What you need to know
- A new report claims Samsung is looking ahead to the second half of 2025 to get its XR business moving with its AR glasses.
- Sources suggest Samsung will produce ~20,000 AR glasses for a (potential) Q3 2025 launch before looking to Q4 for another ~30,000.
- A recent patent listing showcased a brief outline of Samsung's planned AR glasses and additional details for its XR headset.
Rumors from South Korea have surfaced about Samsung's apparent 2025 plans for its XR venture.
Murmurings of Samsung's plans stem from Sedaily (Korean), claiming the company will enter "mass production" of an XR product in the "second half" of 2025 (via SamMobile). The publication cites "industry sources" in saying that Samsung views its XR business as something that will "follow" its smartphones in terms of revenue. Moreover, rumors claim that this product could be Samsung's AR glasses.
As such, rumors allege that the OEM is looking into beginning mass production of its XR device by Q3 2025 — potentially signaling a Q3 launch, as well. This start will supposedly involve the generation of roughly 20,000 devices. What's more, this number could rise; however, the publication's sources claim this is dependent on the AR glasses' market influence.
If all goes well, Samsung is rumored to prepare another ~30,000 AR glasses by Q4 2025 for the holidays. This puts the company at ~50,000 devices by the second half of next year, but certain variables could adversely or positively affect this prediction.
Elsewhere, sources state that Samsung is preparing to showcase a "sample" of its upcoming XR launch during Unpacked 2025 in January.
The last bit of that South Korean report is interesting, considering it doubles down on a previous report on Samsung's glasses. Last week, rumors claimed that we might have a special preview of the company's augmented reality (AR) smart glasses during its next Unpacked event. Details aren't set in stone; however, there's a chance this preview could be a "short video or an image reveal."
The latest report claims that a "sample" of the device may be showcased during the event. Perhaps there's a chance we'll see a live demo on stage or some sort of live, hands-on demo with it. Samsung is expected to host this Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2025, where we will also see the Galaxy S25's debut.
Rumors of a pair of AR glasses have been few and far between as, aside from these recent reports, the only other arrived late in 2023. The glasses reportedly surfaced at the Intellectual Property Office in the U.K. under the Virtual reality headsets and Augmented reality headsets categories. Curiously, rumors back then suggested a similar number of mass-produced glasses (~30,000 to start) in 2024 — though that clearly didn't happen.
These glasses also appeared in a WIPO patent database listing alongside Samsung's XR headset. The design was a brief outline, which likely detailed several components for functionality. Samsung's patent detailed the device as "AR glasses and/or a head-mounted device."
