Intelligent Eyewear: Google and Samsung’s First Android XR Glasses now available to pre-order in the US and Korea

After announcing the  Android XR project over a year ago at Google I/O last May, the first wave of ‘Intelligent Eyewear’ from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster is now available to pre-order – but only in the US and Korea.

Pre-orders are available from today ahead of the glasses going on-sale on December 10th. Designs from Warby Parker start at $395 USD (≈$580 AUD), while Gentle Monster’s models will start at $449 USD (≈$660AUD).

Over 30 designs are available through the two designers, with the Gentle Monster range including six different designs in ‘bold’ coloured frames and lenses, while Warby Parker’s Android XR line-up includes their three Wren, Alden and Reid models, which will also be available in a range of colours. 

Android XR

The glasses will all be based around a common hardware spec. Weighing in at just 41 grams, the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform and include 2GB of RAM and 64GB storage. 

A battery with up to nine hours of use is included, as well as a charging case which can extend life up to 72 hours. The glasses will of course include a camera, with a 12MP sensor listed alongside dual open-ear speakers and four microphones.

Backed by Samsung and Google, the Android XR platform brings Gemini to the world using the camera and microphones for input. 

Gemini will be able to help users explore and understand surroundings, identifying objects or landmarks. The camera can also quickly snap a shot of meeting minutes, or translate over 70 different languages and more on the fly. 

The glasses will also be able to help with turn-by-turn directions, and of course give you access to instant notifications with summaries, letting you respond with natural voice responses. 

Privacy

As we’ve seen with pushback on Meta Glasses with privacy, Samsung and Google are getting ahead of the game, stating ‘the intelligent eyewear has controls that put the user in charge and has privacy protections for both the wearer and people around them’.

The glasses will of course have a recording light to indicate when the camera is in use, and recording is disabled if the light is covered or ‘or not functioning properly’ (read: disabled). 

to help with turn-by-turn directions, and of course give you access to instant notifications with summaries, letting you respond with natural voice responses. 

Privacy

As we’ve seen with pushback on Meta Glasses with privacy, Samsung and Google are getting ahead of the game, stating ‘the intelligent eyewear has controls that put the user in charge and has privacy protections for both the wearer and people around them’.

The glasses will of course have a recording light to indicate when the camera is in use, and recording is disabled if the light is covered or ‘or not functioning properly’ (read: disabled). 

Google also says Gemini activity doesn’t use visuals you take for AI model training, with any pictures used for ‘tell me what I’m looking at’ automatically redacting bystanders faces. 

You can head over to the Android XR main page, or go straight to Warby Parker or Gentle Monster to check out their range. We’re keen to see these new glasses in Australia and we’ll update as soon as we have details.