Comparison: Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro

A Samsung announced the Galaxy XR at the beginning of the third week of October 2025 and finally there is a contender for the apple vision pro. The mixed reality glasses of Samsung are being sold at half the price compared to the option of Apple , in addition to having a large ecosystem of apps ready to be adapted. In this comparison, we'll tell you the details of each and which one has the best chance of success.

Design

Aesthetically, the headsets are quite similar: both have a design reminiscent of older VR headsets, but with a more premium feel. The difference in weight begins to put each one in its place: Galaxy XR arrives with 545 grams, while the lighter version of apple vision pro weighs between 600 and 650 grams. And it is worth remembering that Apple Vision Pro 2025 is even heavier, reaching 750 to 800 grams.

journalists from Engadget e CNET who were able to test the product mentioned that the option of Samsung It's more comfortable than Apple's: that's because the rear headrest cushion is larger, which helps distribute weight more evenly.

We remember that one of the main criticisms of apple vision pro is that it was too heavy to use long term, although sooner or later you will end up getting tired of using both companies' mixed reality headsets.

O apple vision pro has extra support at the top of the head, something that is not available in Galaxy XR. To compensate for this, the Samsung placed a head adjustment strap at the back, which allows changing via a button, making the experience more comfortable.

Both models have a button to lock or unlock what is around the user, which puts the design of the apple vision pro as the basis for the development of Galaxy XR, but with some improvements in weight and ergonomics for the user.

And, it's worth mentioning that the Galaxy XR has controls (sold separately) for navigating the system, which saves you from relying solely on gestures. The Apple Vision Pro only supports gestures, without native controls sold separately, even though it costs twice as much.

Na Vision OS 26 official page, the controls of the PS VR2 Sense are expected to work with the device, but a date for this to happen has not yet been announced, still listed as “soon”.

Fabric

Both headsets use technology Micro OLED on their internal screens, ensuring vivid colors, perfect blacks, and deep contrast, ideal for immersion. However, the Samsung Galaxy S8 It has a slight edge in sharpness, with a higher total pixel count per eye (3.552 x 3.840 vs. 3.662 x 3.200 for Apple Vision Pro), which translates into sharper details and clearer text for productivity tasks. Both deliver 4K images, but with a slight difference in resolution, which is more technical than practical.

When we transform these pixels into virtual monitors, both models aim to offer a personal cinema. Galaxy XR sells itself on the promise of projecting a screen of up to 115 inches, an impressive fixed size for movies and games.

O VisionPro takes a more flexible and powerful approach, especially for work: it allows users to create a Mac Ultrawide Virtual Monitor (32:9 aspect ratio), which is equivalent to having two 5K monitors side by side, curved around you. This Vision Pro virtual screen is perceived as significantly larger than the Galaxy XR, and can be resized by the user, offering a workspace of virtually unlimited scale.

O apple vision pro (with M5 processor) compensates for the small loss of resolution in terms of fluidity: it reaches a 120Hz refresh rate, compared to the maximum of 90Hz of the Galaxy XRThis higher speed is crucial for gaming and for making viewing the real world through cameras (the “passthrough”) smoother and more comfortable, in addition to being the only one to support the premium Dolby Vision video format.

Finally, the external displays (which are visible to the world) also differ. Apple Vision Pro includes the feature EyeSight, a curved lenticular screen on the front of the headset that displays the user's eyes when they are not fully immersed, allowing people nearby to know whether the user is paying attention to the environment or an application. The EyeSight It's not available on the Galaxy XR, but it shouldn't be completely missed in your everyday life.

Audio

When it comes to sound, both the apple vision pro as much as Samsung Galaxy S8 aim to “trick” your brain into making audio sound like it’s coming from a specific location in space, not just from your headphones. This technology is called Space Audio.

O VisionPro does this extremely cleverly, using what appear to be small, open-top speakers (called “dual-driver audio pods”) that sit close to your ears. Apple’s trick is dynamic head tracking: If a virtual object makes a noise, and you turn your head, the sound remains in the same virtual space, as if you were in a theater. It also has six microphones to capture your voice.

O Samsung Galaxy S8 also uses Spatial Audio, but takes a slightly different approach to sound quality. It uses 2-way speakers, which are like small sound systems with a “woofer” (for deep bass, like in a movie explosion) and a “tweeter” (for clear highs, like someone’s voice).

This suggests Samsung can deliver a richer, fuller audio experience, with fuller sound for music and movies. Like its competitor, the Galaxy XR also comes with a six-microphone array to ensure clear voice commands and calls.

In short, both ensure that the sound follows the rules of mixed reality. VisionPro focuses on being a maestro of precision and tracking, keeping virtual sound firmly “anchored” in space, which is crucial for immersion. Galaxy XR seeks to deliver a more traditionally superior and more powerful audio quality through its two-way speaker system.

The choice will depend on whether you value the fidelity of sound positioning in the room (Vision Pro) or a more robust sound quality for media (Galaxy XR).

Processor

In terms of processors, the difference between the two headsets lies in how they divide the work. Apple Vision Pro (M5) uses an approach of two chips powerful. The main chip is the Apple M5, which is the brain of the system, responsible for running the operating system (visionOS), executing heavy applications and creating detailed 3D graphics.

To ensure that everything is very fast, there is a second chip, the Apple R1, which acts as a super-fast assistant whose sole function is to process all the information from the headset's cameras and sensors. This separation ensures that the real world seen through the headset appears on your screens in just 12 milliseconds, which is crucial for avoiding lag and motion sickness.

O Samsung Galaxy S8, on the other hand, uses a more integrated solution with the chip Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2This is a state-of-the-art processor, made specifically for Extended Reality (XR) headsets, and it has to do all the work itself: be the brain, manage the graphics, and process the sensors.

While this chip is extremely powerful and the leader in the Android XR world, it balances all of these tasks in a single component, which is cost- and power-efficient. The main advantage here is its complete integration with Google Gemini, allowing Artificial Intelligence to handle what you're seeing in real time.

In short, Apple invests in maximum power of the M5 and in the two-chip architecture to ensure the lowest possible latency and 120Hz fluidity, reflecting a higher-priced headset. The Galaxy XR offers a single, cutting-edge chip that delivers a high-quality, immersive experience at a significantly lower cost. The difference, then, is that the Vision Pro strives for excellence in power and zero response time, while the Galaxy XR offers a strong and affordable balance.

Standard

Both apple vision pro as much as Samsung Galaxy S8 They have a large number of external cameras to map the room and track your hand movements, as well as internal cameras to track your eye movements. This ensures you can control the system by looking at it and using hand gestures.

The main technological difference is in how they measure depth of the environment. The apple vision pro uses a technology called LiDAR scanner (similar to the laser used in self-driving cars) and a TrueDepth CameraLiDAR is excellent for creating an ultra-fast and accurate 3D map of your room, which makes virtual objects look incredibly real and shadows fall in the right place. It's this precision that helps blend the real and the virtual more convincingly.

O Samsung Galaxy S8 also includes a Depth Sensor to map the environment, as well as another tracking unit for internal movements. Although it fulfills the mapping and tracking function, the inclusion of the LiDAR in Vision Pro, it's seen as a technical advantage in terms of speed and depth perception detail. For security, both use your iris as a password (Optic ID on Apple and Iris Recognition on Samsung).

Cameras

Both headsets have a total of 12 cameras dedicated to vision and tracking (2 main + 6 external + 4 ocular).

Both apple vision pro as much as Samsung Galaxy S8 have a “6.5 MP 3D Camera System” that is specifically designed to capture Space Photos and VideosThis means that when you wear the glasses and see something interesting, you can use a gesture or voice command to take a photo or record a video that will have a real sense of depth. When you view that media again in the headset, it will appear three-dimensional and immersive.

The main difference in the cameras isn't in capturing spatial photos and videos, but rather in how they feed the sensors (just described). The camera system of apple vision pro includes cameras that work specifically with the LiDAR Scanner and the TrueDepth Camera (depth technology from Apple ). These cameras focus on transmitting the external environment to your eyes with the lowest possible latency, creating a clear “passthrough.”

Already Samsung Galaxy S8 uses its cameras to power its own Depth Sensor, focusing on delivering a robust tracking system with 6 world-facing tracking cameras.

Use in video calls

Enquanto or apple vision pro focuses on building the most realistic “Personas” possible (photorealism) which were even well criticized at the time of release, Galaxy XR, rolling Android XR, is more focused on offering a real-time communication and content creation experience.

Google has confirmed that it is developing the system Likenesses for the Galaxy XR, which will use data from the headset's internal sensors to create personalized avatars with much more realistic expressions than the current ones.

This emphasis on easy content creation and Gemini assistance makes the Galaxy XR a more open and dynamic platform for communication and productivity compared to the more narrow focus of the Apple .

Operational system

In terms of operating system, this is the big difference between the models. Samsung's headset comes with Android XR, the world's first device with the operating system, announced in December of last year. The idea is that several applications currently running on Android smartphones and tablets can be easily converted to the operating system for mixed reality headsets. Games like Stardew Valley run on Samsung's VR headset.

Yes, visionOS 26 prioritizes the privacy, processing a lot of data (such as eye tracking) locally and limiting third-party apps' access to its environment. Apple Intelligence (AI) focuses on improving organization, writing, and editing photos and videos, all optimized for the M5 hardware, ensuring fluidity and stability.

But we remember that, despite the appeal of 3D photos, Apple Intelligence has been widely criticized for not delivering the basics to iPhone and iPad users, which puts Android XR at the forefront of this battle.

Apps and features

One point that draws attention is the integration with the Gemini. This means you can request information on any topic using just a voice command, without having to press a button or "call" the assistant, as the microphones are always ready to answer user requests.

O Gemini Live is also available to those who purchase the Galaxy XR, allowing you to receive information about your surroundings, such as an object or location, simply by circling (via Circle to Search) what's in front of you. There are also special functions for apps. Google:

• Google Maps: You can zoom in on locations using finger gestures to see where you want to go. Using Street View, you can "step into" locations through animated photos created with the help of artificial intelligence;
• Google Photos: It will be possible to transform photos and videos into 3D format. This way, an old photo of an important memory can be revived with the help of artificial intelligence;
• YouTube: 360º content will be prioritized when a person is using the device, in addition to a tab just with these types of videos having already been promised by Google in the future.

O Apple's visionOS 26 uses the Apple Intelligence to dramatically enhance your media experience: it can convert your old photos into 3D depth images (“Spatial Scenes”) and create automatic memory videos from what’s saved in your gallery.

The system prioritizes stability and integration with the ecosystem Apple , allowing you to fix widgets interactive apps in your space seamlessly. However, it lacks the wide range of apps in the Android ecosystem, and it doesn't support real-time AI.

While Apple optimizes creation and content, the Google highlights the usefulness of AI in understanding and intervening in the physical world. In any case, future investments by manufacturers and developers will largely determine the best operating system for mixed reality headsets.

Connectivity

O Galaxy XR already comes with support for Wi-Fi 7, which is the fastest and most advanced wireless internet technology available today. If you have a compatible router, this means blazing speeds and a super-stable connection, essential for quickly downloading games or streaming high-resolution videos.

O Apple Vision Pro (M5) use the pattern Wi-Fi 6, which is extremely fast and more than enough for all your current needs, like working and watching videos without interruptions. Simply put, the Galaxy XR is ready for the next generation of networks, while the Vision Pro is perfectly aligned with the best of the present.

Regarding connection to accessories, both are also excellent. The Galaxy XR uses the Bluetooth 5.4, a slightly more modern version than the Bluetooth 5.3 of the Vision Pro. In practice, the difference is minimal: both allow you to connect wireless keyboards, mice, and headphones stably and with very little lag, ensuring a smooth and reliable accessory experience on both devices.

Battery and charging

Both headsets rely on an external battery pack, which is a separate accessory connected by a cable. This is a key design decision because it prevents the full weight of the battery from resting on your head.

The module of the Samsung Galaxy S8 weighs about 302 grams, while the module of apple vision pro It is a little heavier, at 353 grams, and both can be attached to the body using a clamp.

In terms of duration, the VisionPro offers a little more battery life. For general use (browsing, apps, multitasking), it lasts up to 2,5 hours. For those who enjoy watching movies, it lasts up to 3 hours.

O Galaxy XR It has a slightly shorter battery life: it offers up to 2 hours for general use and up to 2,5 hours for video playback. While battery life is limited for both, the good news is that you can use both headsets while working, for example.

Memory and storage

In this respect, both the Apple Vision Pro (M5) as much as Samsung Galaxy S8 are tied, offering 16 GB of RAM memory.

The main difference appears in the storage, which is where you permanently store your files, photos, spatial videos, and apps. The apple vision pro offers the buyer the freedom to choose: you can opt for the basic version of 256 GB or pay more to have 512 GB or even 1 TB.

Already Samsung Galaxy S8 simplifies the choice by offering only the option of 256 GB storageWhile this amount is sufficient for most users to get started with the headset, it can be limiting for those who want to accumulate a lot of games and media over time.

Availability and price

The main difference between the two headsets is the price. Samsung Galaxy S8 stands out for its starting price of US$ 1.799 (R$9.684 in direct conversion), which is about half the value of the competitor. The launch is scheduled for October 2025, with initial sales concentrated in USA and Korea.

Already Apple Vision Pro (M5) maintains its positioning premium liquors with a starting price of US$ 3.499 (R$18.836 in direct conversion) and is available for pre-order in a wider list of countries, including Australia, Canada, Mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, UAE, UK and USA.

However, for the Brazilian public, the availability scenario is the same: neither headset has an official release date or sales date in Brazil. Brazilian consumers will have to wait for future distribution announcements or end up importing, which could increase the final price.

Verdict

Choosing the best headset depends on your priorities, but the success of both will be defined by comfort and practicality in everyday life.

O Apple Vision Pro (M5) is the option premium liquors, focused on maximum performance: it features the powerful M5/R1 chips, a smoother display, and advanced sensors (LiDAR), making it ideal for those seeking cutting-edge technology, photorealistic video calls (Personas), and the best integration with the Apple ecosystem. However, it is the most expensive and heaviest device.

O Samsung Galaxy S8 It's the most affordable alternative, focused on comfort and AI. It's significantly lighter and offers a strong chip. Snapdragon, in addition to a high-resolution screen. Its distinguishing feature is Google Gemini, which facilitates real-time assistance and content creation.

The decisive factor is that the Galaxy XR has an advantage in weight and price, making it more accessible and potentially more comfortable for extended use, while the VisionPro It's the choice for those who value maximum performance and cutting-edge technology, while accepting the cost and weight of a product still seeking its place in everyday life. Samsung's model offers a good option for those looking to enter this market, and the future is promising, so the investment, thinking long-term, would be more worthwhile.

Technical specifications

For you, which is the best? Galaxy XR ou apple vision pro? tell us Comment!

See also:

Vision Pro: Apple announces mixed reality glasses with 12 cameras

Google launches Android XR, new operating system for VR, AR and AI glasses

Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 23 / 10 / 2025.

With some info: CNET l Engadget l Samsung Newsroom