Here's what it's like to use Google's Android XR smart glasses

Google just announced Android XR, with a Samsung-produced headset being the first product to run the new platform. The company also confirmed that smart glasses were coming later, and we now have a better idea of how these glasses will work.

Wired was able to go hands-on with a pair of prototype glasses running Android XR. The outlet confirmed that several different types of smart glasses were shown off, such as conventional spectacles and sunglasses. You could also get prescription lenses for them, as you’d expect.

What about the design itself? Well, the website noted that the arms were thick, but in line with the Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers. These prototype glasses also have a camera built into the frame complete with an LED that turns on when you’re shooting.

Most of the processing is handled by a paired smartphone, and Google is apparently aiming for ” all-day” battery life as a result. It’s unclear how many features will be available without a paired phone. Nevertheless, the glasses used during the demonstration had a display, and the outlet said there “might” be options such as no display but with Gemini support, a monocular display on one lens, or a full-blown binocular display. Fingers crossed that we see options without a display as that would likely be much cheaper and offer better battery life.

What’s it like to use Google’s Android XR smart glasses?

You simply need to tap the side of the spectacles’ frame to show the date, time, and weather. Wired tried one demo that showed turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps on the display. Looking down while using this feature revealed a wider view of your route.

You can summon and pause Gemini by tapping the arm, allowing you to ask general questions about what you’re seeing. You can also get translations overlaid onto real-world text (e.g. a sign in Spanish), while the chatbot will translate spoken language for you as well. Wired added that these glasses also offer captions for real-world speech, noting that they’re not perfect but good enough for following a conversation. This certainly seems like a handy addition for accessibility purposes. Today’s phones and chatbots offer summarization smarts too, and the outlet claimed Gemini was indeed able to summarize the page of a real-world book with “shocking speed.”

A video Google showed off yesterday revealed that Gemini on Android XR smart glasses can remember things, such as where you left a specific object. The publication confirmed that Gemini on these glasses has a “minutes-long” window for remembering things and that Google was working to increase the size of this window. Other demos include asking the chatbot how to operate a coffee machine as well as looking at a record and asking Gemini to play a track from it.

Much like smartwatches, these Google smart glasses can mirror your notifications. However, your notifications are summarized with AI to reduce the amount of text in your vision. You can then respond to these notifications via Gemini. You can also take pictures by tapping the right arm, complete with previews after capturing to ensure you got the best snap. Finally, you can watch videos via the display on these glasses, but the website noted that picture quality wasn’t the best. Thankfully, Google promised a brighter, more vivid picture down the line.

What about a release? And who will make it?

Google originally told a media briefing that Android XR smart glasses would launch “later,” without revealing any more details. Wired reports that there’s indeed no firm window for these glasses. Meanwhile, Android ecosystem lead Sameer Samat told Bloomberg that the company would launch Android XR glasses “when it makes sense.”

Will these glasses be made by Google, Samsung, or someone else? “What we showcased was prototype Glasses hardware and we will share more info when available,” the company previously told Android Authority. However, Google said it would soon distribute these prototype glasses to a “small group of users” as part of a real-world testing program.

It wouldn’t be the first time Google launched its own smart glasses, though. The company previously launched its pioneering Google Glass spectacles in the early 2010s, although these never gained widespread adoption. These spectacles incorporated a camera and voice commands too. But between chatbot advancements, more advanced processors, and new battery technology, the landscape has changed significantly since then.