00:00So the Galaxy XR is real. I'm wearing it right now and we're going to tell you
00:04about our first impressions of this mixed reality headset using the new
00:08Android XR platform. And I think in a way you could make the case that this is
00:12solving all the major problems that people have had with the Vision Pro or
00:15at least mostly. It's cheaper, it's lighter, and it has real AI that people
00:20want to use inside. Using the Galaxy XR the responsiveness feels pretty solid
00:26thanks to the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chip, though speaking purely
00:30anecdotally doesn't quite match the smoothness of the Vision Pro. Moving and
00:34resizing windows takes a bit of practice and the eye tracking cursor
00:37sometimes lag behind my gaze. That said, the gestures feel intuitive. You pinch to
00:42select, wave to scroll, and can zoom in and out by bringing your hands together
00:45and apart. Pulling up the main menu is easy too, just pinch your fingers together
00:49with your palm facing up. Where the Galaxy XR really separates itself from the
00:53current headset market is its integration with Gemini and Gemini Live. Being able
00:58to summon the voice assistant instantly to chat or share your screen as a layer
01:02of interactivity that feels genuinely futuristic. Apps also feel smarter and more
01:06dynamic as a result. You can explore Google Maps with live directions, get tips in
01:11Stardew Valley without leaving the game, or bring old photos to life as short
01:15videos in Google Photos. The exclusive Adobe Pulsar app stands out too, letting you
01:20edit videos in 3D space and generate titles with Gemini's help. It's like
01:25having a co-pilot in mixed reality, guiding you through every interaction.
01:29Media consumption is surprisingly immersive. Watching VR 180 and 360 YouTube
01:34content, seeing fighter jets up close, or diving into interactive films like
01:38Asteroid really showcases the potential of mixed reality. Some experiences still
01:42feel more like games than cinematic, but the ability to interact with characters or
01:46move multiple windows around, like watching four NFL games at once, makes the
01:51Galaxy XR feel like a sneak peek at the future of home entertainment.
01:55So I just finished my demo with the Galaxy XR headset and the one thing I want to say is
01:59just like how light and comfortable this is. Like even after like a pretty decently
02:03long demo, I still feel like I'm not really not like not wearing anything, but it's
02:09definitely like lighter than I expected, which is like good because sometimes like
02:13when you're feeling something like heavy, it pulls you out of the experience. And in
02:16this case, I felt more immersed because of like just how light it felt. In terms of
02:20the experiences themselves, like I think photos is probably like the one that a lot
02:23of people are going to gravitate to because it turns your 2D photos into
02:27something that's spatial. And the fact that it can bring your old photos to life, even
02:31through like video in terms of AI, I think is going to get like tug at a lot of
02:35heartstrings. I thought that was pretty cool. But I think overall probably the
02:38biggest takeaway is that Gemini is integrated across the board and you can
02:41have it look at whatever's on your screen and share that in real time and
02:45you can ask questions. So it's sort of like having like a co-pilot with you as
02:48you're experiencing this new XR device. I tried like four or five different
02:52experiences and across all of them I could use or invoke Gemini at any time. It's
02:57really easy to do and also pretty easy to dismiss if you don't want it
03:00listening and watching everything that you do. Yeah, like like in terms of
03:05like complaints I would just say that these like light shields I think it's
03:09really good that you have the option of putting them on and off. But I did notice
03:12a little bit of light leakage from the left and right side like the extreme
03:15sides in terms of your peripheral vision. But it's not enough to again like to
03:19disrupt the experience. Right now it doesn't seem like a great time to launch a
03:23mixed reality headset given the momentum behind smart glasses. But for those who are
03:27looking for a more immersive experience the Galaxy XR is certainly worth a look.
03:31It's way cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro and it's also noticeably lighter and
03:34more comfortable to wear for extended periods. Having Gemini live on board is
03:39also pretty transformative. But $1799 is still a lot of money for a device you'll
03:43mostly use at home and the new M5 Vision Pro should keep Apple in the
03:47performance lead. But if you want a sneak peek of what the future of mixed reality
03:51looks like the Galaxy XR looks like a solid evolutionary step forward for
03:55spatial computing. Stay tuned for our full Galaxy XR review and be sure to like and
03:59subscribe if you want to see more videos just like this. For Tom's Guide, this is
04:03Mark Spoonhour.
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