Jan 4, 2024 - Technology

New Qualcomm chips could power AR to rival Apple's Vision Pro

A reference design Qualcomm mixed reality headset — Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm on Thursday announced an updated version of its chip for augmented and virtual reality devices designed to make headsets more detailed and realistic.

Why it matters: Consumer tech companies, including Samsung and HTC, are racing to build new reality-altering products with Qualcomm as Apple readies its mixed-reality Vision Pro, which is expected to launch by February.

Self-contained VR and AR headsets require heavy compute power and unlike Apple, which has a vertically integrated production process for its devices, other hardware makers are relying on external chipmakers, largely Qualcomm, to power their devices.

Zoom in: Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform is a new version of its XR2 Gen 2 platform, which has been powering Meta's Quest 3 VR headset.

The "+" version of the chip offers faster processing, support for more concurrent cameras and higher resolution displays.
Samsung and HTC Vive are among the companies building devices based on the new chip. Samsung said it's working with Google for its project, but neither company offered specifics.

Go deeper

Add Axios on Google

New Qualcomm chips could power AR to rival Apple's Vision Pro

What to read next