Android XR and Project Moohan hands-on: Gemini is the killer app

Android XR: A New Era of Augmented Reality

A Demo Day

It’s an ordinary Tuesday. I’m wearing what look like ordinary glasses in a room surrounded by Google and Samsung representatives. One of them steps out in front of me and starts speaking in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. Hovering in mid-air, I can see her words being translated into English subtitles. Reading them, I can see she’s describing what I’m seeing in real-time. I mumble an expletive. Everyone laughs. This is my first experience with Android XR, a new mixed reality OS designed for headsets and smart glasses, like the prototypes I’m wearing.

The Return of Google to AR

Google is no stranger to augmented reality. Google Glass crashed and burned with the public more than 10 years ago before being repurposed for enterprise users and eventually discontinued. But things are different now. Apple has the Vision Pro. Meta has the Ray-Ban smart glasses, and their AI features have garnered positive buzz. That’s why Google is jumping back into the fray with Android XR.

The Power of Gemini

Adding Gemini enables multimodal AI and natural language – things it says will make interactions with your environment richer. In a demo, Google had me prompt Gemini to name the title of a yellow book sitting behind me on a shelf. I’d briefly glanced at it earlier but hadn’t taken a photo. Gemini took a second, and then offered up an answer. I whipped around to check – it was correct.

A New Era of Interactions

On top of that, the platform will work with any mobile and tablet app from the Play Store out of the box. Today’s launch is aimed at developers so they can start building out experiences. The average person won’t be able to buy anything running Android XR right now, but in 2025, Samsung will be launching its long-rumored XR headset. Dubbed Project Moohan (Korean for infinity), the headset will be the first consumer product to ship with Android XR. Technically, it’s running the same software as the glasses I tried, but Project Moohan will also be capable of VR and immersive content – stuff that wouldn’t be suited to a pair of smart glasses.

Project Moohan

Project Moohan felt like a mix between a Meta Quest 3 and Vision Pro headset. Unlike either, the light seal is optional so you can choose to let the world bleed in. It’s lightweight and doesn’t pinch my face too tightly. My ponytail easily slots through the top, and later, I’m thankful that I don’t have to redo my hair. At first, the resolution doesn’t feel quite as sharp as the Vision Pro – until the headset automatically calibrates to my pupillary distance.

How to Stand Out

I want to ask: how do you expect to stand out? I don’t get the chance to before I’m told: Gemini. For the skeptic, it’s easy to scoff at the idea that Gemini, of all things, is what’s going to crack the augmented reality puzzle. Generative AI is having a moment right now, but not always in a positive way. Outside of conferences filled with tech evangelists, AI is often viewed with derision and suspicion. But inside the Project Moohan headset or wearing a pair of prototype smart glasses, I can catch a glimpse of why Google and Samsung believe Gemini is the killer app for XR.

The Future of XR

For me, it’s the fact that I don’t have to be specific when I ask for things. Usually, I get flustered talking to AI assistants because I have to remember the wake word, clearly phrase my request, and sometimes even specify my preferred app. "One thing I’m really confident about, something that’s not just different from before, is that Gemini is really that great," says Kihwan Kim, EVP at Samsung Electronics, who nods furiously in agreement when I mention this. To Kim, it’s the ability to fluidly speak to Gemini and the fact that it understands a person’s individual context that opens dozens of different options for the way each person interacts with XR.

Conclusion

In the Moohan headset, I can say, "Take me to JYP Entertainment in Seoul," and it will automatically open Google Maps and show me that building. If my windows get cluttered, I can ask it to reorganize them. I don’t have to lift a finger. While wearing the prototype glasses, I watch and listen as Gemini summarizes a long, rambling text message to the main point: can you buy lemon, ginger, and olive oil from the store? I was able to naturally switch from speaking in English to asking in Japanese what the weather is in New York – and get the answer in spoken and written Japanese.

FAQs

Q: What is Android XR?
A: Android XR is a new mixed reality OS designed for headsets and smart glasses.

Q: What is Gemini?
A: Gemini is a generative AI that enables multimodal AI and natural language, making interactions with your environment richer.

Q: When will Android XR be available?
A: The average person won’t be able to buy anything running Android XR right now, but in 2025, Samsung will be launching its long-rumored XR headset, dubbed Project Moohan.

Q: What is Project Moohan?
A: Project Moohan is the first consumer product to ship with Android XR, capable of VR and immersive content.