Yes, Samsung has confirmed it is working on smart glasses with the popular eyewear companies Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, hinting that a trend toward merging high-end XR features and fashion-first design is emerging. Teased at the end of a recent Samsung showcase in concept images, the devices running on the Android XR platform were also shown off with a commitment to making the technology feel like everyday eyewear and not just another gadget. Executives declined to disclose specifications or a concrete launch date, but they have indicated that they’re still moving from the concept phase into an execution schedule and would not be shipping anything this year.
Why It Matters Fashion-Wise For Smart Glasses
“Smart eyewear has always been challenged when tech gets ahead of style. A decade ago, Google Glass landed on the right side of that equation; even among its most successful wearables to date (which have yet to convert into mass-market success), Meta’s camera- and AI-equipped Ray-Bans are developed in partnership with a heritage fashion brand and sold through traditional stores. Samsung’s partners also hew to that playbook. Warby Parker would add a prescription-centric model and a network of over 200 stores across North America, while Gentle Monster brings high-fashion credibility and cross-appeal in Asia and beyond. Together, they can make it possible for Samsung to solve the adoption problem that has plagued head-worn tech: If the glasses look and feel like ordinary frames, they won’t sit unused in a case.”
Design is also influential in building trust and social acceptance. We still have privacy issues with all those cameras, mics, and displays, but at least fashion-forward hardware that announces its purpose clearly — and which is built on thoughtful software choices — has a better shot at becoming a part of our daily lives. That’s when heritage eyewear brands can bring their influence to bear when it comes to materials, lens options, sizing, and fit comfort, where pure tech companies often tend to drop the ball.
What Samsung Has Announced So Far About The Glasses
The glasses will be “seamlessly connected” to the Android XR ecosystem, Samsung said in a statement, emphasizing lifestyle use cases — travel, fitness, work and media. The concept footage (which is much like the Microsoft one) showed off lightweight overlays — directions while on the move, some context to view an object or venue, and glanceable updates — without bringing in big chunks. That indicates more of a design target in the everyman eyeglasses vein than a fully mixed-reality headset.
Samsung hasn’t provided specifics on display technology, battery life, or sensors. With the Android XR foundation and Samsung’s deep relationships with Google and Qualcomm in extended reality, developers can anticipate close integration with core Android capabilities, on-device AI for hands-free interactions, and a connection to Galaxy phones and wearables. Warby Parker’s participation also makes prescription-friendly SKUs and in-store fitting more likely, which would be a significant differentiator versus a lot of the first-wave smart glasses.
This comes from a Samsung executive who described the project as “coming soon,” with caveats that it is still approaching the execution stage. In other words, its industrial design and software experience are merging, but the company is hedging on final features until sometime closer to release. That jibes with the way Samsung treated its previous generation of wearables: tease form factor, confirm manufacturing and partner pipes… then give specs when the ecosystem is ripe.
How This Fits The Competitive Landscape
The world of smart glasses is now bifurcating. One is all-in full AR or mixed reality (hi-res passthrough, spatial computing) at the expense of bulk and price. The other is more interested in everyday wearability — audio, cameras, basic visual feedback, and AI help — packed into frames that pass for normal glasses. Samsung seems to be aiming at the latter market, where Meta and Ray-Ban have captured the most visible consumer traction and where style, weight, and battery life matter most.
Google has said that Android XR will work across a variety of devices and named fashion partners, such as Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, as initial collaborators. If Samsung’s glasses fall into that ecosystem, developers could reuse Android tools and services, removing friction for apps mixing voice, vision, and on-device AI. Analyst firms have reported that XR growth will be driven by lighter, more affordable wearables in the last year rather than only premium headsets, so Samsung’s bet also fits with broader market momentum.
What To Watch For Before The Smart Glasses Launch
There will be three signs that show how committed Samsung is to the world of wider acceptance.
- Developer tooling: the Android XR SDK, with guidance for glanceable UI, privacy-centric camera use, and battery-conscious design.
- Retail distribution: Warby Parker’s stores and Gentle Monster’s boutiques could offer Samsung a turnkey channel for fittings, prescriptions, and style consultations.
- AI features: hands-free capture (more on that in a second), live translation, navigation prompts, and contextual assistance all need to work fast and locally to feel smooth on the face.
If it can pull that off, Samsung’s smart glasses would do to everyday AR what wireless earbuds did for voice assistants: make them ambient. The company’s corporate confirmation, along with its connections to the two high-powered eyewear brands, points to the next wave of XR being far more fashion than gadgetry — and that might be exactly what the category needs.
