Google has recently confirmed on its official blog that the company will launch its first AI smart glasses in 2026, officially entering the smart glasses market and competing directly with Meta. These smart glasses will be based on the Android XR platform, and Google has also partnered with South Korean fashion brand Gentle Monster and American eyewear brand Warby Parker, aiming to create a wearable device suitable for the masses.
Google hopes that by collaborating with fashion brands, it can enhance the design of smart glasses, making them more similar to regular glasses worn in daily life, thus reducing users' psychological burden when wearing them in public. According to the plan, Google is advancing two different forms of AI glasses. One features a "screenless" design, without an internal display, but equipped with speakers, microphones, and cameras, supporting voice interaction, photography, and access to the Gemini large model, allowing users to communicate with an AI assistant through voice.
The other product integrates a display module into the lenses, visible only to the wearer, mainly used to show navigation guidance and real-time subtitles, meeting users' needs for immersion and information display. In addition, Google also showcased the "Project Aura" wired XR glasses developed in collaboration with Xreal, a product positioned between headsets and regular glasses. It not only supports information overlay but can also function as an extended screen, supporting office work and entertainment, further promoting the development of lightweight spatial computing.
In terms of market competition, Meta has already captured a certain market share in the smart glasses sector through its partnership with Ray-Ban and has enhanced user experience and sales channels through offline retail. To this end, Google plans to follow a similar strategy, deepening its collaboration with Warby Parker and committing to invest $75 million to support the latter's efforts in product development and commercialization, in addition to potential additional investments to acquire shares.
Several companies, including Apple and Snap, also plan to launch consumer-oriented smart glasses around 2026, and smart glasses are expected to become one of the important personal computing entry points following smartphones.
Key Points:
🌟 Google plans to launch its first AI smart glasses in 2026, joining the competition in the smart glasses market.
👓 Collaborating with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to make smart glasses look more like everyday glasses.
🖥️ Planning to launch two different forms of glasses, one without a screen and one with an integrated display module, to meet diverse user needs.
