Google has been teasing Android XR smart glasses for over a year, announcing new features for the operating system, demonstrating them on prototype devices, and showing the various form factors that will be available in stores to deliver its Gemini-powered computing experiences for these wearables. The Android XR devices looked nothing like Google Glass, the concept wearable Google launched and discontinued more than a decade ago, well before the age of generative AI computing. Ahead of the Google I/O 2026 event, Google was expected to unveil more details about the first commercial Gemini-powered smart glasses, with the developer-centric event likely to be the venue for a new round of demos and actual announcements. Google didn't disappoint, announcing the first two Gemini smart glasses developed in partnership with Samsung, which provides the hardware engineering, and two key eyewear designers that handle product design, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

Google confirmed during the event that the two devices will be available in stores this fall, becoming the first Android XR intelligent eyewear designs that will allow users to interact with Gemini AI without taking out their phones. The first two models will not feature a display in either lens. Google is calling them "audio glasses" instead of "smart glasses" or "AI glasses," though both descriptors would also apply. 

The display glasses, which Google demoed at I/O 2025, will launch at an unspecified date. What's clear from Google's most recent videos is that the Gemini glasses that buyers will find in stores later this year will be significantly better than the original Google Glass experience Google introduced in 2012, even though, in many ways, the two products are supposed to offer the same wearable computing experience to users.

Google's new audio glasses are a technical marvel

The original Google Glass had ambitious hardware, including a display that looked like a 25-inch HD screen placed about 8 feet away, 12 GB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera that supported 720p video recording, bone-conduction audio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. The gadget ran its own Android-based operating system, but it would also connect to an Android device to share data connectivity and run certain apps. Finally, Google Glass was supposed to offer all-day battery life.

Google has not shared the full set of specs for its new glasses, but Samsung will be providing some of the technology. Qualcomm may also be supplying chips in the Google audio glasses, given that the chip maker is a partner on the Android XR platform. The demos Google showed off suggest that the audio glasses will be both more advanced and less ambitious than Google Glass.

The audio glasses will feature built-in speakers that will allow the user to hear Gemini's responses, but the speakers should be placed on both sides. Also, the built-in cameras are likely to be more advanced than those in Google Glass. The audio glasses will connect wirelessly to the user's handset, which will likely contain all the apps the glasses need, but the wearables will also run their own Android XR operating system. That said, the audio glasses are companion devices, while Google Glass was conceived for slightly more advanced, almost standalone operation. As for battery life, Google didn't provide estimates, but the 2026 components used to make the audio glasses should be significantly faster and more efficient than those available in 2012.

A rich software platform powers Google's audio glasses

The intent of Google Glass was for users to interact by saying "OK Glass" to search the web for information, make calls and send messages, get directions, take photos, and record videos. Since the device featured a built-in display, Google Glass could be used to view content such as photos, videos, and emails. Google Glass devices did not have access to any generative AI software, while the Google audio glasses shown on stage at I/O 2026 are built around Gemini interactions.

Google's vision for a face-worn wearable device that's about as nimble as a pair of regular glasses has not changed in nearly 15 years, though AI innovations have made it easier to realize. Users will be able to say "Hey Google" to give instructions to the device and have it perform tasks for them. The audio glasses can help users navigate to their next destination, place calls, send texts, perform internet searches, and capture photos and videos. The biggest difference is that audio glasses run a more capable Android XR operating system that supports Android apps, and, most importantly, is built with Gemini AI at the core.

The AI can see what users see and hear their commands and surroundings, and it can provide information about the world and translate text and speech. On stage, Google used Gemini to start a hands-free navigation experience that doesn't require a display, add a stop at a coffee shop along the way, and order a drink. The user also took a photo with the glasses and asked Gemini to edit the image with Nano-Banana before displaying it on a Pixel Watch. 

Google's new design is way more practical than Google Glass

"Audio glasses can only deliver all-day help if they're stylish and comfortable," Google said in a blog post announcing the first commercial Android XR audio glasses. The video above also focuses on design, featuring representatives from the two eyewear designers. "I want to make intelligent eyewear that looks prettier than normal eyewear. That's our goal. It's the balance between technology and fashion," Gentle Monster founder Hankook Kim said about his company's upcoming product. "Our vision for intelligent eyewear started by wanting to design a beautiful pair of glasses," the Warby Parker executives said in the clip above, adding that they wanted to celebrate the technology behind these products instead of hiding it. Gentle Monster created a sunglass version, while Warby Parker made a regular pair of glasses that look just like traditional glasses.

Comparatively, the Google Glass device that Google unveiled in 2012 looked nothing like a pair of glasses. The gadget was worn on the face, like the upcoming audio glasses, but it featured only a frame, with a thicker side that housed the various hardware components needed to make Google Glass work. On the same side (the user's right), Google Glass featured a transparent cube that served as the wearable's display.

Google Glass was anything but stylish or fashionable. It was more of a concept product than a finished product. That bare-bones design had a negative effect on those around the wearer, making them worry the wearer could take photos or videos without their knowledge. Comparatively, the Gentle Monster and Warby Parker devices are more inconspicuous. The built-in outward-facing cameras will, however, be a visible indicator that the Google audio glasses can record audio and video.

Google's audio glasses work with iOS

When Google unveiled Google Glass, the device worked only with Android phones. It took a while for iPhones to get Google Glass support, but even then, the experience wasn't identical. Nearly 15 years later, the Google audio glasses set to launch will support both Android and iPhone devices out of the box. Google confirmed it during the I/O 2026 presentation and in the press release. Specifically, Google said the audio glasses pair with both Android devices and iPhones and will work with the apps installed on the user's handset.

That said, Google hasn't explained what sort of audio glasses experience iPhone users will get compared to Android device owners. On Android, Google can integrate Gemini into the phone's app at the system level. Gemini can be the default voice assistant and access the user's personal data to answer questions and perform tasks on their behalf. The AI can understand context, as shown in Google's demo. The AI was able to respond to this question, "Can you navigate me to that place I met my friend Gianna at last week?" which doesn't feature overly specific information. Google doesn't have the same freedom on the iPhone when it comes to app access, so it'll be interesting to see how the audio glasses work with Apple's operating system and what limitations will be in place.

Other AI-powered smart glasses already available in stores work with iPhone and Android. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses can connect to both platforms, though Meta can't offer the same deep integration as Google will on Android XR devices.

Google has not yet announced a price point or release date

Google did not reveal availability details for the Gentle Monster and Warby Parker audio glasses unveiled at I/O 2026. We don't have specific release dates and pricing information for either model. However, it's unlikely these devices will be as expensive as the original Google Glass, which retailed for around $1,500 when it was available. You can buy the Galaxy XR headset for $1,799 as of this writing, the first Android XR wearable to hit stores. However, the Galaxy XR device is a spatial computer similar to the Apple Vision Pro, offering a full computing experience.

The audio glasses should be significantly cheaper than that, in line with what similar products from the competition sell for. Meta sells its AI smart glasses for $299 and $379 (depending on model), while the display options start at $799. Meta partnered with Ray-Ban and Oakley for the various models it has released to date. Separately, rumors say that Samsung will make its own Android XR glasses, in addition to working with Google on these two models, including audio-only models and display glasses. Codenamed Jinju and Haean, respectively, these Samsung devices should retail between $379 and $499 (Jinju) and between $600 and $900 (Haean).