Samsung and Google’s XR headset is intuitive and just makes sense

At Google I/O 2025, I finally got to try out Project Moohan. This love child of Samsung and Google will be the company’s first-ever Android XR product.

The hardware itself doesn’t feel all that special, featuring elements of the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest, but the platform, Android XR, is the show’s star. Don’t get me wrong—the headset was the easiest VR/AR/MR headset I’ve ever used. I didn’t have to calibrate my hands; the lenses sensed my face and adjusted themselves, and even in a loud environment, the headset’s microphones could pick up my voice. Additionally, the headset’s weight distribution felt more balanced than the Vision Pro, and people would feel comfortable wearing it.

The interface is easy to use. Stick out your palm and pinch, which opens a familiar Android-like menu. You can pinch to select apps. Users can also pull up the Android-like menu with the physical button on the top. You can expand a window by pinching on the sides and pulling apart. I thought it was pretty intuitive and just made sense. It all felt like I was Tony Stark in the Marvel movies. This shares some elements with the Meta Quest, but I feel like Google ripped the experience right from Iron Man.

The interface was also familiar; I liked it. It showed the typical Android apps like YouTube, Gmail, Chrome and more. I liked that the menu felt recognizable; pretty much anyone who is used to an Android interface will feel at home. From there, I was directed to use YouTube to watch videos that looked phenomenal. Like the Meta Quest, you can expand these videos, move them around in a physical space, and have them in an immersive view. In the immersive view, you’ll get the controls on the bottom and related videos on the right-hand side.

AI in XR

After the YouTube app, I was able to demo Gemini. Holding the physical button on the top of the device allowed me to pull up the digital assistant. I was instructed to ask Gemini to take me anywhere in the world. So I asked it to take me to Tokyo, and I got an immersive overview of the city. This looked fine, but I expected a more detailed look at Tokyo. Google told me that this experience will get better in the future.

From the immersive overview, you can select a location to pull up Street View, and this was pretty awesome and immersive. It wasn’t exactly like I was in Tokyo, but it was better than just using Street View on your laptop. This experience could be great if you’re planning a trip and want an idea of where you’re going in advance.

You can also look at pictures and get Google to take you there on the map. In my demo, they had me look at a picture of Horseshoe Bend, and Gemini could take me there on Google Maps, find YouTube videos and even show an immersive view of the 2D picture. Interestingly, Project Moohan can give 3D aspects to any picture in your Photos app, videos and on YouTube. Google calls this ‘Auto Spatialization.’

Gemini can also control your headset if you give it commands. For instance, I had many windows open, and Gemini could easily organize them and surround your body in physical space.

XR memory

Project Moohan also lets users long-pinch (so pinch down for a moment) to pull up a Google Search launcher, allowing you to search things in your environment. Additionally, the headset can remember things you see, so if you’re walking around with it on, and you realize you don’t know where you placed your phone, you can ask it.

While Google couldn’t give us Project Moohan specifications, I was told that the display quality was very good. This doesn’t mean much, but when I watched the YouTube video, it looked incredibly crisp, which makes me extremely excited to play games on the headset. Project Moohan can play any game on Google Play Games. The company also plans to create a suite of XR apps and games.

I left my hands-on pretty impressed by the handset. Of course, I’ll have to put it through its paces when it finally comes out later this year, but I can see this being my favourite XR headset.