Snapdragon chip for Samsung XR headset to be revealed early next year

Launch time frame of Qualcomm's next XR chip lines up with the launch of Galaxy S24

Speaking to ETNews, Qualcomm's GM & VP of XR Hugo Swart revealed that the company plans to launch its next XR chip in the first quarter of 2024. It means we will see the announcement of the chipset before the end of March 2024. Qualcomm has confirmed the launch time frame with UploadVR. That will line up with the launch of the Galaxy S24 series, and it is possible that the chip could be unveiled around the announcement of the Galaxy S24. It is also possible that Samsung might unveil its mixed-reality headset during the launch of the Galaxy S24 series.

A few weeks ago, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, which is used in the Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset. The Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 launched two years after the launch of the Snapdragon XR2, and Qualcomm launching another flagship XR chip just six months after the launch of the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 somehow doesn't sit right. It is possible that Qualcomm might launch a completely new lineup of high-end XR chips.

Several reports from South Korea claim that Qualcomm's upcoming XR chip will be used in Samsung's first mixed-reality headset. It is also rumored that LG is also in talks with Qualcomm for its own mixed-reality headset. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses ARM's modified CPU cores, the Snapdragon X Elite uses completely custom Oryon cores developed by Nuvia, which Qualcomm acquired two years ago. That new CPU core might be used in Qualcomm's next XR chip.

It is rumored that LG and Samsung might launch high-end mixed-reality headsets with Qualcomm chips. Those headsets are rumored to be priced around the $2,000 mark.