Ray-Ban Meta just got a major competitor – Samsung and Google reveal "Intelligent Eyewear"
Gentle Monster and Warby Parker are providing the styles, Samsung and Google the tech
Quick Summary
Samsung and Google have partnered for their own smart glasses, with additional glasses makers on board too.
The Intelligent Eyewear collection will be released later this year and will feature designs from the likes of Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.
As heavily rumoured in the build up, Samsung and Google have partnered for a new smart glasses venture, with Ray-Ban and Meta firmly in their sights.
As with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Intelligent Eyewear pairs with a mobile phone and gives wearers access to AI features through voice commands. There is no display (not initially anyway), while the glasses can come in sunglass or clear lens styles.
Each pair will keep the wearer informed with notifications from their phone, guidance through Gemini – such as directions or local attractions – and real-time translations. One neat feature is that the translation will match the speaker's voice, using AI speech.
The glasses feature speakers in the arms, plus a camera unit on the front of the frame – this will see what the user sees, to better enable advice. It can also be used to take photos and, we assume, video.
The Samsung Intelligent Eyewear collection will run on the Android XR platform and will hit stores "this fall". Additional details, including price and exact availability will be announced "in the coming months".
"This intelligent eyewear marks an important step in Samsung’s vision for AI,” said Samsung's head of consumer experience, Jay Kim.
“With this new AI form factor, we are further expanding the Galaxy device ecosystem, where each device is optimised to deliver unique AI experiences that best fit each form.”
The glasses are naturally a direct competitor to the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 that are available now. Other brands are also starting to release their own rivals, including L'Atitude 52°N with its Berlin pair having gone on pre-order today.
It's likely to become a busy market soon, especially with additional fashion labels lurking in the background and waiting to unveil their own smart creations.
