AC Thursday
In his weekly column, Android Central senior content creator Nick Sutrich highlights all things VR, from new hardware to new games, upcoming technologies, and more.
Samsung’s Galaxy XR hasn’t seen too many notable updates since the XR headset launched in late 2025, but that all changed last week when Google and Samsung brought the headset to a recent security patch and added some nice new features.
It’s this last feature that really caught my attention, as it feels very similar to what Xreal and The Witcher have done. On their latest smart glasses. The main difference here is that Android XR will do this at the system level, potentially allowing greater quality and compatibility than Xreal and Witcher’s “simpler” solutions. This rings true when it works, and that last part is the worst part of the experience so far.
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Auto spatialization feels like magic
Take a look at the image above and let me know what you see. Since I can’t hear you, I assume you’re saying Minecraft, which would be correct. In fact, Minecraft is running in a virtual window, pinned to my wall via the Galaxy XR headset.
But even beyond that, games are being localized automatically by the underlying Android XR operating system running the Galaxy XR. In short, this means that the birch tree in front looks physically closer to me than the oak trees in the background. You might say, “Well, oh, Nick,” but that’s because you don’t fully understand what I mean.
With Auto Spatialization, Android XR takes depth information in any app on the system and cleverly places pixels “ahead” or “behind” it to let me see depth. The OS uses a clever AI agent that understands objects and other similar things, which then transforms the 2D image into a completely 3D one. Since you’re only looking at the 2D image above, there’s no way to properly see (and therefore understand) what’s actually happening. Even a video will not suffice.
Similarly, this YouTube video looks as if it was filmed with a proper 3D camera because of the same feature. It’s an effect that works better for some apps than others, but it’s implemented at the system level, and it’s a true game-changer for this new feature. Property introduced the technology on its smart glasses last summer, and this is the next evolution.
What it means to be at the app level Everything Can get the 2D to 3D treatment, but obviously this is still a “Labs” feature, as it doesn’t always work. For example, when I was playing Minecraft above, I would occasionally see the window crack between the 2D and 3D versions of the game, and it became incredibly noticeable as soon as that happened.
The YouTube app was also very inconsistent about which videos it wanted to make 3D and which it wanted to leave as 2D. I couldn’t understand why, and that’s the real disappointment. Google will undoubtedly improve this feature over time, so, for now, it’s mainly something Galaxy XR users can play with but shouldn’t rely on.
How to Enable Auto Spatialization on Galaxy XR
At the time of this writing, Auto Spatialization is a Labs feature on the Galaxy XR. This means it’s still technically in testing, and the inconsistent results I saw are completely expected. But if you still want to give it a try (and why not?), it just takes a few clicks to get the job done:
1. Make a pinch gesture with your thumb and forefinger to open the Home menu, then click settings.
2. scroll down advanced features on the menu on the left and tap it.
3. choose LAB From the right side.
4. turn on auto localization.
Once you enable the feature, it should be enabled in all apps. However, to make sure it’s enabled, open any app you want to try the feature on (YouTube is a good start), then click the app icon in the Control Center above the app window. If the feature is enabled, you should see “Turn off automatic localization” in the menu.
Why Xreal is still better for now…
On a technical level, the Android XR/Galaxy XR implementation of the Auto Spatialization feature is better than anything I’ve used, but it only works when it wants to. As I said earlier, I noticed at times that this feature didn’t work at all, or kept coming and going, even when I was playing games or watching videos.
That’s why Real3D technology still remains the better choice on Xreal’s latest Xreal One series of glasses. The Xreal One, Xreal 1S, and Xreal One Pro use the X1 chipset on each pair of glasses to enable Real3D Everything In 3D content. The feature is either on or off, and there is no configuration to deal with it. It just works, and you can even adjust the 3D strength within the glasses menu!
The downside of Xreal’s implementation is that Everything There is 3D, and it looks awkward when opening menus or other content that doesn’t translate well into 3D space. I like to assign Real3D to the shortcut key at the top of the Xreal glasses to help make it a convenient toggle.
I think Xreal will surpass its technology once Google and Samsung get the auto spatialization feature to work more consistently. galaxy
An added bonus is also that Android doesn’t limit the XR 3D feature to a specific framerate, whereas Xreal’s implementation is currently capped at 30FPS. This makes Xreal’s technology less ideal for games but fine for most videos.
It doesn’t matter whether you have a pair of Galaxy XR or Xreal One glasses, watching 2D content transform into 3D content is an absolutely magical feeling. This is one of those AI implementations that makes a lot of sense, and it feels like living in the future when the content we play and watch makes it feel like we’re actually in the middle of it all.
The Xreal 1S is pushing the boundaries of the definition of smart glasses. With a high-quality micro-OLED panel, native 3DoF spatial tracking for all your content, and an automatic 2D to 3D conversion feature, using the Xreal 1S will feel like living in the future.
