Gentle Monster Reveals Pre-Order Date for Its Google-Backed Smart Glasses

South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster has announced that its smart glasses running on Google's Android XR platform, an operating system for augmented and mixed reality devices, will launch in December. The company's website says pre-orders open on November 12. Warby Parker, the American eyewear brand, appeared to share the same date by accident on Thursday. Google has not confirmed either date.

Both brands, together with Samsung, are Google's partners on the project. It is meant to compete with Meta's smart glasses and, in a way, to revive the idea behind Google Glass.

A short film as part of the promotion

Gentle Monster accompanied the announcement with a teaser for a short film directed by Jonathan Glazer, known for Under the Skin and The Zone of Interest. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, who played a man who falls in love with an AI in the film Her. The brand says the full short will be released in mid-November. The teaser suggests it will lean toward experimental cinema rather than a conventional advertisement.

What the glasses will offer

Android XR is designed to power a range of devices, from the mixed reality experience on the Samsung Galaxy XR to the augmented reality one on the Xreal Aura. The Gentle Monster and Warby Parker glasses will offer a display-free, audio-first version of the system, but should provide similar access to Google's Gemini AI assistant.

It is unclear how the "Intelligent Eyewear," as Google and its partners call it, will be received. Google appears to be hoping that Meta's approach of packaging technology in a desirable brand will help offset any backlash. With both launches now on the calendar, the answer should come soon.