Google Smart Glasses will be stylish and offer an optional display
Google's plans for smart glasses are becoming clearer, but an official announcement of the product is still pending.
After giving a first demo of its smart glasses in April, Google provided another demonstration of the wearable at Google I/O today. The glasses run on the new Android XR operating system and are closely integrated with Google's AI assistant, Gemini.
Google's smart glasses prototype features a built-in camera, microphones, speakers, and an optional display built into the lens that provides helpful information. The glasses are optimized for use with Android smartphones and are designed to allow users to access apps without taking their smartphone out of their pocket.
At Google I/O, the company demonstrated various use cases, such as sending messages, making appointments, requesting directions, taking photos, and facilitating live language translation between two people.
Google has found glasses partners
Google has also announced partnerships with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to create stylish smart glasses. Thus, a collaboration with Meta's major smart glasses partner, EssilorLuxottica, appears to be off the table. Google reportedly courted the eyewear giant, but EssilorLuxottica opted for a long-term partnership with Meta instead.
Google also announced an extension of its Android XR partnership with Samsung to include smart glasses. The two companies intend to develop a "software and hardware reference platform" that will allow OEMS to create their own smart glasses based on Android XR. Developers will be able to start building for the new platform later this year.
Google has been working with Samsung for some time on Project Moohan, an Android XR-based mixed reality headset. The company has confirmed that it is still planning to launch the product in 2025.
However, the release window and final form of the smart glasses' release are still unclear. Google has announced, though, that prototypes are already being tested in public. More information on the smart glasses will be available in the coming months.
In the fall, competitor Meta will expand its smart glasses portfolio and launch smart glasses with a monocular display similar to Google's prototype.
Xreal announces Project Aura
Finally, the Chinese manufacturer Xreal announced Project Aura: a new pair of Android XR display glasses powered by a tethered comput, using a Qualcomm chip. Apart from a picture, few details about the device are available. More information will become available at the Augmented World Expo in June.
Project Aura is the second hardware product based on Android XR to be announced after Project Moohan.
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