Samsung (005930.KS) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) revealed their upcoming line of smart glasses on Tuesday. The companies said the intelligent eyewear is intended to be used as a companion device for users’ smartphones and will feature designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker (WRBY).
According to Samsung, the glasses are meant to be used hands-free and can perform tasks like helping you navigate by voice, providing personalized suggestions for locations like a nearby coffee shop on your regular walking route, and placing an order for pickup.
The glasses will also summarize text notifications and allow you to add events to your calendar. Samsung said the eyewear will also offer real-time voice translation and can translate text, such as menus and signs.
“This intelligent eyewear marks an important step in Samsung’s vision for AI,” Jay Kim, Samsung’s executive vice president and head of consumer experience office and mobile experience business, said in a statement.
“With this new AI form factor, we are further expanding the Galaxy device ecosystem, where each device is optimized to deliver unique AI experiences that best fit each form,” Kim said.
The glasses, which will run on Google’s Android XR software, will launch later this year, with additional details coming in the months ahead.
Samsung and Google previously launched their Samsung Galaxy XR headset in October, as a first step toward their smart glasses effort.
The new glasses will enter a market with growing competition. Meta (META) is leading the space with its Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses provide similar functionality to Samsung and Google’s offering, while the Meta Ray-Ban Display, as its name implies, features a built-in display.
Smart glasses are seen as the next must-have product in consumer tech, with companies racing to launch their own hardware. Snap (SNAP) is also working on its own AI smart glasses, but the 800-pound gorilla in the space is Apple (AAPL), which is reportedly developing smart glasses.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will show off its glasses later this year or in early 2027 and launch them that year.
Like smart glasses from Samsung, Google, and Meta, Apple’s will offer hands-free capabilities, take photos and videos, and feature multiple designs and color options.
Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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