Approximately twelve years following the controversial introduction of Google Glass, the technology firm is formally re-entering the smart eyewear market—however, the current emphasis is not on equipping your face with a smartphone. The primary concern is now Gemini, its advanced AI system that both consumers and programmers have lauded since its latest revision, and integrating that assistant as the core of your daily activities.
TL;DR
- Google is re-entering smart eyewear with AI integration, launching in 2026 with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.
- Two concepts: screen-free assistance glasses for conversational AI and display AI glasses for augmented reality overlays.
- Google also announced Android XR enhancements, including PC Connect for Samsung's Galaxy XR and "Likeness" for virtual conferences.
- Project Aura wired XR glasses with a 70-degree field of vision are designed for practical everyday uses.
During “The Android Show: XR Edition” event on Monday, Google confirmed its first wave of AI-powered eyewear, developed in partnership with fashion-forward brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, is slated for release in 2026. The move pits Google directly against its Silicon Valley rivals, Meta and Apple, in the race to win your face.
Google presented two distinct concepts for the design of smart glasses. The initial set will consist of “screen-free assistance” glasses, featuring light frames that forgo heads-up displays, opting instead for integrated speakers, microphones, and cameras. Google states these will “let you use your camera and microphone to ask Gemini questions about your surroundings” and “remember what’s important.” In essence: They are spectacles you can converse with, and that can respond, but without any elaborate display functionalities.
Google is also developing “display AI glasses.” For individuals seeking augmented reality experiences without the substantial form factor of a headset like the Apple Vision Pro. These devices will incorporate an in-lens screen designed to overlay digital information onto the user's view of their surroundings. According to the company, this particular design “privately shows you helpful information, right when you need it, like turn-by-turn navigation or translation captions.”
“For AI and XR to be truly helpful, the hardware needs to fit seamlessly into your life and match your personal style,” Google said in a blog post. “We want to give you the freedom to choose the right balance of weight, style, and immersion for your needs.”
In addition to the glasses, Google revealed enhancements for the wider Android XR environment, particularly for Samsung's rival to the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR device, which launched in the preceding month. A novel “PC Connect” capability, currently in its testing phase, permits individuals to connect their headgear to a Windows PC, enabling them to “pull in your desktop or a window from your computer and place it side-by-side with native apps.” Apple’s Vision Pro offers this functionality as well, and it's easily one of the headset’s best features.
Google's recent update also caters to corporate travelers through a “travel mode” designed to ensure a steady visual experience while airborne, and a capability named “Likeness,” that produces a “realistic digital representation of your face that mirrors your facial expressions and hand gestures in real-time” for virtual conferences. To reiterate, these are functionalities that were present from the initial Vision Pro release, yet they represent excellent enhancements for user convenience.
Google unveiled “Project Aura,” a pair of wired XR glasses developed in collaboration with smart-glasses venture XREAL. These connected glasses, featuring a 70-degree field of vision, are intended for tasks such as “practical everyday uses” like “following a floating recipe video while you cook or seeing step-by-step visual guides anchored to an appliance you are fixing.” Upon completion, this premium head-mounted display appears to be the most comparable Android alternative to Apple Vision Pro.
You can learn more about Google’s smart glasses ambitions below:
