Samsung and Google announced that they will release an Android-based “XR platform” with Qualcomm in early 2023; This platform could also lead to the launch of a high-end mixed reality headset. While we haven't yet heard exactly what the XR partnership will entail, a new report Information He argues that Samsung and Google are also working on smart glasses that could potentially compete with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
Citing inside sources, the report claims that Google employees floated the idea of producing smart glasses with Samsung earlier this year, ostensibly to produce and market the device to incorporate Google's own artificial intelligence efforts.
Google was said to have created several smart glasses prototypes in an attempt to attract the interest of manufacturing partners such as Samsung.
Such a prototype Information The reports were codenamed 'Betty' and featured a monocular display; conceptually it was similar to the discontinued Google Glass. Two other prototypes, codenamed 'Barry' and 'Mary', were said to include stereo displays.
Notably, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses do not include: any Screens that rely primarily on voice commands and touch input for things like listening to music, taking videos and photos with their built-in cameras, and performing casual AI web searches.
The upcoming smart glasses collaboration is allegedly the result of meetings earlier this year with Samsung executives and Google employees such as director of product management Juston Payne and vice president of AR Shahram Izadi.
There, it was emphasized that relatively lightweight smart glasses are more feasible rather than pushing full AR glasses, such as Meta's Orion AR prototype introduced at Connect 2024 last month.
In short, smart glasses with screens can provide the user with basic content such as text and directions in a relatively small field of view. Full AR glasses will provide a more immersive, wider field of view with content such as 3D objects and 2D windows anchored in your real-world environment. Learn more about the difference between AR and smart glasses in our guide.
Whatever the case, we're sure to know more soon, as Samsung/Google/Qualcomm confirmed at Samsung Unpacked in July that Android XR platforms would be announced by the end of 2024; this could also include launch details surrounding the upcoming XR hardware.