Samsung’s highly anticipated smart glasses, developed in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, are now expected to debut in late 2025—a timeline slightly delayed but featuring some familiar specifications.
According to a report from the Korean outlet citing a study by Wellsen XR Research, Samsung plans an initial production run of 500,000 units with a launch set for Q3 2025 (between July and September).
This timing aligns with Samsung’s typical second Unpacked event of the year, where it also showcases its foldable phones and, this year, the Galaxy Ring.
The smart glasses will reportedly be equipped with Qualcomm’s AR1 chip, a 155mAh battery, and weigh 50 grams.
Other features include a 12MP Sony camera and a custom Gemini LLM (large language model) co-developed with Google.
These specifications closely mirror those of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which also utilize the AR1 chip, though Qualcomm has since introduced the AR2 chipset.
Compared to the Ray-Bans, Samsung’s glasses are slightly heavier but otherwise share similar camera and battery capabilities.
A key differentiator lies in the software: Google Gemini will likely enhance Samsung’s glasses with advanced functionality, such as QR code payment, gesture recognition, and human recognition.
This contrasts with Meta’s current offerings, though Meta did tease a live translation feature during its September 2023 conference.
The anticipation for Samsung’s smart glasses has been building since Qualcomm’s CEO hinted in September that the collaboration between Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm would focus on mixed-reality glasses rather than a full headset.
Their XR platform partnership was announced in February 2023, and during the July Unpacked event that year, Samsung and Google indicated a 2024 release.
However, delays and internal adjustments, partly in response to Apple’s Vision Pro and its reported challenges, have pushed the timeline back.
Interestingly, the report makes no mention of a headset. Earlier this week, a newly discovered Samsung patent revealed designs for both VR/AR headsets and smart glasses.
The patent suggests these devices might work together or function as distinct wearable devices for displaying virtual objects.
Samsung has confirmed its work on XR devices multiple times. If the glasses are set to launch next year, an early teaser could surface at CES 2025 in January or during the Samsung Galaxy S25 reveal, expected on January 23.
This would echo Samsung’s strategy with the Galaxy Ring, which was teased at Mobile World Congress in February and launched later in July.
The growing partnership among Samsung, Google, and Qualcomm is poised to introduce innovative competition in the smart glasses market, setting the stage for a showdown with existing offerings like those from Meta and Apple.
