Google Daydream VR: ‘Daydream-ready’ phones and compatible devices

September 06, 2017
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Google Daydream VR may not be the most high-end virtual reality platform out there (that award goes to the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and HTC Vive), but it is a big step up from the company’s first VR effort, Google Cardboard.

We already have a pretty in-depth article that covers just about everything you need to know about Google Daydream, but right now we’re going to talk about which smartphones are Daydream ready, which Daydream compatible phones are coming down the pipeline, and the list of requirements for Daydream-ready phones.

Don’t miss: Google Daydream – everything you need to know

First, you might be wondering, what does ‘Daydream-ready’ even mean?

What is Daydream ready?

‘Daydream ready’ is the term Google uses to define devices with all the necessary specifications required to effectively run Daydream VR content. As Google VR head Clay Bavor said at I/O: “We want to hold a very high quality bar, and for that to happen all the components need to be just right.”

It’s as simple as that — Daydream ready smartphones need to be designed to run high-quality mobile virtual reality experiences through Google’s Daydream View headsets. As for specifics, we’ll talk about Daydream VR specs at the bottom of this article.

Confirmed Daydream ready phones

Below you’ll find a list of all the Daydream ready phones on the market or coming to market soon:

It’s worth noting that, while Samsung did not mention Daydream compatibility in its announcement, NewMobiel.NL has confirmed with Samsung that the Galaxy Note 8 will be Daydream-compatible out of the box.

Notice anything missing? You may have noticed there are a few notable devices missing from the list, including:

HTC U11: The U11, HTC’s flagship smartphone for 2017, isn’t Daydream compatible. While it may check many of the Daydream requirements listed above, it’s missing one big requirement: an OLED display. Technically having an OLED display isn’t required, but Google hasn’t particularly been keen on granting devices with LCD displays compatibility.

Moto Z2 Force: For some reason, Motorola’s Moto Z and Moto Z Force are compatible with Daydream, but this year’s Moto Z2 Force isn’t. It’s almost a no-brainer to assume that the Z2 Force would be compatible with Daydream, but unfortunately that’s not the case, at least as of this writing. All hope isn’t lost for Z2 Force owners, however. A Motorola spokesperson told TechRadar that the Moto Z2 Force “surpasses all of the requirements to pass Daydream certification,” and that the company has “tested [the phone] for compatibility.” The spokesperson also noted that Motorola is planning on working with Google “on the formal certification.”

Future Daydream ready phones

Okay, so those are all the Daydream ready phones on the market right now, but what about the ones that are coming down the pipeline? Here are the not-yet-announced smartphones we’re expecting to sport Daydream compatibility out of the box:

Google Pixel 2 / Google Pixel 2 XL: This one’s obvious. Google won’t make its flagship smartphones non-Daydream compatible.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro: We can also assume that, since the Huawei Mate 9 Pro was compatible with Daydream, the Mate 10 Pro will follow suit. The standard Mate 10 might be another story, however. Rumor has it that while Huawei is planning on employing a fancy new 2:1 6-inch “Full Active” display with a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080, the company is still planning on using an LCD screen. Of course that’s just a rumor for now, so we’ll have to wait for the official announcement to know for sure.

ZTE Axon 8: Rumors surrounding the ZTE Axon 8 have been scarce so far, but we’d wager to say that the Axon 7 followup device will be Daydream compatible out of the box.

Further reading:
Google says 11 Daydream compatible phones will be on sale by end of 2017

Google says 11 Daydream compatible phones will be on sale by end of 2017

July 25, 2017

Daydream ready specs

Back in November 2016, Google finally clarified its requirements for Daydream ready phones. The full list can be found below:

  • MUST have at least 2 physical cores.
  • MUST support sustained performance mode.
  • MUST support Vulkan Hardware Level 0 and SHOULD support Vulkan Hardware Level 1.
  • MUST support H.264 decoding at least 3840 x 2160 @ 30fps-40Mbps.
  • MUST support HEVC and VP9, MUST be capable to decode at least 1920 x 1080 @ 30 fps-10Mbps and SHOULD be capable to decode 3840 x 2160 @ 30fps-20Mbps (equivalent to 4 instances of 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps-5Mbps).
  • STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to support android.hardware.sensor.hifi_sensors feature and MUST meet the gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer related requirements for android.hardware.hifi_sensors
  • MUST have an embedded screen, and its resolution MUST be at least be Full HD (1080p) and STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to be Quad HD (1440p) or higher
  • MUST measure between 4.7″ and 6″ diagonal
  • MUST update at least 60 Hz while in VR Mode
  • The display latency on Gray-to-Gray, White-to-Black, and Black-to-White switching time MUST be ≤ 3 ms
  • The display MUST support a low-persistence mode with ≤5 ms persistence
  • Device implementations MUST support Bluetooth 4.2 and Bluetooth LE Data Length Extension.

The full list of requirements is available here. A quick note on verbiage: “MUST” means that the requirement is mandatory, while “STRONGLY RECOMMENDED” and “SHOULD” mean that Google allows manufacturers to go against its recommendations.

There are a few things worth noting here. For starters, you’ll notice that having an OLED display isn’t a requirement. However, the need for low latency and persistency probably means that LCD phones might not make the cut. In addition, 1080p displays are supported, but it’s strongly recommended for phones to have 1440p screens if they want to be Daydream compatible.

Did we miss anything? Let us know what else you’d like to know about Google Daydream in the comments below!

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