Rumors about an impending set of Samsung Smart Glasses have been circulating for a while now. Samsung’s team has dropped plenty of hints that the company is planning on entering the XR market.
They even confirmed at the “Unpacked 2024” event that an XR device would be arriving soon. Unfortunately, the company has been a little stingy with the details. Recent leaks suggest that Samsung could enter the “smart wearables” market sooner than we thought.
According to a leak revealed at the end of October 2024, Samsung filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, for a “system” that enables the grouping plurality of devices – suggesting a pair of AR specs could be on the horizon.
Later, in November, another leak emerged suggesting Samsung will use its partnership with Google and Qualcomm to release a pair of AI smart glasses similar to the Meta Ray-Ban glasses.
So, what does all of this mean? Will customers be able to purchase a set of Samsung smart glasses in 2025? Will they have augmented reality features or rely entirely on AI?
Here’s what we know so far.
Samsung Smart Glasses Could be Rolling Out in 2025
As mentioned above, Samsung has been telling customers that it’s been working on an XR wearable for a while now since it confirmed its partnership with Google and Qualcomm early in 2024.
However, we haven’t heard much about what this device will be, or what it’ll be able to do until recently. In September 2024, Qualcomm announced it was working on a pair of smart glasses with Google and Samsung. They indicated that the wearables they’d be releasing would be similar in functionality to Meta’s Ray-Ban specs.
In November this year, a Korean newspaper reported on a leak that Samsung is apparently planning an “initial run” of intelligent glasses consisting of around 500,000 units—set to be released in the third quarter of 2025 (between July and September).
That release date makes sense, as it lines up with Samsung’s “Unpacked” event, which typically launches next-generation products like the new smartphones and Galaxy Ring announced this year.
However, it’s worth noting that this release date isn’t necessarily set in stone. Samsung’s TM Roh also said the company was considering releasing an XR device in 2024, which obviously hasn’t happened. Still, everything seems promising – at least for now.
The Samsung Smart Glasses: AR or Just AI?
So, will these glasses be true augmented reality wearables? Or are they just going to give you access to a hands-free smart assistant, like the Meta Ray-Bans? For now, we’re not really sure. Based on leaks, we do know that the glasses will use a Qualcomm chip – no surprise there. Right now, they seem to feature an AR1 chip.
However, Qualcomm has released its AR2 chipset, so there’s a chance the specs could see an update before they’re officially launched next year. We also know that the glasses will apparently feature a 155mAh battery and a 12MP Sony camera built-in. If these specs sound familiar, it’s because they’re almost exactly what you’ll get from the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, too.
Unfortunately, most of the leaks don’t mention any kind of display for augmented reality experiences, and the rumored weight of the glasses (about 50g) doesn’t leave much space for an actual display. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Samsung won’t include augmented reality in its specs.
The patent leak from October directly references augmented reality technology. It suggests that users can interact with AR content by connecting to another device (like a smartphone). Plus, it’s worth noting that Samsung’s glasses, while lightweight, do seem to be a little heavier than the Ray-Ban specs – so there may be hope for AR yet.
The AI Technology: Google Gemini
Even if Samsung doesn’t add augmented reality to these glasses, they won’t give users the exact same experience as they’d get from the Meta Ray-Bans. That’s because Samsung’s glasses will feature a very different smart assistant—a custom version of Google’s Gemini LLM.
The built-in Gemini assistant could make Samsung’s glasses more appealing for a broader range of use cases. While Meta’s AI assistant is handy, it focuses primarily on supporting content creators. Leaks around the Samsung glasses suggest the assistant can handle tasks like payment with QR code recognition.
Plus, you may be able to interact with content and control your assistant using “gestures” rather than just your voice. Meta’s glasses don’t offer this yet, although the company has teased upcoming live translation features.
Does this Mean the End of a Samsung XR headset?
So, what does all of this mean for Samsung’s XR headset plans? Well, that depends. Samsung is constantly drawing attention to its increasing focus on extended reality technology. Even though we haven’t gotten any insights into when an XR headset might be released, there have been plenty of leaks, rumors, and even statements from Samsung that suggest a device is on the horizon.
If the Samsung glasses released next year feature augmented reality, this could confirm the theory shared by countless tech analysts. Many industry experts believe Samsung might avoid creating a mixed-reality device similar to the Apple Vision Pro.
After all, Samsung’s XR plans have been disrupted numerous times, and the company seems to have scrapped the idea of creating a product similar to the Vision Pro, particularly as Apple’s sales of the high-end device have continued to diminish.
However, I’m not convinced. I think a Samsung XR headset could still be on the cards, particularly if the glasses released in 2025 don’t feature any real augmented reality capabilities. Patents leaked in the last couple of months also indicate that Samsung is experimenting with both smart glasses and a VR/AR or mixed reality headset.
A new pair of Samsung smart glasses could mark the beginning of a new product line from the tech giant. Samsung could release its smart glasses next year, then follow up with a full mixed reality device. We can really only wait and see.
What Can We Expect from the Samsung Smart Glasses
Even if Samsung releases its smart glasses next year, as the rumors suggest, it’s difficult to know what these glasses will bring to the technology market. We can confidently assume they’ll have a high-quality Qualcomm chipset and feature Google’s cutting-edge Gemini AI.
Beyond that, we’re left to speculate. Based on the leaks, Samsung seems committed to making these glasses very lightweight. They’ll certainly want to ensure their specs are ideal for all-day wear, like the Meta Ray-Ban specs. However, the glasses could end up being a little heavier than expected if Samsung chooses to integrate displays for augmented reality.
Adding AR to the mix, even if it means ending up with a bulkier pair of glasses, would be a good move for Samsung. It’d allow them to differentiate themselves from Meta, and start making an impact in the XR space.
If Samsung does implement displays, I can’t imagine them choosing anything less than a 4K resolution. A basic pair of “HD” displays wouldn’t look good for a company known for creating high-quality smartphones and televisions.
Samsung’s key to success will be figuring out how to integrate quality displays into the mix without compromising on user comfort. I also think they’ll need to focus on making these glasses truly “wireless” to gain an edge in the market. After all, many competing smart specs still don’t have an integrated battery, meaning you need to keep them connected to a phone or laptop at all times.
Leaks suggesting the specs will include an integrated battery is good news, as it should mean the glasses will be able to power themselves.
Looking to the Future: Samsung’s XR Journey
It definitely seems like Samsung will be releasing a new wearable next year, and the chances are that we’ll see a pair of smart glasses long before any headsets. The only real question is where Samsung will go with this new strategy.
They might create a pair of smart glasses without augmented reality capabilities, betting on Google’s AI technology to make their product stand out. Alternatively, they might choose to dive deeper into extended reality and add a set of displays to the glasses before they’re released in 2025.
Either way, I don’t think Samsung will give up on its XR dreams soon. Even if we don’t get any AR features in the glasses released next year, there’s a good chance Samsung will release something else. We’ll just have to wait and see whether the company goes all-in with the smart glasses market or decides to experiment with headsets too.
