Can Samsung make smart glasses you’ll actually want to wear? I just got my first up-close look at the designs coming this fall in collaboration with Google, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.
These glasses are shockingly light given all the tech stuffed inside, and Samsung promises longer battery life than the Meta Ray-Ban glasses and instant access to Google’s robust app ecosystem. Plus, Samsung seems to be taking user privacy seriously.
Light enough for ‘all-day’ wear
The first thing I noticed about this Intelligent Eyewear is how light they are. Yes, the Warby Parker model looks bulkier than my everyday reading glasses from the same brand, but I was surprised how easy they were to pick up.
The right side houses a button for firing up Gemini and capturing content, and there’s a power switch on the inside of the left arm. There’s a camera on the right, LED sensor on the left and dual stereo speakers on the arms.
The Gentle Monster glasses come in a couple of different styles, including fashionable oval specs and more traditional-looking frames that offer clear or tinted lenses.
There appears to be a touchpad on the left and right arms for controlling volume, but Samsung was not able to confirm this detail.
Durability: Dropped, stretched and sunscreened
According to James Choi, who heads Samsung's XR R&D, the company subjected these glasses to drop tests, water tests, high temperatures and sweat. In fact, the company invented 20 different tests to evaluate the durability of its glasses.
This includes using robots to force the arms outward to see how long they last under stress. Samsung even devised a sunscreen test, injecting it near the speakers. So these specs should be able to stand up to the wear and tear of your daily schedule.
Gemini AI on your face
These AI glasses are all about having Gemini always available, letting you check notifications, get answers to your questions, directions and more on the go. For Samsung, it’s not about replacing your phone, but using it less.
With Gemini Live on board, you can leverage the cameras, microphones and open ear stereo speakers to have conversations on the fly with the AI assistant. You can get real-time guidance on everything from cooking to putting together an outfit or assembling furniture.
And because the glasses instantly understand the world from your perspective, the eyewear can be more contextual and there’s much less you need to explain.
And, unlike Meta, you’ll have access to a bevy of popular Google apps from day one, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, as well as Samsung apps like Notes and Interpreter.
Very good (promised) battery life
Samsung promises nine hours of battery life on a charge with mixed usage. This includes Gemini Live conversations, voice calls, notifications and more.
I got to handle the charging case for the Gentle Monster glasses, and it was quite light as well. It promises several charges on the go.
What about privacy?
We don’t know the specs of the camera yet for the Samsung glasses, but you'll be able to capture photos and videos, as well as let Gemini see what you see for Gemini Live interactions.
But how will Samsung protect privacy and prevent a horde of creeps from surveilling everyone around them? Samsung told us that they’re building AI glasses you can trust.
For starters, any blocking of the LED on the glasses also blocks recording. But Samsung knows that certain individuals will resort to trying to hack the glasses or — as in the case of Meta — perhaps seek black market options for tampering with their device.
“At Samsung, privacy is not an afterthought,” Samsung’s Choi said. “For this category to be more widely adopted, we understand that the user and the people around them need to trust both the technology and its privacy protection."
Choi told us that simple destruction of the LED can be detected but Samsung also has engineers who are focused on further protections and reverse engineering what bad actors might accomplish on the black market.
Outlook
There’s still a fair amount we don’t know about the Samsung AI glasses year, like the weight, specs and especially price. But it’s clear that Samsung is focusing on everyday wearability and durability for these first-generation glasses.
Assuming the prices are affordable enough, I’d say Samsung and its partners have some key advantages over Meta, including high-profile partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, longer battery life, a better ecosystem of apps and a smarter AI assistant in Gemini.
Display glasses will come later. Samsung is actively developing this category but is also in no rush to launch. The company doesn’t want to make any major sacrifices to wearability.
“We want better quality than what’s in the market,” Choi said. We want to make it natural with the display. We’re working on it.”
But tell me what you think. Are you leaning towards Samsung or Meta, waiting for Apple to join the smart glasses race, or are you just fully anti AI-camera glasses no matter who makes them? Sound off in the comments.
