As I immersed myself in the opening moments of KPop Demon Hunters using Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset, a thought struck me: Apple’s Vision Pro may have met its match. The experience was strikingly similar, yet the Galaxy XR offers a far more enticing value proposition.

Previously known as Project Moohan, the Galaxy XR isn’t necessarily superior to the Vision Pro, but it delivers comparable quality at a significantly lower price point. Retailing at $1,799, it undercuts the Vision Pro’s hefty $3,499 price tag. Launching today in the US and Korea, Samsung sweetens the deal with an “explorer pack.” This bundle includes a year’s subscription to Google AI Pro, Google Play Pass, and YouTube Premium, alongside a $1 monthly offer for YouTube TV for three months and a complimentary NBA League Pass season.

Moreover, the Galaxy XR is not only lighter but also more comfortable to wear than its Apple counterpart. It even boasts a native Netflix app, a feature that could sway many potential buyers away from the Vision Pro. While some might still opt for Apple’s offering due to its seamless integration with the Mac ecosystem, many are likely to be drawn to Samsung’s more accessible option.

These reflections surfaced during my second official demonstration of Samsung’s headset, just ahead of its official release. My initial encounter with a Moohan prototype last December left an impression, but this final version showcased several enhancements. Notably, the front piece now features added cushioning, and I finally experienced the removable bottom light seal. Beyond these tweaks, the core design remains consistent.

The Galaxy XR’s hardware is reminiscent of a Vision Pro fused with a Meta Quest 3. Gone are the disconcerting eye graphics on the front screen, replaced by a sleek glass panel equipped with cameras to capture your environment and hand movements. Inside, micro-OLEDs deliver 4K resolution with refresh rates up to 90Hz, ensuring smooth visuals for both scrolling and gaming. Battery life is competitive too, offering up to 2.5 hours, aligning with what the Vision Pro can achieve.

The hardware still looks like a Vision Pro mixed with a Meta Quest 3. There aren’t creepy eyes on the front screen, though there is still a glass panel that houses several cameras to capture your surroundings and hand gestures. There are micro-OLEDs inside that support 4K resolution and up to 90Hz refresh rates, which should make scrolling and games look smooth. Samsung promises up to 2.5 hours of battery life, right on a par with the Vision Pro.

There’s no removable strap — it’s all a lightweight plastic with a cushioned back piece and a dial that you use to adjust tightness. The materials don’t feel as premium as the Vision Pro. But plastic is easier to clean than fabric, and when I slip it onto my head, it’s significantly lighter, and the weight is distributed more evenly. (The first Vision Pro was extremely front-heavy, but a new strap helps a lot with that.) It took until the end of the 30-minute demo for me to start feeling some tension.

So much of the experience inside the headset is similar to the Vision Pro that I can imagine Apple’s lawyers bristling. There’s a high-resolution passthrough, though I wouldn’t call it crystal clear. The headset tracks what you’re looking at, and you pinch your fingers to select. One difference is that there’s a Quest-like cursor when you point at menus and XR elements, making it a smidge easier to tell if the correct thing is highlighted. Otherwise, the interface is a Google-flavored version of what you’ll find in a Vision Pro.

Feature-wise, there’s everything from spatial photos and immersive environments to blowing up multiple browser windows for maximum productivity. There’s also automatic spatialization for existing 2D content. As in, when I go to YouTube to watch a recent Vergecast episode, a 3D version of my colleague David Pierce leaps forward from the video.

Google and Samsung are keen to point out that this Android XR headset has Gemini. In fact, at a small keynote speech for the press, executives from both companies emphasized that this device has “AI at the core.”

That means that if, for some cockamamie reason, you decide to read a physical magazine with this headset on, you can Circle to Search any interesting products you happen upon and view them in virtual Chrome. When viewing an immersive 3D map in the Google Maps app, you can ask Gemini questions about your surroundings. If you’re viewing a photo or YouTube video, you can start a Gemini Live session, share your screen with the AI, and ask it questions. While looking at a photo of a fuzzy quadruped at Machu Picchu, Gemini told me that I was, in fact, looking at a llama and not an alpaca. It then proceeded to tell me llama facts. In the middle of watching a 3D YouTube video of an Icelandic volcano erupting. Gemini mistakenly identified it as a volcano in Hawaii. So, you know, there are limitations.

I’m not convinced that the average person will ever want these expensive, high-tech XR headsets. You could argue Galaxy XR is also dead on arrival, especially since the zeitgeist seems to be shifting heavily toward smart glasses. But for those who do want headsets? On paper, the Galaxy XR headset is the much better value. You’re getting a similar consumption experience. It’s nearly half the price. (Heck, it costs less than a Z Fold 7!) It’s much easier to wear for a longer period of time.

There’s a wide swath of content, and you get access to Google apps like YouTube and Maps, among others. If you think AI is a selling point, Gemini is integrated into this headset far more effectively than Siri is in the Vision Pro. And, compared to gadgets like phones, tablets, and computers, these headsets are much easier to use as standalone devices. But the most popular use case we’ve seen so far for these headsets is using them as your own personal theater. The Galaxy XR may lack some of the Vision Pro’s premium polish — and what amounts to the power of a full-fledged Mac — but, immersive content-wise, it’s good enough.

Plus, if you want to use it for productivity, you can cast a Samsung Galaxy Book laptop screen to the headset (though it’s unclear how this compares to casting a Mac to a Vision Pro), answer calls from it, or share files between the headset and other devices.

I’ll caveat all this with a reminder that demos are not the same as living with a device. When we get a Galaxy XR headset in for testing, it’s possible we’ll find things that tilt the balance back in the Vision Pro’s favor. I’m curious to see how the M5 Vision Pro — which goes on sale October 22nd — will fare. But if the Galaxy XR holds up as well in real-life testing as it has in demos, then there’s even less reason to buy a Vision Pro.

Correction, October 22nd: The headset uses micro-OLED, not mini-LED as originally stated.