Samsung & Google XR Partnership Heats Up Market

Interest in extended reality (XR) technology is increasing, spurred by Google’s announcement of a smart glasses collaboration with Samsung Electronics. Google revealed the partnership with Samsung on a smart glasses project codenamed “Haean” at its annual I/O developers conference. This signals a renewed push into XR, which blends augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and comes as global patent activity in the field has increased.

According to a report by Samjong KPMG Economic Research Institute, global XR-related technology patents have increased from 738 in 2013 to 14,958 in 2023. Microsoft leads with 8,393 patents, followed by LG Electronics with 5,681. Other top patent holders include Intel, Meta, Samsung, Qualcomm, Huawei, and Google.

While Meta dominates the XR hardware market with a 60.5% share as of Q2 2024, followed by Sony (10.4%) and Apple (9.1%), the entrance of Google and Samsung is expected to intensify competition. The Samsung-Google alliance is considered strategic due to the integration of Google’s Gemini AI model. Android-based Google Play applications are expected to be adapted to XR environments.

Chinese manufacturers are also entering the market. Rokid launched AI-powered smart glasses using Alibaba’s large language model (LLM), while TCL debuted the RayNeo X2, equipped with ChatGPT-based features.

The global AR market is forecast to grow from $10.95 billion in 2024 to $60.34 billion by 2029, representing a growth rate of 40.7%. North America led the market in 2023 with a 35% share, followed by Asia-Pacific at 33% and Europe at 25%. Asia-Pacific is expected to post the fastest growth through 2029, with an annual average of 43%, outpacing North America’s 40.4%.

The resurgence of XR, driven by AI integration and strategic alliances, suggests that immersive technologies are entering a new phase of growth.