Google-powered smart glasses launch with enhanced AI and privacy features

Samsung has released a new line of smart glasses built on Android XR, Google’s platform for mixed-reality headsets, and equipped with the Gemini AI system. The devices, offered in collaborations with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, provide real-time translation of multiple languages without requiring users to download specific language packs. In a demonstration, Gemini translated conversations among speakers of French, Spanish, Korean, German, Thai and English, and automatically added event details to a Google Calendar.

Google’s senior director of product management for XR, Juston Payne, said the company is implementing proactive privacy measures, including on-device face redaction and ambient-noise filtering. "We’re not going to target ads on it. We’re not going to train Gemini on it. Humans aren’t going to be able to use it to improve the models," Payne explained. The glasses feature a privacy LED that signals when visual data is being captured, and Google plans to require opt-in permissions for camera and microphone access, as well as to restrict third-party apps that could enable live facial identification or alter LED functionality.

The hardware weighs 41 g, offers roughly nine hours of battery life with a case that provides up to seven additional charges, and includes a 12 MP ultrawide camera with image stabilization. Pricing starts at $395 for the Warby Parker models and $449 for Gentle Monster designs, which range from everyday styles to more avant-garde frames.

Google also highlighted accessibility features such as Guided Vision, which delivers audio descriptions of surroundings, and a partnership with Aira to stream camera feeds to human interpreters for low-vision users. The glasses are slated for preorder now, with shipments expected to begin on December 10.