in each eye, running at 90 frames per second.”

The chip is expected to boost CPU and GPU performance “by 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, when compared to the Snapdragon XR Gen 2 chip that powers the Meta Quest 3,” Tom’s adds.

Earlier this year, Tom’s Guide wrote that “Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip will fight Apple Vision Pro — and Samsung and Google are on board.” Of Android XR, Tom’s more recently notes that “the platform is built on the foundations of Android to promote spatialized versions of apps that take advantage of virtual spaces.”

Android XR “will span a range of devices — such as virtual reality headsets and mixed reality glasses,” reports Engadget, calling the platform “evidently Alphabet’s latest attempt to compete with the likes of Meta and Apple on the extended reality front.”

A video posted by Google for Android developers suggests Android XR is taking video beyond the “rectangular box” phase. YouTube and Google TV are being reimagined for XR, according to Izadi’s blog post.

“With headsets, you can effortlessly switch between being fully immersed in a virtual environment and staying present in the real world,” he wrote. “You can fill the space around you with apps and content, and with Gemini, our AI assistant, you can even have conversations about what you’re seeing or control your device.”