Samsung's Smart Glasses: A Potential Game-Changer in the XR Market

How Samsung could finally unlock smart glasses' true potential

It might not feel like it yet, but the world of smart glasses is heating up. On top of new entries from companies like Xreal, Meta took the next steps with its Ray-Ban smart glasses this year, imbuing them with AI and adding even more potential for future uses down the line. As I've written previously, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses are arguably my favorite (and maybe the most underrated) gadget of the year. They have great audio capabilities, they make taking pictures and videos easy, and they actually look like normal, Ray-Ban, glasses. When it comes to style and capability, they stand alone in the smart glasses category. At least for now... Looks like Meta might not be alone in the world of fashionable smart glasses much longer. According to a report this week from Korean outlet Yonhap News, Samsung may be preparing to launch its own pair of smart glasses soon, potentially during January's annual Galaxy Unpacked event where it typically introduces its flagship Galaxy phones. On one hand, that's to be expected -- Meta has already made a clear case that smart glasses with a camera and solid audio are a marketable commodity. On the other hand, it could represent one of the biggest sea changes in smart glasses we've seen yet. Let me explain. Meta's glasses are great. They do a lot more than you might expect for a relatively nascent product category and they might do even more in the future thanks to Meta AI which imbues the glasses with a bit of computer vision. But as solid as they are, they're still lacking something -- something that actually has almost nothing to do with the glasses themselves. That something is an ecosystem. Smart glasses, for all of their surprising use cases, still need to be coupled with a real computer, and in that case, that computer is your phone. Your phone is the only reason that Meta's Ray-Ban glasses are useful and thanks to that synergy they can play music, announce turn-by-turn navigation in your maps apps, take calls, and more. But for everything Ray-Ban glasses can do thanks to your phone, there are just as many things that they can't. That has almost nothing to do with the glasses themselves or their technical limitations, but a lot to do with your phone. Meta's Ray-Bans just don't have the deep system-level access to your phone to bring them the extra mile. Imagine for a moment a pair of glasses that plays nice with everything your phone does -- I'm talking text messages, calls, voice assistants, timers, calendars, you name it. Sounds useful, right? That's exactly what Samsung might have to offer. A pair of Samsung smart glasses has no real limitations when it comes to which apps it has access to and which it doesn't, and for that reason, they could unlock the true potential of the category. Paired with system-level access, Samsung's rumored smart glasses would be a real-functional extension of your phone in the same way that a watch is -- maybe even more so since it can capture media as well. Think about it. A pair of deeply integrated smart glasses could take pictures and videos and send them directly to your photos app; it could take calls; it could send messages through voice; it could integrate with your phone calendar and send you reminders; it could interact with your phone's voice assistant to search the web or, heck, draft an email for you. By borrowing your phone's ecosystem and compute power, I can't think of anything that smart glasses can't do. In short, they could cease on basically all the shortcomings of Meta's Ray-Bans. This is all hypothetical for now, but when you start to unpack the possibilities, a pair of smart glasses made by a company that also manufactures phones just makes sense. It'd still be pretty far off from the AR future promised by prototypes like Meta's Orion, but it would also easily be the best pair of phone-like smart glasses we've seen yet. As much as I love Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, favorites are a fleeting thing and if Samsung really pulls the trigger, we may have a new king of smart glasses.

Samsung May Take On Meta With Its Own Pair of AR Glasses Next Month

A pair of Samsung smart glasses will likely include cameras and AI, but will they be more like Meta's Ray-Ban or Project Orion? Samsung's love of wearables may extend from your wrist and finger all the way to your face. The company is gearing up for its annual Galaxy Unpacked phone event, which will likely reveal the Galaxy S25. Still, rumors hint that Samsung may be working on a pair of AR glasses to rival Meta's eyewear offerings. Based on anonymous IT sources, the Korean outlet Yonhap News (read with machine translation) reported that Samsung is gearing up to launch a pair of "AR glasses" at its upcoming Unpacked conference in January. The outlet further claimed the device will have some payment function, gesture recognition, and "facial recognition." We don't expect it to have invasive capabilities like a hacked pair of Ray-Ban Meta. However, any pair of cameras connected to the internet could potentially become a privacy nightmare. Yonhap further claimed Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm on the device, meaning it will probably include some Snapdragon processor and use Google's Gemini model. Google has already tuned its AI assistant to listen to commands through the Pixel Buds Pro 2, so it's not a big stretch to imagine it will work with a pair of glasses. This upcoming device may only be a prototype, similar to what Meta presented in September with its Orion true AR glasses. If the Galaxy maker shows something off at Unpacked in January, it may not be available until the following year or later. Samsung has also tipped that it may be working on some mixed-reality headsets, but we don't know if these devices will all share the same XR software environment. As for a date, Unpacked may arrive late in January, according to multiple tipsters collected by Android Police. The Galaxy S25 lineup may be the company's big product showcase, while the AR glasses are meant to excite consumers beyond yet another phone refresh. This past January's Unpacked revealed a teaser for the Galaxy Ring, but we didn't see it until July. In the years that every company was hyping up "metaverse" and VR as the next big thing, the unexpected hero of that product slate was a $300 pair of Ray-Ban glasses with in-built cameras. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses received a minor refresh during the company's Connect conference; the company has been working on adding more AI voice capabilities to the wearable this year. In Gizmodo's experience, those AI features aren't all that intelligent, but we'll have to see if and how they improve in the future. Samsung has a new penchant for wearables, especially after this year's new Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Ring. Both devices work best if you're already using a Samsung-brand phone, and you can expect the same from any pair of Galaxy smart glasses. This move would also beat Apple to the punch. Samsung's biggest competitor in mobile phones is also reportedly working on a pair of smart glasses. Apple's device may be more Ray-Ban than Orion. Despite all this talk about glasses, all I want to know is: Where the hell is Ballie? We'd love to see the little home robot again at CES this year if only to finally know if the device is truly as kickable as its shape implies.

Samsung Glasses Are Coming in 2025 (Probably)

Smart glasses aren't a new idea, but as the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses show, they're now at a stage where they work well and don't look terrible. As the tech improves and gets cheaper, more models are likely to show up -- including, in the near future, a pair from Samsung. These Samsung smart glasses haven't been unveiled yet, but those in the know are suggesting they could make their debut in 2025. Here's everything that's been confirmed and rumored about the wearable so far. Samsung itself hasn't said smart specs are on the way, but the company has gone on record to say it's working on XR products: That's Extended Reality, which encompasses the digital worlds of virtual reality (VR), the hybrid of digital and real that is augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), which is VR and AR combined. Head all the way back to Samsung's Unpacked February 2023 event, and you'll see that Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm announced they were teaming up on some kind of XR hardware -- though there wasn't much in the way of details at that point. Between then and now, there hasn't been much more information to go on, either, until quite recently. At the Unpacked July 2024 show, we heard that an XR platform was in the works, and in September, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon went on the record to say Samsung smart glasses are absolutely on the agenda. They'll apparently be linked to a smartphone, and offer "whole new experiences" -- powered in part by AI, of course. Amon said the specs would be different to the Apple Vision Pro, but similar to the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses. And that's just about everything that's official so far -- so we know the Samsung smart glasses are on the way, but not much more beyond that. We're still waiting on a release date, specs list, and any kind of pricing information (for comparison, the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses start at $300). While there's little in the way of official news, there are all kinds of rumors and speculation: One South Korean media outlet has reported the Samsung smart specs will break cover in January, alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 phones, at least in prototype form. The expectation is that the glasses will then go on sale in the third quarter of 2025 (which would be in July, August, or September). Based on insider info, the smart glasses will weigh in at 50 grams and come with support for gesture control, contactless payments, and AI-powered facial recognition -- though it's not clear exactly what that would involve. An earlier report from the Korean media drew a comparison with the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses and mentioned a Qualcomm AR1 processor and a 12MP camera with a Sony image sensor. Head all the way back to 2023 again, when Samsung trademarked the name Samsung Glasses. This gives us a strong hint about the name -- though it's strange there's no "Galaxy" in there, as there is with the Samsung Galaxy Ring. A patent filed this year, meanwhile, points to "AR glasses and/or a head-mounted device" that can navigate through physical spaces and throw up information in front of the user's eyes. So there you have it: Qualcomm and Samsung say smart glasses are on the way, and the rumor is we could see them as soon as next month, though they probably won't go on sale for a while. Other details are thin on the ground right now, but existing AR glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses and the new Xreal One Pro give us some ideas about what might be coming from Samsung.

Samsung may debut an all-new product during January's Galaxy Unpacked event

With 2024 drawing to a close, it's time to look ahead to a new year that could be filled with bold steps by major tech players. As rumors swirl about a foldable iPhone, the Nintendo Switch 2, a Galaxy S25 Slim smartphone, and redesigned OLED MacBooks, Samsung may topple them all in 2025 by once again debuting an entirely new product. Earlier this year, Samsung welcomed the all-new Galaxy Ring into its catalog of wearables. It announced the smart ring during January's Galaxy Unpacked event and revealed its release during the company's second Galaxy Unpacked event in July. According to the Korean outlet Yonhap News, Samsung may be preparing to start 2025 in much the same way, with the company reportedly planning to finally unveil its long-awaited smart glasses during January's Galaxy Unpacked event. According to a report by Yonhap News, Samsung is expected to reveal its first venture into the mixed reality space as early as January's Galaxy Unpacked event. The smart glasses expected to be revealed are the result of a collaboration between Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm first announced during Samsung's February 2023 Galaxy Unpacked event. The trio seeks to not only develop a pair of mainstream AR glasses, but a new mixed reality platform -- including the software that powers them. Each of the trio's inputs seems fairly intuitive: Qualcomm will supply the processor (as it does with Meta's third-generation Quest headsets and the popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses), Samsung will design the frames themselves, and Google will provide the platform. The latter will likely be an adaptation of Google's 'Project Astra' tech demo, which was showcased during Google I/O in May. (Video shown below.) It was believed that the initial collaboration would be to develop a premium mixed reality headset to compete with Apple's Vision Pro. However, during an interview with CNBC in September, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon revealed that a pair of mixed-reality smart glasses were in the works. With the high-tech frames being designed to pair with smartphones. It's presently unclear if a premium headset is still a potential outcome of the partnership. However, a recent leak purporting to reveal the technical specs (no pun intended) of Samsung's upcoming smart glasses would suggest that they're the most likely candidate to be debuted first. Samsung's smart glasses ambitions go back much further than its partnership with Qualcomm and Google. In 2021, a leak revealed an internal showcase of a product called Samsung Glasses Lite. These frames worked similarly to current AR glasses like those offered by XREAL and VITURE. However, unlike those products, Samsung's glasses were shown to be wireless and make use of hand gestures for interaction -- something that both VITURE and XREAL have yet to fully offer (though rumors point to this not being a distant dream for future commercial products, especially following the launch of VITURE's Pro Neckband). That said, the Samsung Glasses Lite never materialized as an actual product, and with Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon stating that the trio's smart glasses would be set to pair with smartphones, it is fair to assume that the upcoming frames will use smartphones as a computing puck, similar to how XREAL use the XREAL Beam Pro to power the more advanced features of its AR glasses. That said, while the original report from Yonhap News does indicate that the new Samsung AR/XR glasses will be briefly showcased with an image or video during January's Galaxy Unpacked event, there's no reason to believe that these will be the first of Samsung's smart glasses we will see. Similar to how Meta revealed its advanced Orion smart glasses during Meta Connect 2024, Samsung may be willing to give us an advanced look at a later model of its AR glasses, while providing us with something more modest in the meantime. After all, the recently leaked specs for Samsung's smart glasses don't indicate a pair of frames set to challenge XREAL or VITURE, but a pair of AI smart glasses that more closely resembles the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. While we can split hairs over which type of smart glasses Samsung may be preparing to showcase at next year's opening Galaxy Unpacked event, it would seem that there's growing evidence to suggest we will at the very least be seeing something smart glasses related from the South Korean giants in January. At present, we expect Samsung's first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 to take place on January 23. However, an official date is yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, the Yonhap News report does suggest that the XR platform Samsung's glasses will make use of may be revealed as soon as this month. While not as exciting to most as an actual product, this could be the first look at a true rival to Meta's impressive Horizon OS, which powers the company's mixed-reality headsets.

Samsung's XR glasses could steal the Galaxy S25's thunder at the next Unpacked

Don't buy a Google Pixel if you want to use a third-party launcher Key Takeaways Samsung could finally showcase its XR smart glasses alongside the Galaxy S25 series in January. The XR device will supposedly be lightweight, resemble regular glasses, and possibly use Qualcomm's AR1 chipset. A developer platform for Samsung's AR glasses may debut soon, but the wearable itself might not launch before Q3 2025. ✕ Remove Ads Samsung is typically among the first companies to enter a new segment. It kickstarted the foldable smartphone space with its Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series. It is also the only major tech giant with a smart ring offering. With consumer interest in AR glasses growing, as evidenced by the success of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, the company is reportedly finally ready to enter the market as well. A report claims Samsung's XR smart glasses could launch alongside the Galaxy S25 series in January next year. But there's a catch. Related I tried the limited edition Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, here are my 5 top features These glasses keep getting better Posts4 According to the Yonhap news, Samsung will unveil the prototype of its extended reality (XR) device early next year. Previous rumors suggest the device will purportedly resemble regular glasses and weigh around 50 grams. ✕ Remove Ads Samsung has seemingly been working with Google and Qualcomm to develop these smart glasses since February 2023. Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon spilled the beans on the XR device in September this year, hinting that it would be a pair of smart glasses, not a headset like the Apple Vision Pro. This should make them portable and easier to carry, though the form factor could limit the wearable's battery life and processing power. One leak indicates the smart glasses could use Qualcomm's AR1 chipset, a 12MP camera, and a 155mAh battery. Samsung's XR developer platform could debut before the end of 2024 Samsung supposedly planned to release a developer version of its headset in October 2024. But that timeframe has long gone, with the wearable nowhere to be seen. Interestingly, the report claims the company will showcase the platform powering its AR glasses as soon as "this month." It could use Gemini to integrate AI and improve the user experience, as demoed by Google's Project Astra. ✕ Remove Ads Rumors point to Samsung unveiling the Galaxy S25 series on January 23, 2025, at an Unpacked event in San Francisco. So, if the Korean report is accurate, we could get our first look at Samsung's XR prototype in less than two months. But even then, the wearable might not launch before Q3 2025, so you still have a long wait to get your hands on the XR glasses.

Samsung's next 'one more thing' for Galaxy Unpacked could be its XR glasses

The glasses are rumored to be lightweight and feature AR capabilities. The Galaxy S25 series is rumored to launch in January 2025. While we are pretty pumped about the phones, Samsung could have a "one more thing" moment lined up for the Galaxy Unpacked event, as it could use the stage to unveil the Samsung XR glasses. A report from South Korea's Yonhap, spotted by Jukanlosreve on X, suggests that Samsung could reveal a photo or video of the prototype of its "AR glasses" at the rumored Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2025 that is being held to launch the Galaxy S25 series. The product will then be launched around the third quarter of 2025, aligning with previous rumors. These Samsung glasses could weigh around 50g and are expected to be shaped like regular sunglasses. The devices are said to be equipped with payment functions, gesture recognition, and facial recognition functions using AI. Ahead of the prototype release, the XR platform on which these AR glasses are based is said to be on track for an unveil this month. Samsung has been working with Google and Qualcomm on these AR glasses and the XR platform. Curiously, this report refers to Samsung's glasses as "AR glasses," whereas Samsung itself has referenced it as an "upcoming XR device." It's possible that Samsung's initial hardware could be limited to Augmented Reality (AR), whereas the software platform could encompass Mixed Reality (XR) use cases to accommodate all types of future AR, VR, and XR devices. Leaks suggest Samsung's XR/AR glasses could include Qualcomm's AR1 chipset as their primary processing unit and an NXP chip for auxiliary processing. Other rumored specs include a 12MP Sony IMX681 CMOS sensor for QR code and gesture recognition and a 155mAh battery. Google Gemini onboard could help provide the AI touch needed to compete against products like the RayBan Meta smart glasses. Are you excited about Samsung's XR glasses? Will they steal the limelight away from the Galaxy S25 series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Samsung AR glasses just tipped for unveiling alongside Galaxy S25 at Unpacked next month

A recent report from Korea has indicated that Samsung intends to unveil a new wearable product at the next Galaxy Unpacked. While the main focus will be on the Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy Ring 2 and One UI 7 it appears there may be a surprise reveal in the form of new AR glasses. This news comes to us from a report from a Korean news outlet, originally spotted by X user @Jukanlosreve. However, it should be noted that we won't be getting a full release just yet. Instead, Samsung intends to unveil either an image or video of the prototype of its augmented reality glasses during the show. Hopefully, we will also get more information about a potential release date as well. It's also reported that Samsung will be introducing the Extended Reality (XR) platform, the software that will be installed in the glasses, later this month. The report mentions some interesting aspects of the glasses design. First, they will resemble normal sunglasses and only weigh around 50 grams, which matches the patent that we had previously seen. Think more Ray-Ban Meta Glasses and less Apple Vision Pro. Samsung has reportedly been working with Qualcomm to develop the product since February. The glasses are expected to be equipped with payment functions, likely a form of Google Wallet, as well as gesture and facial recognition that utilize an AI to work. And we expect seamless connectivity with the best Samsung phones. Releasing AR glasses is an interesting move, and would help to build up the Samsung ecosystem alongside the Galaxy Ring and phones. So far it looks like Galaxy Unpacked will take place on January 23, so we will have to wait until then to see how accurate this report is.