Samsung finally announces prices and dates for its Ray-Ban-rivalling smart glasses

Samsung has officially announced the pricing and dates for its Intelligent Eyewear, the smart glasses it will be selling alongside Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.

With pre-orders starting immediately, the Warby Parker models will start from $395, while Gentle Monster costs a little more from $449 to $489. Currently, Samsung only plans to sell the glasses in the US and Korea, with future expansion expected in 2027.

The glasses will be in general retail from 10 December. We'd previously heard that the Warby Parker glasses would be on pre-order from 12 November, with the company jumping the gun a little in sharing that information.

Samsung's glasses came out of a partnership with Google and Qualcomm, originally announced in 2023, before Android XR was revealed in 2024. That's made it feel like a long time coming, with Samsung first launching its Galaxy XR headset.

The launch of the Samsung glasses is seen as the first real rival to Meta's ranges from Ray-Ban and Oakley, although lacking the global brand appeal that Meta has managed to leverage.

Key to Samsung's offering is the Google experience, with Gemini built-in to allow for personalised natural interactions. That will cover all the basics that Gemini is known for, while also helping wearers learn about what they are seeing.

Samsung emphasises the boost to productivity, suggesting that wearers will be able to capture what they see in meetings, get summaries as well as saving notes. The spectre of translation rears its head, with all the features that seem to be the poster child for AI services.

More interesting might be turn-by-turn directions, although that's already offered through the connected phone, while having your notifications churned through and prioritised on the go is also highlighted.

Many of those things are little different to the Gemini experience that's available through many headphones, leaving the camera-powered elements as the expansion of the offering.

There's a 12-megapixel camera powering that experience, while the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform sits behind it. The battery promises 9 hours of use, with a case providing enough juice for a weeks' worth of recharges.

In reflection of the privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses, Samsung doesn't shy away from pointing out that there are recording indicators, while also saying that it's designed for over 18s, and that camera capture will be disabled if the indicator LEDs are covered or tampered with.

But even with these things made clear, Samsung is launching its glasses into the storm of public concern. On one hand, smart glasses are seen as a key piece of technology enabling future AI services, and on the other, an intrusion into other people's daily lives.