What you need to know
- Qualcomm draws our attention to its XR work, saying “something new” is coming in that area.
- The company is teasing a “smarter and more immersive” XR model, which is likely to be based on its upcoming Snapdragon chip.
- It leads us to wonder if something big is in store for Meta Connect in September, or a new Pico XR headset.
Qualcomm is teasing what’s next in the XR world, and our minds are wondering: is Meta involved?
Qualcomm first teased that “a new reality is coming soon” in a X short post this week. Of course, it looks like we should expect its Snapdragon chip to be part of this big reveal—whenever it’s supposed to be. The company has been working on developing a new chip that puts it in the game-changing field of the XR.
The funnyman continues, saying, “Imagine #XR smarter and more focused than anything you’ve experienced before.” While Qualcomm’s submission has users interested, it’s not what got everyone talking (us, included). The post is accompanied by a short teaser video showing the Snapdragon chip inside the XR headset.
It finds users wondering if Qualcomm is playing another device from Samsung or Meta. Many users think that Qualcomm uses a Meta Quest Pro in its video. For us, we think the company is gearing up for a big debut on Meta Connect later this year. The included headset certainly feels like a Quest product. Just compare it to the image at the top of this article. However, there is always a chance that it is not a big Meta teaser, but a prelude to Pico.
XR continues to evolve
Imagine #XR smarter and more focused than anything you’ve experienced before. Something new is coming 👀 pic.twitter.com/2Of6E0BS2RJune 9, 2026
If that last sentence got you confused, don’t worry. Pico is a headset brand that was acquired by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, in 2021. In a way, you can consider the rival of this TikTok in Meta Quest. The headset we’re referring to is under Project Swan: a “high-end” XR device with custom silicon and a modified design. Pico announced earlier this year that it plans to bring its new headset to North America this year.
That leads us directly to our rival Meta Quest scenario. Circling back to Meta, the company announced that its Connect event will be confirmed for September 23-24, 2026. We have AI and Quest on our minds, and Meta has confirmed as much. The company’s keynote of the evening will include AI, VR, wearables, and more. Meta gave us enough theater to talk for a while. What we are most anxious about is whether it will give us or not anything else new about the long-rumored Ultralight Quest.
Android Central Take
Whether Qualcomm plays something with the Quest or not, Meta Connect is shaping up to be an interesting event. Meta has been getting into AI, and hopefully that means it’s putting equal effort into its next wave of XR headsets. Details are still sketchy, as it’s only June. We should expect to see more in the coming months leading up to the main point.