Google has been talking about Android XR for close to two years now, but the company is finally opening pre-orders for its first Android XR smart glasses today, which it’s calling the Intelligent Eyewear.
As expected, Google has partnered with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker to introduce its first intelligent eyewear glasses. The Warby Parker collection starts at $395, while the Gentle Monster collection starts at $449. Warby Parker is offering three styles at launch, whereas Gentle Monster is offering six different designs. These are the same designs that leaked earlier.
As previously rumored, the first generation of Android XR glasses doesn’t come with a built-in display. Instead, they’re designed similarly to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, featuring built-in speakers, a camera, and microphones that allow you to interact with Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.
Google’s first Android XR glasses aren’t cheap
Under the hood, the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset and feature a 12MP ultra-wide camera with HDR processing and image stabilization. Like other smart glasses, you can use them to take photos and record videos without reaching for your smartphone.
As for what you can actually do with them, Gemini is at the center of the experience. You can ask Google’s AI assistant questions about what you’re looking at, get turn-by-turn navigation instructions, translate conversations in real time, and even have it read or translate text from signs and menus.
For example, you could look at a restaurant while walking down the street and ask Gemini about its reviews without ever reaching for your phone. Interestingly, these are also the first Android devices to use the “Hey Gemini” hotword instead of “Hey Google.”
The glasses also support making calls, sending messages, listening to music, and getting summaries of missed notifications. Google is also bringing support for multi-step Gemini tasks, allowing users to interact with supported apps and services using just their voice. So, you could technically order your favorite coffee or book a cab without even reaching for your phone.
Google is taking smart glasses privacy seriously
And considering Meta has faced plenty of privacy-related criticism recently, privacy is also a major focus of these Android XR glasses. Similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, Google and Samsung have included a dedicated LED indicator that lights up whenever the camera is being used to capture photos or videos.
The indicator is designed to let people around you know when the camera is active, and it can’t be tampered with. In fact, the camera automatically stops working if the glasses detect that someone is trying to cover or block the recording LED.
Another interesting privacy feature is that Google says visual information captured for Gemini isn’t used to train its AI models or target advertisements. Google also says that when you take a picture and ask Gemini a question, bystanders’ faces are automatically blurred before the images are processed by the AI assistant.
Not every Android phone can use them
What’s interesting, however, is the limited smartphone compatibility for now. The Android XR glasses are currently supported only on Google Pixel 7 and newer models, select Samsung Galaxy smartphones running One UI 9 or later, and iPhone 13 Pro and later.
There’s no support for other Android flagship devices, including those from Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo, and other manufacturers. So yes, these Android XR glasses support iPhones before they support all Android phones.
That said, if you own a compatible smartphone, you can now pre-order the glasses. The Warby Parker collection is available in the US and Canada, while Gentle Monster is initially launching in the US and South Korea. Both collections are expected to go on sale starting December 10.
