Qualcomm XR1 Is Company’s First Dedicated AR and VR Chipset

Qualcomm is already providing plenty of chipsets used in AR and VR headsets but, with the Snapdragon XR1, the company brings a smoother, more affordable option.

Standing for “extended reality,” the Snapdragon XR1 is not a cutting-edge offering for mobile VR and can’t really compete with the more powerful Snapdragon 845. However, the XR1 is designed to provide a better passive experience like “lean back and 360 viewing” for videos without hand-tracking capabilities. Of course, it’s still capable of supporting 4K video at 30 FPS and offers six-degrees of freedom head tracking.

“The integrated display processor in the Snapdragon XR1 Platform supports a range of display options with hardware accelerated composition, 3D overlays, and support for leading graphics APIs including OpenGL, OpenCL, and Vulkan—allowing users to experience breathtaking and beautiful immersion,” explained Qualcomm in a press release.

While only just announced, the Snapdragon XR1 already has a few key partnerships in place. This new chipset will be used in Vive, Vuzix, Meta, and Pico devices as early as the end of this year.

Qualcomm is expected at MWC Shanghai this year, so we’ll definitely know more about its performance and use cases in a couple of weeks!