Samsung Electronics showcased its latest products at its Unpacked event in Northern California, including three new Galaxy S23 smartphones and several laptops. However, this was not all the company had in store.

In addition to upgrading its core products, Samsung also announced plans to create extended reality (XR) products and experiences with the help of partners Google and Qualcomm.

XR is an umbrella term for various technologies including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. Samsung’s announcement indicates that the company is developing a new wearable display or headset as XR technologies allow for different perspectives of software, services, and the surrounding environment.

The company’s mobile experience head, TM Roh, stated that Samsung has been preparing for XR just like other companies. Although the specifics of Samsung’s first XR product will not be revealed in the upcoming product launch event, Roh stated that Qualcomm will provide the chipset and Google will provide the software.

The hardware will be developed by Samsung. The partnership between Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm was confirmed by the latter two companies.

Apple is expected to launch its first extended reality device, a mixed reality headset, as soon as spring this year. The headset is said to track hand and body movements and offer a blend of immersive visuals and real-world view.

Samsung, along with its partners Google and Qualcomm, is also planning to develop XR products and services, utilizing the expertise of the three companies in software, screens and chip design. This collaboration may enable them to establish a position in the growing XR market and provide consumers with more options as adoption of the devices for productivity and communication are expected to increase.