Samsung reveals new smart glasses designs in partnership with Google, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker

Samsung has provided the first hands-on look at its upcoming smart glasses, unveiling two new designs and initial specifications. The glasses are being developed in collaboration with Google and eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with a launch planned for this fall.

This marked the first opportunity for journalists to see all four frames in person, though Samsung did not allow them to try on the glasses. The frames are impressively lightweight, not much heavier than typical thick-rimmed acrylic glasses. Speaker and microphone grilles are hidden along the stems, with a single button on the right side and a power switch inside the left stem. A camera and recording LED are mounted on the front.

The two new designs include a square black frame from Gentle Monster and a more rounded, reddish-brown frame from Warby Parker. Jaein Choi, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile experience division, told CNBC that more designs are in development.

The glasses are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 chip, the same processor used in Meta's latest smart glasses. Samsung claims up to 9 hours of battery life on a single charge, with the charging case providing up to seven additional charges.

Users will be able to use either Google Gemini or Samsung's Bixby with the glasses. AI features include message summaries, live translation, navigation guidance, and analysis or description of camera-captured content.

Like Meta's glasses, there is a recording LED indicator that lights up when the camera is active. Choi told Bloomberg that the glasses will prevent recording if they detect the LED has been blocked or covered. However, this hasn't stopped Meta's glasses from being labeled "pervert glasses," and Choi called this "an industry-shared problem."

Samsung has not yet announced a firm release date or price, but Choi described the product as "premium."