Samsung Unveils 41g AI Glasses Powered by Google Gemini

Samsung Electronics is introducing a new line of smart glasses, powered by Google's artificial intelligence model Gemini, to enter the growing wearable market. On November 12, the company unveiled 30 designs of its "Intelligent Eyewear" collection, developed in partnership with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The glasses will launch in South Korea and the United States on December 10, priced between $488 and $523, depending on the model.

The key feature of the glasses is their built-in 12-megapixel HDR camera mounted on the left frame, which captures the surrounding environment and enables the AI to analyze what the user sees. This allows the device to provide real-time information, such as translating foreign-language menus or offering voice-guided directions. Additionally, the glasses support workplace productivity by allowing users to photograph whiteboards and have AI summarize their contents, automatically saving the results to Samsung Notes on a connected Galaxy smartphone.

The glasses also offer features for seamless integration with smartphones, including voice-activated notification alerts and message responses without the need to pull out the phone. When paired with a Galaxy smartphone, users can access Samsung's Bixby voice assistant. The device employs Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform and a split-computing architecture, distributing processing tasks to the connected smartphone.

Despite incorporating various electronic components, the glasses weigh approximately 41 grams, making them comfortable for extended wear. Samsung claims that the weight distribution has been optimized for each design. The glasses offer up to nine hours of battery life on a single charge, with the charging case providing up to 72 hours of usage.

Samsung has taken steps to address privacy concerns associated with the built-in cameras, including an external LED indicator that lights up during recording, and the camera disabling automatically if the indicator is covered or malfunctions. Wear-detection technology also turns off the camera when the glasses are removed. The camera's activity is indicated by an internal visual notification and an audio alert.

To protect user data, Samsung has implemented safeguards to prevent the device from using collected visual data for AI model training or ad targeting. The glasses are intended for users aged 18 and older, with age verification required during activation. The device is compatible with Galaxy smartphones, Google Pixel, and certain iPhone models, although some features, such as Bixby and Samsung Notes integration, are available only when paired with a Galaxy smartphone.