Qualcomm took the wraps off its first AR-focused reference design, which focuses on lightweight headsets designed to be paired with a smartphone or PC.

The Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer blueprint features a binocular display compatible with 4K video and offering a 90Hz refresh rate; colour and monochrome cameras to enable head and hand tracking with gesture recognition; and plane detection capabilities.

It splits processing capabilities between a headset and host device, differing from “simple viewers” which do not offer any on-board computing.

A company representative told Mobile World Live (MWL) the reference design is Qualcomm’s first to focus solely on AR: previous efforts included VR.

VP and GM of XR Hugo Swart commented to MWL the template is “the first step in helping the industry achieve an AR viewer that is small, lightweight” and power-efficient.

“With sleeker AR glasses that tether to a device consumers already carry with them at all times, a smartphone, the ability to launch smartphone 2D apps into 3D virtual displays will transform the way people can watch content or achieve never seen before immersive use cases.”

The design is currently available to “select partners”, with broader availability due in the coming months.