Meta Quest 3 vs Samsung Galaxy XR

Meta launched Quest 3 in 2023, and it’s still the company’s current mixed-reality headset. Samsung’s Galaxy XR came two years later, built with Google and Qualcomm: it went on sale in the US on 21 October and in Korea on 22 October 2025. The age gap matters less than the software, because each runs its own platform with its own app store.

Quest 3 and Galaxy XR side by side

Spec	Meta Quest 3	Samsung Galaxy XR
Software	Horizon OS; Quest Store; Meta account	Android XR with Gemini; Samsung or Google account
Controllers	Touch controllers in a typical kit	Sold separately; eyes, hands and voice by default
Eye tracking	No	Four eye-tracking cameras; iris unlock
Display	2064 × 2208 per eye; pancake lenses; apps render at 1680 × 1760 by default	Micro-OLED, 3,552 × 3,840 per eye
Refresh rate	72, 80, 90, 120 Hz; a Quest 3-only mode above 120 Hz, up to 240 Hz	60 Hz; 72 Hz default; up to 90 Hz upon service request
Field of view	110° horizontal	109° horizontal × 100° vertical
Chip	Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2	Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2
Memory	8 GB	16 GB
Storage	128 GB or 512 GB	256 GB
Passthrough	Full color, 4MP, 18 PPD; depth sensor	Two high-resolution passthrough cameras; depth sensor
Weight	Not published	545 g with forehead cushion; 302 g battery pack
Battery	Not published	Up to 2 hours; up to 2.5 hours of video; usable while charging
IPD	Not published	54–70 mm, automatic
Released	2023	21 October 2025 (US)
US price	Check Meta’s store	$1,799.99 (256 GB Silver Shadow); controllers extra

Quest Store or Android XR

Quest 3 runs Meta’s Horizon OS. You sign in with a Meta account and buy apps from the Quest Store, and none of them needs a PC. When you want PC VR games, Meta’s PC Link connects Quest 3 to a computer.

Galaxy XR runs Android XR, with Gemini built into the system. Apps download through a Samsung account, a Google account or both, and Gemini needs an internet connection. Samsung also offers a separate app that connects Galaxy XR wirelessly to a PC for Steam games; the PC isn’t included, and there’s no DisplayPort cable involved.

Neither plays PlayStation VR2 games, which need Sony’s headset and a PS5; Meta Quest 3 vs PlayStation VR2 covers that choice. And neither runs Apple’s visionOS.

Controllers, or your eyes and hands

A typical Quest 3 kit includes Touch controllers, so controller games work out of the box. Galaxy XR’s default inputs are your eyes, hands and voice. Its four eye-tracking cameras follow where you look, and they also handle iris recognition, which unlocks the headset and fills in some app passwords. Galaxy XR Controllers are an optional extra if you want something to hold.

Galaxy XR’s screens are sharper; Quest 3’s are faster

Galaxy XR’s Micro-OLED panels are 3,552 × 3,840 pixels per eye, nearly three times the pixel count of Quest 3’s 2064 × 2208. Samsung adds a 6.3-micron pixel pitch and 95% of the DCI-P3 color range. Its pixel totals disagree, though: the announcement says 27 million and the US page 29 million, while two 3,552 × 3,840 panels multiply out to about 27.3 million.

Quest 3 puts pancake lenses in front of its panels. By default, apps render at 1680 × 1760 per eye (a render scale of 1.0), so not every game uses the panel’s full resolution.

Refresh rate is where Quest 3 pulls ahead. It runs at 72, 80, 90 or 120Hz, and Meta’s developer notes describe a mode above 120Hz, up to 240Hz, that only Quest 3 gets. Galaxy XR runs at 60Hz or its 72Hz default, and reaches 90Hz “upon service request,” in Samsung’s words. Higher refresh rates look smoother in motion, which matters most in fast games.

Field of view is close: 110 degrees across on Quest 3 and 109 on Galaxy XR, which Samsung also rates at 100 degrees vertically.

Galaxy XR’s weight, battery and fit

Samsung puts Galaxy XR at 545 grams with the forehead cushion, which its US page gives as 1.2 pounds. The light shield isn’t part of that figure, and attachments change it. The battery is a separate 302-gram pack, rated for up to 2 hours of general use or 2.5 hours of video, and the headset keeps working while the pack charges.

IPD adjusts automatically, from 54 to 70 millimeters. If you wear glasses, Samsung sells optical inserts separately, covering roughly −7 to +2 diopters, and says glasses or contacts may make eye tracking less precise.

Passthrough and cameras

Quest 3’s passthrough is full color, at 4 megapixels and 18 pixels per degree, with a depth sensor alongside. Galaxy XR sees the room through two high-resolution passthrough cameras, backed by six tracking cameras, five motion sensors (IMUs), a depth sensor and a flicker sensor, but Samsung gives no pixels-per-degree figure to set against Quest 3’s. Galaxy XR also has a spatial camera for photos and video: 18 mm, f/2.0 and 6.5 megapixels.

Chips, memory, sound and wireless

Both run Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. Quest 3 has the XR2 Gen 2 with 8 GB of memory and 128 GB or 512 GB of storage; Galaxy XR has the XR2+ Gen 2 with 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage.

For sound, Samsung’s announcement lists two 2-way speakers and a six-microphone array, and its US page mentions four Dolby speakers. Galaxy XR also has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

What you’ll pay

Galaxy XR costs $1,799.99 for the 256 GB Silver Shadow model, and that’s the headset alone: add Galaxy XR Controllers and a case if you want them. A typical Quest 3 kit already includes its controllers, so compare Galaxy XR with controllers against a Quest 3 kit. For Quest 3’s current price, see Meta Quest 3. Prices move, so check Meta’s and Samsung’s stores before you buy.