What is the Apple Vision Pro rival like?

We like:

• Lighter than others
• Comfortable to wear
• Great display quality
• Clever software features

We don’t like:

• It’s not in the UK yet
• It’s likely to be quite expensive
• The use cases are still slim

What is the Samsung Galaxy XR?

It’s fair to say headsets are far more niche than phones when it comes to the technology people use daily. Most of us have a smartphone and many of us will also have a laptop, perhaps even a tablet too, but headsets like the Samsung Galaxy XR, Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 appeal to fewer of us.

That’s partly because they can be expensive: Apple’s Vision Pro starts at £3,199, while Samsung’s Galaxy XR will set you back $1,799 if you’re in the US (it’s not available in the UK yet). There’s also an argument to say that there aren’t enough use cases to warrant the cost of them, either. That’s not to say the technology inside them isn’t impressive, though.

Samsung released the Galaxy XR back in October last year but the mixed reality headset recently had a software update that added a couple of new features, including Google Maps (more exciting than it sounds) and a travel mode. I tried a couple of these out for the first time during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), along with a new use case that saw me accidentally pull out a tooth while learning how to intubate someone. Thankfully all virtual so no humans were injured in the research for this story.

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What is a first look?

At Telegraph Recommended, our experts are often invited to preview a product before launch. We are given a limited early hands-on time with the device, publishing our initial impressions ahead of our in-depth testing and review verdict.

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When I tested Apple Vision Pro, I used it for several weeks and asked friends and family to try it out too. I was interested in seeing how easy people of different ages and different abilities found it to use. During my review period, I used the headset for everything from meditation and video calls, to watching films and working.

For the Samsung Galaxy XR, I wasn’t able to test out many of those elements during my short amount of hands-on time with it. Everything you will read below is therefore based on my first impressions, such as how comfortable it was to wear, how impressive the displays were, and how responsive it was in terms of hand tracking and eye tracking.

This article will be updated to a full review if the Samsung Galaxy XR headset makes it to the UK and I get the opportunity to use it for an extended period of time. For now, this is what I thought about Samsung’s headset to rival Apple’s Vision Pro.