Samsung Electronics Co. is expanding its extended reality ambitions through a new smart glasses partnership with Google LLC, positioning the South Korean tech giant to compete in the emerging AI-powered eyewear market.
At Google’s I/O developer conference Tuesday, the companies revealed they’re extending their existing collaboration to develop glasses powered by Android XR, Google’s operating system designed specifically for extended reality devices. The glasses will feature cameras, microphones, and speakers working with smartphones to provide hands-free access to applications.
The partnership builds upon Samsung and Google’s existing XR collaboration announced in 2023, which has already yielded Samsung’s Project Moohan headset scheduled for release later this year. The glasses initiative marks Samsung’s venture into a space already occupied by Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Google is casting a wide net for eyewear partnerships, also announcing collaborations with fashion brands Gentle Monster—another South Korean company—and U.S.-based Warby Parker. Google committed up to $150 million to Warby Parker for product development and potential equity investment.
The companies are developing a shared software and hardware reference platform that will enable other manufacturers to create compatible glasses. However, consumers will need to wait, as the first products from these partnerships aren’t expected until after 2025.
