Qualcomm announces new chip to power Samsung and Google's competitor to Apple Vision Pro headset

Qualcomm on Thursday announced a new chip that will be used by Samsung and Google for mixed reality devices that are likely to compete with Apple's Vision Pro headset.

Qualcomm, Samsung and Google announced a partnership last year to work on mixed-reality devices. Mixed reality allows you to overlay digital content over the real world using a headset. The latest chip, which runs on Android, suggests the companies will choose to release a more affordable headset than Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro, which is due to launch early this year. Apple's headset runs on its M2 processor that powers some Macs.

The new Qualcomm chip, known as the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, is a step up from the older Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 used in the $499.99 Meta Quest 3, with support for sharper screens and improved graphics.

"Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 unlocks 4.3K resolution which will take XR productivity and entertainment to the next level by bringing spectacularly clear visuals to use cases such as room-scale screens, life-size overlays and virtual desktops," said Hugo Swart, vice president and general manager of extended reality at Qualcomm.

It's still unclear when new products from Samsung and Google will launch.