ZDNET’s Sabrina Ortiz wearing Android XR reference glasses at Google I/O.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- At Samsung’s Galaxy XR event, the company teased upcoming smart glasses.
- Samsung is partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to design them.
- The glasses will likely be released over the next year with Android XR at its core.
While Samsung’s “Worlds Wide Open” Galaxy event focused mostly on the release of its highly anticipated Galaxy XR headset, previously known as Project Moohan, the company also provided some more details about its upcoming smart glasses.
Toward the end of its keynote, Samsung played a brief video showing off a collaboration with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, the eyewear brands behind Google and Samsung’s upcoming wearables. Both brands target different audiences, with Gentle Monster offering a more fashion-forward option for users, while Warby Parker casts a wider, mainstream net.
Also: Samsung offers free $100 deal to new Android XR headset users – how to redeem it now
The partnership announcement is significant as it was a key piece in actually bringing the smart glasses to market. The physical appearance of the device is especially important as users will be wearing them on their faces every day — a deeply personal choice. Would the Meta Ray-Bans be as popular if they weren’t designed by Ray-Bans? Maybe not.
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“It’s a very personal decision in terms of like the frames that you have, the colors, and so it’s not a one-size-fits-all market by any stretch, while an XR can be,” Drew Blackard, SVP of Mobile Product Management at Samsung, told me ahead of this week’s event. “The ecosystem of partnerships we’re now trying to develop so that when we do have the offering available, it really hits the mark with consumers.”
Google’s Android XR reference glasses were shown off at I/O earlier this year.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Samsung did not share any additional details other than that the AI glasses will be connected to the Android XR ecosystem, packing Google’s XR capabilities into an everyday, practical, and comfortable form factor.
Also: I wore Google’s XR glasses, and they already beat my Ray-Ban Meta in 3 ways
The public already saw a glimpse of these capabilities at Google I/O, where Google showed off some of the capabilities that will be available. I had a chance to test them out, and my demo included using the in-lens displays to take photos (and view the capture on the lens screen), access Gemini assistance, and get navigation directions.
The pair used in the demo was lightweight and comfortable, though it was just a reference device and not the Warby Parker or Gentle Monster collaboration. When released, they should function similarly to the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, which also have an in-lens display. Those retail for $799, so it is probable that Samsung’s take will be priced in the same ballpark.
Even though the Galaxy XR headset appeals to a different set of consumers and use cases, Blackard said that the feedback from the headset’s early adopters will impact the development of the actual glasses, particularly in helping Samsung learn what some of the features users want to use the most.
Galaxy XR is Samsung’s first venture into the Android XR platform. The glasses could be next.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
“The hard thing is when you develop new technologies and launch new products is there’s always a lot of potential ways that the consumer might use them, but you don’t quite know what’s going to hit the most until it actually gets out there and you understand the feedback loop,” added Blackard.
I had a chance to try the Android XR headset ahead of the launch, and I can see the deep integrations with Gemini being transferred over to the company’s take on AI smart glasses to offer users even more integrated AI assistance.
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
