Google May Beat Apple to the Smart Glasses Party
Gentle Monster and Warby Parker Google-Samsung Smart Glasses [Google]
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Although it’s an open secret that Apple is putting significant effort into producing a pair of smart glasses to rival Meta’s Ray-Bans, it turns out it may soon be facing more competition from its oft-partner Google.
During this week’s Google I/O, an event largely packed with new software, service, and AI announcements, the search giant also unveiled plans for its first “intelligent eyewear” — a pair of smart glasses built on the Android XR platform.
Google is teaming up with Samsung for the electronics and Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for the style, which are also likely to carry the branding, in much the same way Ray-Ban has for Meta’s smart glasses. They’ll be offered as part of the brands’ “full collections” later this year, suggesting there will be various designs, with Google offering a sneak peek at two of the upcoming styles.
Branding aside, these will be Google-powered through and through, driven by Gemini AI, which can be called up by voice or tapping the side of the frame. While Google ultimately plans to offer two versions of the eyewear, it appears that only the audio glasses will be coming this year, with display glasses to follow at some indeterminate point in the future.
As the name suggests, the audio glasses will provide spoken help, featuring cameras to capture the world around you so you can ask Gemini for help based on what you see, such as finding reviews for a restaurant you’re walking past, decoding confusing parking signs, or getting more information on everything from plants and animals to cloud formations.
Google’s glasses will also offer natural spoken turn-by-turn directions, undoubtedly powered by Google Maps, plus hands-free features for managing calls, sending texts, asking Gemini to summarize incoming messages, or translating speech you hear or writing you see.
Wearers will also be able to use the cameras to snap high-quality photos and record videos, while feeding them into Gemini’s Nano Banana for a twist that could be either fun or gimmicky, depending on how you look at it.
Snap high-quality photos and videos instantly. With a single command you can take a picture and use Nano Banana to remove background distractions or playfully transform your images. Try, “Hey Google, take a picture and put everyone in funny hats.”
The Android XR-powered glasses also promise to let users call up Gemini to handle various tasks, such as ordering coffee, summoning an Uber, learning new languages, and more. In that sense, the audio-only versions aren’t likely to be much different than using the Gemini app on a smartphone with a pair of earbuds, although they’ll provide a handy alternative for folks who prefer a different style of wearable.
Google isn’t saying nearly as much about the display-equipped glasses, other than to say that they’ll “show you the information you need, right when you need it.” This suggests they’ll effectively offer the same AI features, simply adding the ability to see the responses instead of merely listening to them.
The good news for iPhone users is that Google’s new smart glasses will pair with both Android and iOS phones, although we’ll have to wait and see how tightly integrated they’ll be within the Apple user experience. That’s one area where Apple’s upcoming smart glasses will almost certainly have the home field advantage — at least outside of the European Union.
Apple reportedly plans to out-fashion Meta’s smart glasses by going with a higher-end build and design that could help make them look more fashionable than utilitarian. However, reports right now also suggest Apple prefers to create these designs in-house rather than seeking partnerships the way Meta and Google have. This could produce a much more unique product, and it’s no surprise to hear that Apple also wants to create something that’s recognizably on-brand, much like it did with the AirPods and the Apple Watch.
However, by all estimates Apple isn’t expected to enter this market until sometime in 2027, which means Google’s Gentle Monster and Warby Parker designs are going to have at least a few months to take hold before Apple can show off its own spin on the concept.
