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Google And Samsung Unveil $1,800 Galaxy XR Headset

Android’s first XR device is half the price of Apple’s Vision Pro, marking Google’s first serious commercial move into spatial tech.

Published

10 months ago

October 22, 2025

Nour Nasir

google and samsung unveil $1800 galaxy xr headset

Samsung has launched the Galaxy XR, the first extended reality headset built on Google’s Android XR platform. Priced at $1,800, it’s available now in the US and South Korea — roughly half the cost of Apple’s Vision Pro — and signals Google’s entry into the spatial computing race.

The headset runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip and uses a 3,552 x 3,840 micro-OLED display with 29 million pixels. It carries dual passthrough cameras, eye-tracking sensors, and iris recognition for secure access. At 545 grams, it’s lighter than the Vision Pro, with an external battery adding 302 grams. Samsung says the “ergonomically balanced frame distributes pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, minimizing facial discomfort while providing steady support”.

Controls include hand gestures, eye tracking, or standard peripherals like keyboards and mice. Audio runs through dual Dolby Atmos speakers and six microphones. Battery life tops out at around two hours for general use, 2.5 for video playback. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are built in, with optional prescription lens inserts.

The device runs Android XR, Google’s new operating system built for spatial computing and AI. “Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era,” said Sameer Samat, Google’s president of Android Ecosystem. Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, is embedded across the interface, handling navigation, search, and multitasking. Users can ask for 3D routes in Maps, turn 2D photos into spatial images, or identify real-world objects through the headset’s cameras.

Most Google Play apps work on launch, while re-engineered versions of Chrome, Google TV, and Meet have been adapted for mixed reality. Multiple apps can be pinned or resized within a virtual workspace.

Also Read: X To Sell Rare Usernames For Up To Seven Figures

For entertainment, users can stream 4K video in a virtual theater, browse 180- and 360-degree clips, or play titles like NFL Pro Era and Inside [JOB]. Adobe’s Project Pulsar brings 3D video editing into the mix, and sports apps from MLB and Fox Sports offer multi-view feeds.

Early buyers get a year of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass, plus bundled access to Calm, Project Pulsar, and other apps. Samsung also confirmed it’s working with Warby Parker on Android XR smart glasses, hinting at a broader push beyond headsets.

No regional release has been set, but XR developers in the Middle East — particularly in retail and tourism — are likely watching closely. The Galaxy XR positions Android as a new heavyweight in spatial tech.

Related Topics:Extended Reality Galaxy XR Google Samsung

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Instagram Redraws Its Wordmark And The Internet Reads “Instagzam”

Instagram’s first wordmark refresh in a decade arrives with new fonts, a restrained gradient — and a Reddit verdict of sidegrade.

Published

4 days ago

August 14, 2026

Nour Nasir

Instagram

Although Instagram’s famous camera icon hasn’t changed, the company has refreshed the handwritten wordmark at the top of its app. This is the first redesign we’ve seen in ten years, and one the internet promptly set about renaming.

“The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a post on August 13, describing the new version as “cleaner and more modern” while keeping references to the original design.

Instagram says its team explored hundreds of options — all-caps lettering, camera-inspired concepts, even literal handwriting — before returning to script. “Script reflects individuality, so referencing that felt right,” Instagram director of product design Jasmine Probst said in Meta’s announcement. “The new wordmark is bolder and simpler, with touches of unexpectedness. It cues individual expression, a personal voice, both of which have always been core to Instagram”.

The wordmark is part of a broader brand overhaul: an updated Instagram Sans typeface, two new fonts — the hand-drawn Instagram Pen and Instagram Mono — plus refreshed motion and layouts, and more restrained use of the signature gradient. The wordmark is rolling out globally now, with the rest arriving throughout 2026 and beyond.

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The design mixes cursive and print lettering, some characters connected and others floating free. That hybrid approach, combined with unusually shaped “s” and “r” characters, led some users to conclude the logo actually reads “Instagzam”. On the r/logodesign subreddit, one user said the wordmark looked “fan-made,” like something built in Canva; another called it “an unsettling mix of manuscript and cursive”; a third summarized it as a “sidegrade” — or, inevitably, a “zidegrade”.

Not everyone was hostile to the new look. Some found the half-cursive design stylish and surprisingly readable, while others called it an improvement on its predecessor, and one commenter argued Instagram was simply adopting minimalist branding later than everyone else. Either way, the platform now has a refreshed identity, three updated fonts, and an unofficial new pronunciation.