Images and specs of Samsung’s upcoming smart glasses may have already leaked, however a new report suggests we may get an eye-full at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked product event in July.
At the time of this writing, Samsung hasn’t confirmed when its next Unpacked event will be, however according to Seoul Economic Daily, the South Korean tech giant is reportedly getting ready to hold its its next big product launch event in London on July 22nd.
There, we can expect to see a first look at the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Flip8 next-gen foldables, Galaxy Watch9 series, as well as its first smart glasses, which the company confirmed will arrive sometime this year.
Citing industry sources, Samsung is reportedly working with South Korea-based eyewear brand Gentle Monster “to enhance design and practical competitiveness” of the device, which is set to run Google’s Android XR operating system.
At Google’s I/O developer conference in May, Google announced it was partnering with Gentle Monster in addition to separate efforts with Warby Parker, Gucci parent company Kering, and Samsung to produce the first slate of Android XR smart glasses, which are expected to compete with Ray-Ban Meta.
Late last year however, Samsung announced it was working with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker on styling, making it less clear what devices we’ll see and which company is principally behind them.
Like Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta smart glasses, those initial units are expected to be audio-only, i.e. not include a display of any kind, but instead include microphones, camera, speakers, and onboard AI.
The report notes Samsung’s smart glasses, which some have dubbed ‘Galaxy Glasses’, are expected to launch in Q3 of this year.
Notably, they will be positioned “not as a mere wearable device but as a core ‘edge device’ that completes its AI ecosystem, entering into full-scale competition with global companies such as Meta of the U.S. and Xiaomi of China,” the report maintains.
Additionally, Samsung is expected to connect its smart glasses with its broader device ecosystem, including smartphones and SmartThings home appliances, the report says.
This follows a supposed leak of images and specs of Samsung’s first smart glasses, which is reportedly including specs very similar to the latest Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2).
The company is also reportedly working on more advanced units, as per code mined from the most recent One UI 9 firmware, which revealed a new and wholly distinct model number that some have speculated could be a pair of smart glasses with built-in display.
