Samsung and Google Unveil AI Smart Glasses — Challenging Meta Ray-Ban as Apple Readies Its 2027 Entry

Samsung and Google unveiled AI smart glasses at Google I/O 2026, taking direct aim at Meta Ray-Ban — as Apple prepares its own entry for 2027. The wearable AI hardware race is now fully underway.

Samsung (005930.KS) and Google (GOOGL) revealed their jointly developed AI smart glasses at the Google I/O conference on May 19. Powered by Google's Android XR operating system, the glasses are set to launch later this year and feature designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker (WRBY). The announcement puts direct competitive pressure on Meta (META), which currently leads the AI smart glasses market.

Hands-Free AI Assistant: Key Features

The Samsung-Google glasses are designed as a companion device to the user's smartphone. They offer hands-free voice navigation, personalized location suggestions along regular routes, and the ability to place pickup orders. Additional features include text notification summaries, calendar event creation, real-time voice translation, and on-the-go text translation for menus and signs. The core value proposition is handling everyday AI tasks without ever looking at a screen.

"With this new AI form factor, we are further expanding the Galaxy device ecosystem, where each device is optimized to deliver unique AI experiences that best fit each form."

Jay Kim, EVP, Samsung Mobile Experience Business

Challenging Meta Ray-Ban: The Samsung-Google Alliance

Meta (META) currently leads the AI smart glasses market with its Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses. The Ray-Ban Meta offers voice AI and photo/video capture, while the Ray-Ban Meta Display adds a built-in screen for AR functionality. Samsung and Google's offering matches this core feature set while adding Android ecosystem integration, real-time translation, and what they claim is stronger agentic capability.

• Meta Ray-Ban Meta: voice AI + photo/video capture, current market leader
• Meta Ray-Ban Display: built-in AR display, early entrant in visual overlay segment
• Samsung + Google: Android XR, real-time translation, Gentle Monster/Warby Parker designs
• Snap (SNAP): developing AI smart glasses, launch timeline unclear
• Apple (AAPL): targeting a 2026 reveal and 2027 launch, according to Bloomberg

Apple: Entering the Market in 2027

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to showcase its smart glasses in late 2026 or early 2027, with a full launch that same year. Like its competitors, Apple's glasses will offer hands-free capabilities, photo and video capture, and a range of designs and color options. With Apple's entry now confirmed, the smart glasses market is effectively becoming a three-way race between Meta, the Samsung-Google alliance, and Apple.

Samsung and Google laid the groundwork for this product launch in October 2025 with the Galaxy XR headset, which established the core hardware and software platform. The new glasses represent an evolution toward a lighter, more everyday-wearable form factor built on that foundation.

Warby Parker and Gentle Monster: Fashion Brands Enter AI Hardware

The design partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker (WRBY) mirror how Ray-Ban partnered with Meta to bring AI glasses to market. For Warby Parker as a publicly traded company, a partnership with two of the world's largest tech firms could meaningfully boost brand exposure and open a new hardware revenue channel — making it a stock worth watching alongside the tech giants.