The most effective XR headset you should purchase at this time
The Meta Quest 3 options cutting-edge pancake lenses, a robust Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, hundreds of video games, and the power to simply join it wirelessly to a Home windows PC for work or play. Plus, with streaming companies like Xbox Recreation Move, GeForce Now, Netflix, and tons of others, it is an leisure powerhouse like no different. It is also bought a large quantity of third get together accent help so you’ll be able to customise it to your liking.
Severe potential
Samsung Challenge Moohan could be months away nevertheless it’s bought an enormous quantity of potential due to top-of-the-line {hardware} that seemingly options high-resolution OLED screens, top-notch cameras, a brilliant modern design with magnetically-removable gentle blockers, and the ability of Android XR to again all of it up. It is unproven and the worth is unknown, however we count on to see extra later this 12 months.
Samsung Challenge Moohan made waves when Samsung introduced it alongside Android XR, a new and thrilling model of Android constructed particularly for XR gadgets like AR glasses, VR headsets, and combined actuality headsets. It is an upcoming combined actuality headset that may mix the digital and actual worlds into video games and productiveness, identical to the Meta Quest 3.
Challenge Moohan, because it’s presently recognized, will obtain a remaining product title someday later this 12 months earlier than the anticipated launch. Samsung confirmed off the {hardware} for the primary time publicly at Samsung Unpacked 2025 through the Galaxy S25 unveiling.
Samsung Challenge Moohan is alleged to sport higher-end {hardware} than the Meta Quest 3 and guarantees to be one of the best VR {hardware} thus far, merging high quality {hardware} with a extra reasonably priced price ticket than the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. However does that imply it is going to be a greater headset? Let’s discover out.
Why you’ll be able to belief Android Central
Our professional reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you’ll be able to select one of the best for you. Discover out extra about how we take a look at.
Whereas each Samsung Challenge Moohan and the Meta Quest 3 are combined actuality headsets, they every look and match fairly otherwise. The Meta Quest 3 is designed principally to suit value restraints so it may be below $500. That features transport with a comparatively uncomfortable material strap to your head and an all-plastic design.
Samsung Challenge Moohan has a much more premium feel and appear, and whereas some elements are plastic to maintain weight down, it seems much more like a Meta Quest Professional than a Meta Quest 3. This consists of inflexible facet straps with a wheel on the again for shortly adjusting measurement, a big, plush pad for the again of your head, and one other massive plush pad to your brow.
In contrast to the Meta Quest 3, Challenge Moohan would not put any weight in your face in any respect. The rubber gentle blockers are magnetically detachable — Samsung hasn’t even proven off these elements of the headset but — so you will really feel no strain in your face whereas carrying the headset for lengthy intervals of time.
Picture 1 of 4
You possibly can swap out the Meta Quest 3’s face pad, head strap, and extra, guaranteeing it matches you completely.
The Meta Quest 3’s default material strap distributes weight in your face and across the sides and again of your head. Some individuals, like me, discover this to be uncomfortable and find yourself shopping for a third-party head strap together with a number of different Meta Quest 3 equipment to make it extra comfy to put on.
Whereas this seems like a unfavorable at first, Meta’s “modular” design of the Quest 3 means you’ll be able to take all of the vital elements off — the top strap, the face pad, and many others — and change them with ones you discover extra comfy.
Once I work whereas carrying a Quest 3, I have a tendency to make use of a Kiwi Design H4 Enhance head strap and I take the face pad off fully so the headset’s weight is not resting on my face. In any other case, once I’m gaming with a Quest 3, I hold the face pad on to offer most immersion.
It isn’t clear but if Challenge Moohan might be a modular headset. One of many greatest issues with the Meta Quest Professional was that its head strap and battery could not be simply eliminated, so that you had so as to add issues to the headset as an alternative of simply changing them with one thing extra comfy. We’re hoping Samsung discovered from Meta’s design mistake on its Professional headset.
Challenge Moohan has automated IPD adjustment, giving it a bonus over some other VR headset available on the market.
Samsung Challenge Moohan has automated IPD adjustment due to its eye monitoring capabilities which ensures that every person has the precise proper eye distance calibration the second they put the headset on. That is an enormous benefit for Samsung over each different VR headset available on the market which all require guide IPD adjustment.
Some headsets, just like the PlayStation VR2, will assist you select the suitable IPD through the use of eye monitoring to show a picture you’ll be able to line up. The Meta Quest 3, like most different VR headsets, requires you to know your IPD forward of time. Adjusting it on a Quest 3 is simple and might be performed through the IPD wheel on the underside of the headset, however you continue to have to know the suitable quantity earlier than utilizing it.
Samsung’s headset helps controllers however we have not seen them but.
The Meta Quest 3 ships with two movement controllers — one is held in every hand — and in addition helps controller-free hand monitoring for extra easy interactions. Every of those controllers incorporates a joystick, three face buttons, a set off, and a grip button.
Samsung Challenge Moohan can even have controller and hand monitoring help, however Samsung hasn’t confirmed if the headset will ship with controllers included or if they’re going to be a separate buy. Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional famously shipped with no controllers and no help for motion-tracked controllers. Apple later added help for controllers resulting from suggestions, as they’re merely required for some experiences and sorts of video games.
Meta Horizon OS, the working system that powers Meta Quest Headsets, is constructed upon Android and all the time has been. Equally, Android XR, which powers Samsung Challenge Moohan, can also be a selected model of Android constructed for XR gadgets. Whereas they sound related on the floor, there are some vital key variations to think about.
Whereas each are primarily based on the Android Open Supply Challenge, Meta Horizon OS options vital layers of customization that Meta has constructed over the previous decade. Meta has constructed a lot on prime of Android that it really packages it as a “separate” working system, calling it Meta Horizon OS, and now affords it as an choice for third-party corporations to construct their very own headsets on.
Meta Horizon OS not solely revolves across the “Meta Horizon expertise,” which incorporates selling the Meta Horizon metaverse app entrance and heart, but in addition ties Meta companies deeply into the OS. Apps like WhatsApp, Fb Messenger, Fb, and Instagram all have native Horizon OS apps, and whereas a couple of different apps might be downloaded on the app retailer, Meta Quest headsets are nonetheless primarily gaming consoles with some additional computing performance.
The Meta Quest’s working system is constructed on Android however would not function the Google Play Retailer. Android XR will.
Android XR is constructed upon the Android Open Supply Challenge as effectively however, like most builds of Android, Google companies are on the heart. Android XR is alleged to be “the primary model of Android constructed for the Gemini period” which implies Google Gemini is ready to function your entire expertise in the event you ask it to.
Google defined that Gemini can see what you see, together with each the digital and actual world, and is ready to reply questions and work together with digital screens as you see match. This might open up vital new design and interplay paradigms that we merely have not seen earlier than, however we’ll want to attend till the total product launch to get a greater concept of the particular performance.
Each working techniques are designed to allow multitasking in combined actuality, plus permit for full immersive apps and video games.
Each working techniques help native multitasking, giving customers the power to open a number of home windows without delay and float them wherever in actual 3D house. You possibly can consider these a bit like resizable digital screens you could place wherever, all of that are capable of be interacted with like a smartphone or pill interface.
Since Android XR has the Google Play Retailer in-built, it is anticipated that Samsung Challenge Moohan may have considerably extra 2D apps at launch than the Meta Quest ever has. Conversely, the Meta Quest sports activities hundreds of video games that may take time to transform over to Android XR. Meta funded a number of of the greatest Meta Quest video games, so it is not going they’re going to see a launch on an Android XR-powered headset.
If you wish to study extra about how each working techniques evaluate, see our detailed Android XR vs Meta Horizon OS comparability.
Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets energy the Meta Quest 3 and Samsung Challenge Moohan, however Challenge Moohan options the extra highly effective Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. This new chipset permits Samsung to incorporate increased decision cameras and shows on Challenge Moohan, all whereas sporting higher total efficiency.
Neither are “laptop-grade” chips like what’s included within the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, however each chips are very succesful and are roughly comparable in efficiency to a 2023 flagship smartphone with vital customizations to account for the additional processing wanted for house monitoring and movement monitoring.
We all know a some specs for Challenge Moohan however many technical specs, like quantity of RAM, storage, and show decision, are nonetheless unknown. It is stated that Samsung Challenge Moohan options micro-OLED panels with as much as 3,000 DPI decision. The Meta Quest 3 makes use of LCD panels with roughly 1,200 DPI decision.
| Specs | Samsung Challenge Moohan | Meta Quest 3 |
| Show sort | Micro-OLED | LCD |
| Show decision | 3,000 DPI (rumored) | 1218 DPI (2208 x 2064 per eye) |
| Refresh charge | Unknown | 120Hz |
| Lens sort | Pancake | Pancake |
| FoV | Unknown | 98° vertical, 106° horizontal |
| IPD adjustment | Automated | Handbook per mm |
| Audio system | Constructed-in stereo | Constructed-in stereo |
| Included head strap | Adjustable inflexible plastic with again padding | Elastic material |
| Facial interface | Magnetically-removable | Detachable through clips, velcro |
| Controllers | Supported | Included |
| Hand monitoring | Sure | Sure |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 |
| RAM | Unknown | 8GB |
| Weight | Unknown | 503g |
| Worth | Unknown | $499 |
Each headsets use pancake lenses, however Samsung Challenge Moohan builds eye monitoring into the lenses. This may allow Samsung to have even higher efficiency due to one thing referred to as foveated rendering. This know-how permits the headset to render the very best decision on the heart of your imaginative and prescient whereas saving processing energy by decreasing the decision exterior of that.
Meta helps mounted foveated rendering which makes an attempt to recreate the identical idea with out eye monitoring. Whereas it’s efficient in enhancing efficiency, it creates decrease decision exterior of the middle of the lens and reduces visible high quality in these areas.
Contemplating you can not purchase Samsung Challenge Moohan but, this one’s a little bit of a no brainer till then. The Meta Quest 3 is one of the best VR headset you should purchase by way of worth and accessible software program. It is bought essentially the most video games of any VR headset and, since it is a standalone VR console, would not want a PC or exterior show to work. That is a tremendous worth for simply $499.
Samsung Challenge Moohan will nearly actually sport higher {hardware} than the Meta Quest 3 when it launches, nevertheless it’s anticipated that Samsung will cost fairly a bit extra for its first Android XR-powered headset. Present rumors estimate the worth to be round $999, though we’ll want to attend till later within the 12 months to really discover out.
For those who’re seeking to get into XR at this time, although, the Meta Quest 3 is the suitable selection because it not solely has an enormous library of video games and help for a lot of streaming companies, nevertheless it additionally helps native Home windows desktop streaming for straightforward hookup to a PC.
Why wait? The Meta Quest is already nice
With hundreds of video games, well-liked streaming companies, simple PC connectivity, and loads of equipment to customise your expertise, the Meta Quest 3 is already a tremendous headset price proudly owning.
With nice energy…
Samsung and Google have an opportunity to redefine the XR expertise with Android XR and Challenge Moohan, two very polished-looking merchandise which are slated to debut later in 2025.