Qualcomm has unveiled Snapdragon Reality Elite, its new high-end XR chip for next-generation augmented reality and mixed reality headsets.
The company introduced the processor during a keynote at Augmented World Expo. Qualcomm said the chip will help future AR and mixed reality headsets become smaller and more efficient.
Snapdragon Reality Elite can support up to 4.4K resolution in each eye at 90 fps. That is a modest upgrade over XR2+ Gen 2, but Qualcomm said it should improve image quality and reduce latency.
The chip also brings efficiency gains. Qualcomm said Snapdragon Reality Elite can improve battery life by up to 20 percent while running up to 12 °C cooler than XR2+ Gen 2.
Performance has also increased compared with the previous generation. According to Qualcomm, the chip offers 60 percent higher GPU performance, up to 30 percent higher CPU performance and up to 160 percent higher NPU performance.
Qualcomm said these gains allow smaller and more efficient devices without giving up performance. The company also said the chip prepares headsets for more powerful on-device artificial intelligence features, including photorealistic avatars and agentic capabilities.
Qualcomm’s VR and mixed reality chips previously used XR branding. The latest model in that line was XR2+ Gen 2, which powers Samsung’s 1.800 dolar Galaxy XR headset. Snapdragon Reality Elite now becomes Qualcomm’s highest-end chip for VR, AR and XR devices.
Matthew DeHamer, Qualcomm’s director of product marketing, said the new chip marks a “new phase” for the company’s mixed reality products. He said the focus is shifting more toward “see-through” devices and generative artificial intelligence features.
Qualcomm said Reality Elite works with standalone headsets as well as devices that use a tethered connection through a separate compute puck. The first announced device using Snapdragon Reality Elite is Xreal’s Aura glasses, which uses the latter approach.
Xreal’s Aura glasses, an Android XR device, also made its official debut on the AWE stage. The device had previously been shown briefly at Google I/O last month.
Qualcomm also introduced a separate smart glasses platform called START, short for Scalable Turnkey AI Ready Toolkit. The platform is designed as an off-the-shelf solution for companies that want to make smart glasses or other artificial intelligence-powered wearables.
The START package includes a dedicated module with Qualcomm’s AR1+ chip and integrated software. The software package includes companion apps for iOS and Android.
Qualcomm is working with several component makers on white-label glasses for the START platform. The platform will support audio-only frames as well as glasses with in-lens displays.
Eyewear brands can use ready-made designs or adapt them for their own needs. DeHamer said, “It’s a way for brands to start their journey to take existing products and solutions and add AI capabilities to them.”
Qualcomm’s first START partner is UK-based Inspecs, which holds licenses for eyewear brands including O’Neill, Barbour and Superdry. The company did not announce any specific new smart glasses products.
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