Samsung & Google are likely to copy Meta and launch their own AI glasses soon
Qualcomm, Samsung and Google may be working on AI glasses similar to Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
Qualcomm CEO Christiano Amon hinted at this in an interview with CNBC.
After raving about the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (Qualcomm supplies the chips for the glasses) and the possibilities that the glasses form factor opens up for AI assistants, Amon went on to talk about the Qualcomm-Samsung-Google partnership and what should come of it.
"It’s gonna be a new product, it’s gonna be new experiences. But what I really expect to come out of this partnership, I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it."
It sounds like the partners want to copy Meta's success and launch smart glasses connected to Android smartphones. It was previously reported that Google contacted eyewear manufacturer and Meta partner EssilorLuxottica to work on a similar product.
Qualcomm, Samsung, and Google announced an XR partnership in early 2023. It is not known what the partners are actually working on. In July, Samsung spoke in very general terms about a "new XR platform coming this year".
A report from the Korean website JoongAng in November 2023 suggested that it would be a premium headset and a competitor to the Vision Pro.
A lot of time has passed since then. The Apple Vision Pro has been released to a lukewarm reception, while Meta scored a surprise success with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. According to a report, Meta itself has decided against developing a premium headset and Vision Pro competitor for 2027, and is instead trying its hand at a pair of compact mixed reality glasses. So the trend is moving from headsets to glasses.
The Qualcomm CEO's comments raise questions:
- Did Qualcomm, Samsung, and Google really have a headset in the works?
- Did they pivot from headsets to glasses at some point?
- Are these two projects being developed in parallel?
- Are the AI glasses that Amon conjured up just a vision of the future, and a headset is coming after all?
These questions will likely be answered this year when the partners finally unveil their product.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
