Google and Samsung jointly release smart glasses design

At the Google I/O developer conference held on May 20, Google and Samsung Electronics officially announced the latest smart glasses, Audio Glasses, jointly developed by both parties. The product is expected to be launched in the fall of 2026.

Audio Glasses (Image source: Google)

Audio Glasses are smart audio glasses that can transmit audio information into the user's ears through Gemini AI, without any display to complete the interaction. Users can complete operations such as listening to music, taking photos, making and receiving calls, or calling mobile applications. Google did not announce product prices or detailed hardware parameters.

In addition, Project Aura, the world's first AR smart glasses product equipped with the Android XR system, was also unveiled at the conference. This is a stand-alone smart glasses developed by Google in cooperation with XREAL this year. It uses the X1S self-developed chip and Qualcomm's external computing unit dual-core architecture. It is equipped with a 70° ultra-wide FOV plane prism optical solution and supports 6DOF tracking and gesture interaction. The product will be launched globally in 2026.

Project Aura (Photo source: Google)

Global technology giants are pouring into the AR/AI smart glasses track

As the popularity of the metaverse concept continues to fade, and the development of the VR and MR glasses market is unsatisfactory, technology giants have successively reduced their investment in related resources. On the other hand, with the rapid progress of generative AI technology, AR/AI smart glasses that are lighter and have more application scenarios are considered to be the best carriers of AI technology, and giants have also turned to this new track of head-mounted devices.

Today, on the AR/AI smart glasses track, the world's major technology giants are accelerating their respective layouts. As the current market leader, Meta will occupy a major share of the global AI glasses market in 2025 with its smart glasses product line in cooperation with Ray-Ban.

Meta is advancing a three-level product strategy: the basic AI audio glasses have been market-proven; the Ray-Ban Meta Display display glasses have introduced LCoS monocular display and neural wristband interaction; and the holographic AR glasses based on Orion represent its long-term goal of spatial computing.

Apple plans to launch its first smart glasses product by the end of 2026. According to people familiar with the matter, the device will be equipped with a camera, microphone and speakers, with Siri voice assistant as the core interaction method, and can perform tasks such as calls, music playback, real-time translation and navigation. Its processor is customized and optimized based on the Apple Watch chip to reduce power consumption.

Apple positioned the initial version of the product as an iPhone accessory rather than an independent terminal, prioritizing lightweight and daily wearing comfort, and not equipped with complex AR display functions for the time being. In terms of supply chain, many optical suppliers have begun to adjust their production capacity layout to cope with the increase in demand brought about by Apple's entry into the market. In addition, Apple is still promoting the development of more forward-looking AR display glasses, but the technology still takes several years to mature.

Domestic technology giants are also rapidly advancing their AR/AI smart glasses business layout. Alibaba Group has launched Qianwen AI glasses through its Quark brand, which adopts a binocular display solution and integrates rich ecological service functions, forming an ecological closed loop and highly binding to user habits.

Huawei will officially release Huawei AI glasses in May 2026, which are deeply equipped with Hongmeng operating system. They feature "first-person perspective shooting + full-scene AI interaction" and are claimed to be one of the lightest AI glasses in the industry. This marks an important extension of Huawei's all-scenario smart ecosystem into the wearable field.

Xiaomi launched its first AI smart glasses in June 2025. It uses the Snapdragon AR1 and Hengxuan dual-chip architecture, has a built-in Jinshajiang battery, has a battery life of up to 8.6 hours, and is priced from 1,999 yuan. It is equipped with a 12-megapixel main camera and a super Xiaoai assistant.

Baidu launched Xiaodu AI Glasses Pro, which is claimed to be the world's first native AI glasses equipped with Chinese large models. It integrates the super-powerful Xiaodu Assistant and has AI object recognition and real-time translation capabilities.

Summary

Global technology giants are actively laying out the smart glasses track, and display-free AI smart glasses have become the primary direction of layout for many companies. However, in recent years, as Micro LED/OLED microdisplay technology and optical waveguide technology and the industrial chain continue to mature, the AR smart glasses market is growing rapidly, which is undoubtedly the next step in the layout of major manufacturers.

TrendForce data shows that global AR glasses shipments will be 620,000 units in 2025; it is expected that driven by major technology manufacturers, AR glasses shipments will increase to 950,000 units in 2026, with an annual growth rate of 53%. By 2030, shipments are forecast to reach 32 million units.

Therefore, I believe that with the common goal of continuing to pursue technological progress, AI glasses are the first step for technology giants to test the smart glasses market, and more versatile AR smart glasses products are the ultimate goal of future giants in deploying the smart glasses market. (Text: LEDinside Irving)

Please indicate the source when reprinting! For more LED information, please pay attention to the official website (www.ledinside.cn) or search the WeChat public account (LEDinside).