We may now know the resolution and display type of Samsung's headset.
So far, Samsung has only officially said that its upcoming headset, which will be the debut of Google's Android XR, will feature "state-of-the-art displays". But the company hasn't confirmed what kind, or what resolution.
Now, South Korean news outlet The Elec reports that Samsung will use Sony's new 1.35-inch 3552×3840 micro-OLED display, the same being used in Sony's own SRH-S1 standalone headset.
David Heaney
Sony also supplied the micro-OLED displays for Apple Vision Pro, the first headset to feature high resolution micro-OLED displays. But that earlier display used by Apple is 1.4-inch, with a resolution of 3660×3200, lower resolution and slightly larger.
Sony's new display also has a wider color gamut, at 96% DCI-P3 coverage, compared to 92% for the one in Apple Vision Pro.
And notably, the aspect ratio in the new display is taller. The display in Apple Vision Pro is unusually narrow vertically, leading to a noticeably narrow vertical field of view. The new Sony display means Samsung's headset may not have the same issue.
| Sony's Vision Pro Micro-OLED |
Sony's New Micro-OLED |
BOE's Micro-OLED |
|
| Size | 1.41" | 1.35" | 1.35" |
| Resolution | 3660×3200 | 3552×3840 | 3552×3840 |
| Raw Brightness (Before Lenses, 20% Persistence) |
1000 nits | 1000 nits | 1200 nits |
| Color Gamut (DCI-P3) |
92% | 96% | 92% |
| Refresh Rate | 100Hz | 90Hz | 90Hz |
| Headsets | Apple Vision Pro | Sony SRH-S1 Samsung Headset Pimax Dream Air? |
Play For Dream MR MeganeX Superlight Immersed Visor Pimax Dream Air? |
Apple won't be resting on its laurels though. The company reportedly plans to start mass production of a refreshed Vision Pro with an M5 chip late this year, and it's possible it will upgrade to the newer Sony micro-OLED display too.
Alternatively, Apple could switch to BOE, the Chinese company supplying the 4K micro-OLED displays in Play For Dream MR, Immersed's Visor, Shiftall's MeganeX superlight 8K, and potentially Pimax Dream Air (though Pimax is exploring using the Sony panel now). It offers the same resolution as Sony's new display, with slightly higher brightness but without the improved color gamut. Neither display advertises support for 100Hz refresh rate though, which Apple supports on Vision Pro.
LG has also shown a "next generation" 4K micro-OLED display with even wider gamut and sufficient brightness to avoid the visible motion blur in Vision Pro, but it's unlikely that this would be production-ready for the next Vision Pro.
