Qualcomm's new Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 brings GPU and CPU upgrades over the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2

Qualcomm was included in the spate of announcements regarding the new Android XR operating system. The semiconductor company, which is also one of Google's partners on Android XR, has announced a new mobile platform that will power Samsung's Project Moohan headset the first Android XR device. The new processor is the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, an iterative upgrade over the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 has a 15% higher GPU and 20% higher CPU max frequency than the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 which powers the Meta Quest 3S (curr. available on Amazon for $299). The new processor also has support for 4.3K × 4.3k per eye resolution at 90 frames per second.

Like the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, it also has full color ultra-fast 12ms video see-through latency so you can seamlessly switch between the virtual world and the real world. The on-device AI brings support for 12 or more concurrent cameras. It also has Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth 5.2.

The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 will first appear in Samsung's headset which is due for release in 2025. However, we can expect it to also make its way into other Android XR headsets that will be announced in the future.

In addition to the new chipset, Qualcomm has revealed that developers of its Snapdragon Spaces XR Platform will be able to migrate their existing Spaces projects to Unity 6, which now supports Android XR. Qualcomm will also release a Snapdragon Spaces Compatibility plugin for Android XR in the first quarter of 2025. This plugin will allow developers' apps to work seamlessly on Android XR and Snapdragon Spaces.