Google and Samsung give an early look at their Smart Glasses set to take on Meta
Gentle Monster and Warby Parker on design duties for the two firms' new wearables
Meta may not be the public face of smart glasses for much longer: Google and Samsung have just given us a first official look at multiple styles of their joint effort wearable, which is due later this year.
Announced as part of Google’s annual I/O event, the two variants – which seemingly don’t yet have an official name – look set to directly take on the Meta Ray Bans, which are now on their second generation. They’re every bit the companion piece to your smartphone, with familiar features and functions.
Eyewear experts Gentle Monster and Warby Parker have contributed their design nous, while Samsung has handled the hardware and Google supplied the software. Based on the images shared with us before I/O kicked off, the tech looks largely in line with Meta’s template – just with a camera built into each side of the frame rather than just one. There’s what looks like a single button on the right arm, plus grilles for built-in speakers.
Naturally Google is pushing Gemini voice commands as your main way of interacting. Examples included asking for navigation routes, text summaries, calendar integration and being able to place orders from certain food chains. Frequent flyers might appreciate the real-time translations with audio that matches the speaker’s voice, and naturally you’ll be able to use the built-in cameras to take photos or record videos.
According to Google, the Gentle Monster-styled glasses have “disruptive yet refined aesthetics” while the Warby Parker ones offer “refined and timeless designs”. The former were shown as sunglasses while the latter seem better suited to prescription lenses. There was no mention of prescription support, though. The press release was light on details, not even confirming if these use a version of the Android XR software used on the Samsung XR headset.
More information will be drip-fed over the coming months, in the run-up to an official launch before the end of 2026.
“Intelligent eyewear represents a powerful step forward in our shared vision with Samsung to make AI more helpful and accessible in everyday life,” said Shahram Izadi, Google’s VP of Android XR. “Combining the best of Google’s AI and the Android ecosystem together with Samsung’s leadership in mobile hardware and Gentle Monster and Warby Parker’s premium design, we are helping users stay connected and fashionable in a more natural, hands-free way.”
This new take on smart eyewear is very different from Google’s first effort. Google Glass was made entirely in-house by the search giant and used a tiny head-up display to visually show information to the wearer.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
