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Samsung patent application reveals augmented reality headset design

Samsung patent application reveals augmented reality headset design

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It comes as the Gear VR slowly fades away

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The patent application includes what appears to be a full 3D render of the headset.
The patent application includes what appears to be a full 3D render of the headset.
Image: KIPRIS / Samsung

A newly discovered design patent application has revealed an unannounced Samsung augmented reality headset. Galaxy Club, which was first to spot the February 1st application, notes that the headset features two screens (one in each lens), and one image shows a cable running down its right arm (although it’s unclear if this is a wired headset or if the cable is just meant for charging).

The unannounced headset would be Samsung’s first foray into augmented reality after years of focusing on its lineup of mobile Gear VR headsets. However, in recent years, the entire mobile industry’s interest in VR has decreased. Samsung hasn’t released a new VR headset enclosure for its smartphones since 2017, and its latest flagship, the Note 10, is the first phone that’s not compatible with the hardware. It’s also getting pretty hard to buy the Gear VR headsets now that they’re not available in the US through the Samsung store or Amazon.

One image from the design patent application shows a cable running out of the right side of the headset.
One image from the design patent application shows a cable running out of the right side of the headset.
Image: KIPRIS / Samsung

Samsung is not the only major phone manufacturer that’s thought to be working on an augmented reality headset. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that Apple will launch its own augmented reality headset early next year, and one piece of documentation for iOS 13 contained an apparent reference to the unannounced hardware.

Although Samsung is on the record as saying that it has “multiple AR and VR products” in development, patent applications like these should always be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism. They can often represent products that are being developed internally but might never be released.