News
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.
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.
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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.
News
LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE
Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.
Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.
The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.
Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.
An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.
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“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.
The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.
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