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with Samsung Galaxy XR On my head, it looks somewhere between a Meta Quest and See Apple Pro. It’s big, weird and definitely not something I’d wear outside. But this new, expensive mixed reality headset is a partnership between tech giants Samsung and Google. It is only the first stage Of their plan.
the The next step is smart glasses Designed for everyday wear, inside and out.
There’s something going on inside the Galaxy XR that’s unlike any other VR headset you’ve used. It’s surprising and maybe a little scary. Gemini AI can see what I see — not just those around me in the real world with cameras built throughout the headset. As a second set of eyes, Gemini AI can also see the virtual screens I’m browsing. It’s easy to imagine that they live invisibly inside harmless glasses, too.
And that’s exactly the plan, according to Samsung’s COO of mobile experiences, Won-Joon Choi, and Google’s Android head, Sameer Samat. In exclusive conversations, they tell me what’s coming next. We still don’t know the price and availability The next wave of smart glassesBut we know they’re coming.
Google and Samsung are working with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to make AI glasses that would compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley EssilorLuxottica partnership. The Galaxy Only on glasses Rather, between glasses, phones, watches, rings, etc.
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CNET’s Patrick Holland tries out a Google and Samsung Glass prototype at this year’s Google Developers Conference.
Discovering contextual AI that can ‘see’
Meta and Google have discussed so-called contextual AI as the next big step forward in AI assistant agents. Context, in this sense, means being aware of more of the things you do: the apps you use, the places you visit, and, most importantly, what you are looking at or listening to at this moment.
Meta glasses have Live AI modes Which can take advantage of the camera and microphones. Google does the same thing on the Galaxy XR headset Gemini aiwhile also increasing awareness of open applications, virtual experiences, and real-world environments. We’ve already done that Experienced hands-on demonstrations About what future Google and Samsung glasses can do.
“We believe that XR headphones and glasses are the most natural devices that can achieve this multimodal AI,” says Samsung’s Choi. “We are laying the foundation for new waves to come, in different forms that people are more likely to use in their daily lives.”
Watch this: I tried the Samsung Galaxy XR: the headset that could compete with Apple’s Vision Pro
In the short term, smart glasses, not complex and expensive VR headsets, will likely be the most affordable and accessible contextual AI products.
“We didn’t create this operating system just for headphones,” Choi says of Android XR, noting that it will cover glasses as well.
“Glasses are a really important factor for the future of AI,” says Google’s Samat.
The Galaxy
“You’ll be looking through your AI glasses at other computing surfaces,” Samat says. This relationship is what takes a lot of work to discover. “There’s collaboration between glasses and other computing services, which is really interesting, especially the phone.”
Samat points to phones that power computing with glasses and wearables that filter information from the phone — just like a smartwatch — but deeper and perhaps more interactive, too.
Choi also sees the glasses working with phones to power processing, something Google is already exploring Xerial Via Hala Project. Qualcomm’s work trying to build phone-powered glasses also plays a role: Snapdragon wipersQualcomm’s phone-to-glasses connectivity software channel is part of Android XR.
Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses already use neural banding for gesture input. Will watches and rings be the next step?
The glasses can connect through wearable devices, watches, and rings
Unlike a phone’s touch screen, smart glasses do not have a clear interface for control. Connected peripherals may make future glasses feel less awkward.
Meta’s Ray-Ban displays I introduced a dedicated neural band for gestures, but that band doesn’t do any other useful watch-like things yet. Meanwhile, Samsung and Google have done so Watches and Rings There’s an abundance of them, and there are strong signs that they’ll be incorporating them into their eyewear lineup soon.
Although Android
Choi also admits that watches with displays worn on the wrist would be good accessories for display-less glasses. “Let’s say you have glasses without a screen. We have a lot of other devices, even wearables, that have a screen so you can take advantage of them.”
The Oakley Meta Vanguard sunglasses really explore fitness modes. Google and Samsung could be next.
Expect fitness and health to be a big focus
I’m still surprised that the Samsung Galaxy XR doesn’t connect seamlessly with WearOS watches or Fitbits for health tracking in exercise apps. But you should expect the Android XR smart glasses to offer more health and fitness functions.
Meta has already started connecting the dots with integrations for Garmin and Strava watches and sports-focused gadgets Oakley Meta Vanguard. Samat and Choi see similar potential for Google and Samsung products.
While Samsung’s Choi still believes that VR headsets like the Galaxy XR need to overcome hurdles to integrate fitness, glasses are a better fit.
“When we launch glasses, I think we have applications around fitness and health – for example, when cycling.” There is also interest in tracking nutrition via glasses, using them to enter calories or help check nutrients.
A prototype for future augmented reality glasses, and perhaps more AI models
Google’s Samat admits that the $1,799 Galaxy XR is aimed at developers and businesses as much as it is at consumers.
“It’s not a wearable thing, but from a development platform standpoint, it gives you the same inputs you might want to use if you were making a pair of augmented reality glasses,” Samat says. “We will encourage people to take advantage of it in this way.”
I’m also curious to see if Android XR will support other models of glasses AI, other than the Gemini. For now, at least, Google is making Gemini its main choice for AI, but that may change over time.
“Android has always been designed in an open way, so we definitely think there will be others coming in and building things in all of these environments,” Samat says. “On a phone, you can clearly see a lot of different AI technologies. I don’t think the XR will be any different in that regard.” “I think, like I said, we’re at the beginning of this.”