Samsung’s first AI glasses are finally getting closer to store shelves. According to The Korea Herald, a Samsung official has confirmed that the company plans to launch its Intelligent Eyewear in November, although pricing is still under wraps.
We first saw the glasses at Google I/O in May, where Google showed off the Android XR platform and its work with Samsung, Qualcomm, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker. Samsung later gave us a much better look at the hardware during Galaxy Unpacked in July. Until now, however, the company had only committed to a fall release.
Samsung is following Meta’s display-less formula
The first model skips a built-in display. Cameras and microphones capture what is happening around you, while Gemini handles the AI side through a connected Galaxy phone. Responses are delivered through speakers inside the frame.
Gemini can answer questions about what you are looking at, provide navigation help, translate conversations, summarize messages, and assist with calls. Samsung has also shown Gentle Monster and Warby Parker designs. Weight is another part of Samsung’s pitch. The company has called the glasses lighter than most AI eyewear, while Korean reports suggest it may undercut the 51-gram base Ray-Ban Meta by up to 5 grams.
The camera brings an obvious privacy problem
Camera-equipped glasses continue to make people uncomfortable. An iPhone app designed to warn users when smart glasses may be nearby climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. paid App Store chart earlier this year. A YouGov survey also found that 54% of Americans consider filming and sharing strangers in public without consent usually or always unacceptable.
Even Meta has started exploring what AI glasses look like without a camera. The company recently introduced the Ray-Ban Meta Audio, which drops the camera entirely while keeping features such as audio, calls, and AI assistance.
Samsung, meanwhile, is keeping the camera and trying to address the issue with safeguards. An external LED will indicate when recording is active, while the camera can shut down if the light is obscured. Wear detection can also disable the camera when the glasses are removed. Meta has already adopted similar protections after people found ways to tamper with the recording light on its camera-equipped glasses, while Apple has reportedly spent extra time refining its own smart glasses partly over privacy concerns.
