Watch Out, Meta: Samsung Just Confirmed Its Smart Glasses Plans (with Some Spicy Hints)

3 weeks ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

At Samsung's Galaxy XR event, nan institution teased upcoming smart glasses.
Samsung is partnering pinch Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to creation them.
The glasses will apt beryllium released complete nan adjacent twelvemonth pinch Android XR astatine its core.

While Samsung's "Worlds Wide Open" Galaxy arena focused mostly connected nan merchandise of its highly anticipated Galaxy XR headset, antecedently known arsenic Project Moohan, nan institution besides provided immoderate much specifications astir its upcoming smart glasses.

Toward nan extremity of its keynote, Samsung played a little video showing disconnected a collaboration pinch Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, nan eyewear brands down Google and Samsung's upcoming wearables. Both brands target different audiences, pinch Gentle Monster offering a much fashion-forward action for users, while Warby Parker casts a wider, mainstream net.

Also: Samsung offers free $100 woody to caller Android XR headset users - really to redeem it now

The business announcement is important arsenic it was a cardinal portion successful really bringing nan smart glasses to market. The beingness quality of nan instrumentality is particularly important arsenic users will beryllium wearing them connected their faces each time -- a profoundly individual choice. Would nan Meta Ray-Bans beryllium arsenic celebrated if they weren't designed by Ray-Bans? Maybe not.

"It's a very individual determination successful position of for illustration nan frames that you have, nan colors, and truthful it's not a one-size-fits-all marketplace by immoderate stretch, while an XR tin be," Drew Blackard, SVP of Mobile Product Management astatine Samsung, told maine up of this week's event. "The ecosystem of partnerships we're now trying to create truthful that erstwhile we do person nan offering available, it really hits nan people pinch consumers."

Samsung did not stock immoderate further specifications different than that nan AI glasses will beryllium connected to nan Android XR ecosystem, packing Google's XR capabilities into an everyday, practical, and comfortable shape factor.

Also: I wore Google's XR glasses, and they already hit my Ray-Ban Meta successful 3 ways

The nationalist already saw a glimpse of these capabilities astatine Google I/O, wherever Google showed disconnected immoderate of nan capabilities that will beryllium available. I had a chance to trial them out, and my demo included utilizing nan in-lens displays to return photos (and position nan seizure connected nan lens screen), entree Gemini assistance, and get navigation directions.

The brace utilized successful nan demo was lightweight and comfortable, though it was conscionable a reference instrumentality and not nan Warby Parker aliases Gentle Monster collaboration. When released, they should usability likewise to nan Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, which besides person an in-lens display. Those unit for $799, truthful it is probable that Samsung's return will beryllium priced successful nan aforesaid ballpark.

Even though nan Galaxy XR headset appeals to a different group of consumers and usage cases, Blackard said that nan feedback from nan headset's early adopters will effect nan improvement of nan existent glasses, peculiarly successful helping Samsung study what immoderate of nan features users want to usage nan most.

"The difficult point is erstwhile you create caller technologies and motorboat caller products is there's ever a batch of imaginable ways that nan user mightiness usage them, but you don't rather cognize what's going to deed nan astir until it really gets retired location and you understand nan feedback loop," added Blackard.

I had a chance to effort nan Android XR headset up of nan launch, and I tin spot nan heavy integrations pinch Gemini being transferred complete to nan company's return connected AI smart glasses to connection users moreover much integrated AI assistance.