Summary
- Google publicly showcased its AR glasses prototype at the TED Conference for the first time.
- The glasses support live translation and image recognition while staying lightweight.
- A launch may be near, possibly at Google I/O 2025, following this public prototype demo.
Ever since the release of Apple Vision Pro in early 2024, Android competitors like Samsung and Google have been working on their own mixed reality wearables. Google unveiled Android XR in December 2024, an operating system based on Android designed to support XR devices, including smart glasses and headsets. Now, the company’s first-ever AR glasses have made a public appearance.
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At the TED Conference in Vancouver, Android XR head Shahram Izadi walked on stage wearing what appeared to be a prototype of Google’s XR glasses (via Axios). This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about them though. Google has been known to be working on a pair of smart glasses and has even showcased XR glasses’ prototype to select media earlier this year, but this marks the first public appearance of the glasses.
Google’s Android XR glasses just made a surprise appearance at TED
Source: Axios
As for the design, the glasses look almost identical to a regular pair of specs. In fact, if Izadi hadn’t told the audience, many might not have even realized they were smart glasses, claims the report. During the talk, he also demonstrated a few capabilities of the XR glasses live on stage.
Izadi performed a live translation from Farsi to English and showcased image recognition by scanning a book. Izadi also explained that the glasses were paired with a smartphone, streaming data back and forth. This setup allows the glasses to be lightweight and compact, avoiding the bulky form factor seen in many other XR devices.
In addition to Google’s XR glasses, the Axios report also mentions that Izadi showcased Samsung’s XR headset, codenamed “Moohan,” during the conference. While we’ve seen Samsung’s headset before, the report emphasizes again that it “bears a striking resemblance to Apple Vision Pro.” In the demo, the headset displayed multiple overlay windows and a 360-degree video.
Google seems to be focusing on lightweight AR glasses, taking a different route from Samsung and Apple, who are leaning into more powerful XR headsets. While Google hasn’t revealed a release timeline yet, showing off a working prototype publicly hints at a launch on the horizon. We might even hear more at Google I/O 2025 next month.
Related
Samsung’s Project Moohan is taking a camera cue from Android
Android XR apps need passthrough permission
