Samsung’s love for wearables can extend from your wrist and fingers to your face. The company is gearing up for its annual Galaxy Unpacked phone eventwhich will probably reveal the Galaxy S25. However, rumors suggest so Samsung may be working on a pair of AR glasses to rival Meta’s glasses offerings.
According to anonymous IT sources, the Korean newspaper Yonhap News (read with automatic translation) reported that Samsung is preparing to launch a pair of “AR glasses” at the upcoming Unpacked conference in January. The outlet also said that the device will have some payment, gesture recognition, and “facial recognition” features. We don’t expect it to have invasive capabilities like a hacked pair of Ray-Ban Meta. However, any pair of cameras connected to the Internet could potentially become a privacy nightmare.
Yonhap also said that Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm on the device, which means it will likely include some Snapdragon processors and use Google’s Gemini model. Google has already tuned its AI assistant to listen to commands via Pixel Buds Pro 2so it’s not hard to imagine that it will work with a pair of glasses.
This upcoming device could just be a prototype, similar to the one Meta unveiled in September AR Orion glasses. If the Galaxy maker shows something at Unpacked in January, it might not be available until the following year or later. Samsung also suggested that it might work some headsets for mixed realitybut we don’t know if these devices will all share the same XR software environment.
As for the date, Unpacked could arrive at the end of January, according to several informants gathered by Android Police. The Galaxy S25 range could be the company’s big product showcase, while the AR glasses are meant to excite consumers beyond yet another phone update. This past January has been unpacked revealed a teaser for the Galaxy Ring, but we didn’t see it until July.
In the years when every company was touting the “metaverse” and virtual reality as the next big thing, the unexpected hero of that product lineup was a $300 pair of Ray-Ban glasses with a built-in camera. THE The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have received a small update during the the company’s Connect conference; this year the company has been working to add more AI voice capabilities to the wearable. In Gizmodo’s experience, these AI features they’re not that smart after all, but we will have to see if and how they improve in the future.
Samsung has a new passion for wearable devices, especially after this year’s news Galaxy Watch Ultra AND Galaxy Ring. Both devices work best if you’re already using a Samsung-branded phone, and you can expect the same from any pair of Galaxy smart glasses. This move would also beat Apple to the punch. Samsung’s biggest competitor in the mobile phone industry is also reportedly working on a pair of smart glasses. Apple’s device may be more Ray-Ban than Orion.
Despite all this talk about glasses, all I want to know is: Where the hell is Ballie? We’d love to see the little home robot at CES again this year, if nothing else to finally know if the device is really kickable as its shape suggests.
