Samsung’s Blindingly Bright VR Screen Hits 20,000 Nits — Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

When discussing the displays used in VR headsets, we focus more on resolution. This is a critical factor since a lower resolution display means what we see on the screen might look blurry or pixelated. However, another essential factor is brightness. Samsung might have everyone beat with its new VR headset screen, which boasts a brightness of 20,000 nits.

Samsung’s VR headset has a 20k nits screen

During the Augmented World Expo (AWE USA 2025), Samsung unveiled several new display technologies. One such technology is a 1.3-inch RGB OLEDoS panel with a peak brightness of 20,000 nits, a massive jump from some of Samsung’s earlier efforts.

In 2024, Samsung showed off a 5,000-nit display, and at CES 2025, the company followed up with a 10,000-nit display. This jump to 20,000 nits is impressive.

For those unfamiliar with Samsung’s OLEDoS panels, they are essentially the same as standard OLED panels. The main difference is that instead of glass or plastic as a substrate for the backplane, OLEDoS panels use silicon. This allows the display to support higher brightness levels, resolution, and pixel density. This panel, in particular, features a pixel density of 4,200 PPI.

Obviously, the display won’t be blasting out 20,000 nits of brightness all the time. However, the fact that it can hit peaks of 20,000 nits is amazing. Brightness in VR screens is essential. In addition to resolution, brighter display panels mean that headsets can render scenes clearly.

Screens that are too dim can result in images and videos looking muted or washed out, killing the immersive factor. For context, the Apple Vision Pro is advertised as having a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, so Samsung’s new OLEDoS panels have it beat.

What will Samsung use it for?

At this point, it is unclear what Samsung has planned for its new VR headset screen. Companies like Samsung use these trade shows more often than not to showcase new technology. Many times, these technologies aren’t commercialized but used to show what the company is capable of producing.

That being said, we know that Samsung is working with Google to produce a new headset based on Android XR. The company does not mention if these panels will find its way into the Samsung XR headset, but based on its specs, we’re certainly hoping that it will.