Meta’s Strategy Stands Out as OLED Will Power Next VR Headsets from Samsung, Apple, and Meta

Samsung is developing a high-end virtual reality and mixed reality headgear that will be a niche product, similar to Apple Vision Pro.

The South Korean newspaper Business Post claims that Samsung plans to produce 100,000 of the gadget annually.

Even by the standards of the frequently criticized Apple Vision Pro, this is a somewhat low rate of creation. According to reports, 420,000 copies of Apple’s Vision Pro were sold in 2024.

If a story on leaked hardware specs is to be trusted, then OLED is the buzzword of the moment in the XR industry. According to reports, Samsung, Apple, and Meta are developing headgear with OLED screens. Even if Apple’s and Samsung’s ambitions are intriguing, there is one major reason why Meta’s OLED headset could succeed: price.

Since Samsung is the only company whose headset we are officially aware of, we will start with Samsung. According to a report from The Elec, a South Korean outlet, which @Jukanlosreve translated and summarized, the upcoming consumer version of Project Moohan’s headset (the Android XR wearable it developed with Google) will have a 1.3-inch display with a pixel density of 3,800 PPI (pixels per inch).

In addition to its many Vision Pro-like capabilities, Samsung’s future Android XR project is attracting attention because it could have even better screens than Apple’s $3,500 headset. That isn’t always a good thing. Simply to put a computer on your face, Samsung’s “Project Moohan” might cost well over $1,000. If the Apple headset has taught us anything, it’s that not many consumers are willing to shell out more than $500 for a virtual reality gadget.

It’s interesting to note that this OLEDoS display (OLED on Silicon, also called Micro OLED). It comes from Sony, not Samsung Display, and it’s higher than the 3,386ppi display used by the Apple Vision Pro, indicating that Samsung wants to establish Moohan as a high-end substitute for the Apple headset. I hope it won’t cost as much, but I’m not holding my breath.

According to seasoned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple had anticipated shipping between 700,000 and 800,000 units in 2024.

Speaking of Apple, it is said that it is developing a more affordable and user-friendly Vision Pro. According to the aforementioned rumor, Apple will use more conventional glass OLEDs with a 1,500 ppi in place of silicon. The gadget is expected to be released in 2027, but I’m not holding my breath for it to be reasonably priced because even if it is less expensive than a $3,500 headset, it might still be quite costly.

One obvious issue is why Samsung would spend so much money developing this headgear when it has such a small market share and little chance of turning a significant profit.

Here are a few key elements that will motivate Samsung in any case.

The first purpose of this headgear is to present Android XR, a mixed reality variant of Android that is expected to be utilized in future VR headsets of various grades. Like Wear OS’s (relatively) recent relaunches, this project is a collaboration between Samsung and Google.

Finally, Meta is said to be planning a 2026 headgear that would feature a 0.8 to 0.9-inch OLEDoS display.

With its $300 Meta Quest 3s and $500 Meta Quest 3, Meta is the big problem. Even at $1,000, no competitor headset can match its capabilities, such as the HTC Vive Focus Vision. Since acquiring Oculus in 2014, Meta has had a competitive advantage and currently holds the top spot in the virtual reality industry. Even Meta, though, appears to be open to the concept of a more costly VR headset. According to a recent Bloomberg story, Meta is working on a follow-up to the more costly Meta Quest Pro. Two years after its debut, the business discontinued the headset due to its dismal sales.

It would seem that the decreased display size would be a cost-cutting strategy. Meta is reportedly anticipating that if it can consistently produce a 1.42 OLEDoS unit (the same size as a Vision Pro), it would be able to divide it into about four 0.8 to 0.9-inch panels and reduce its expenses by a quarter. Normally, OLED panels are created huge and then trimmed to size. However, because of its tiny size, it would have to use two screens per headset, which would be similar to the two screens it uses in its Quest headsets. This would only cut the effective cost in half.

In any case, even at a quarter or half the price, OLEDoS screens probably wouldn’t be inexpensive, which is why I anticipate that this 2026 headset will be the reported Meta Quest Pro 2. Although it has reportedly previously been canceled twice, the third time looks to be the charm. Meta may have decided on a distinctive form resembling spectacles, which I think sounds fantastic, and some OLED panels would further solidify it as an intriguing idea.

Based on the three-year lag between the Quest 2 and Quest 3 releases, a 2026 launch window would also work for Meta Quest 4. However, unless Meta can significantly reduce costs, OLED displays might be too expensive for its mid-range line, while they wouldn’t be for its high-end Quest Pro headsets.

As with all leaks and rumors, we should be skeptical of these details, particularly when it comes to Meta and Apple. Even if these are their current plans, things could change at any time, and we won’t know what these companies have in store for us until they formally announce it. Maybe Meta will hint something at Meta Connect 2025, and maybe Samsung won’t leave us in suspense for long.

Companies like Google, Meta, and Apple still believe that employees want to spend hours of their day confined in a virtual reality headset, even if no one is discussing the “metaverse” anymore. While VR and AR games might be entertaining, they are not recommended for anyone who has vertigo or motion sickness. XR won’t be the smartphone’s successor, despite what many firms seem to believe, unless these gadgets are as lightweight and comfy as glasses.