We’ve seen the Google-powered glasses twice before, designed in collaboration with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. But now SammyGuru has published what it claims are leaked images of every design and color, plus core specs. The glasses are rumored to launch next month. Here are a few frames, head to SammyGuru for the rest.
The Android XR glasses, designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, were announced in May, with new designs revealed at Unpacked in July. Now The Korea Herald reports they’ll hit the market some time in November, citing confirmation from a Samsung official.
[The Korea Herald]
What Mark Zuckerberg needs to answer about Meta Glasses, Muse, and teen safety.
Late last night, we published my video about trying Snap’s Specs AR glasses at the company’s headquarters. The hardware, which costs $2,195, is interesting, but the experience of actually using them was rather finicky. Despite yesterday’s splashy launch event, the Specs also don’t yet have a firm release date beyond sometime this fall.
Check out my full article for more.
Snap has spent half a decade working toward its first consumer pair of AR glasses. They’re finally here — and they’re bold as can be.
As Microsoft continues its Xbox “reset,” the pared-down Game Pass bundle that arrived recently as a benefit for Discord Nitro is now also included in the 7.99 monthly / $59.99 annually Quest subscription. The starter edition also includes 10 hours of cloud gaming access to try some of the 50-plus games it unlocks before downloading them.
Meta also said that soon its Meta Quest Touch controllers will be able to emulate the Xbox gamepad, although anyone who has a real Xbox pad can just pair that to their headset immediately.
New York state is the latest place to prohibit smart glasses and other recording tech in courtrooms. Says Syracuse.com:
Beginning on July 20, all eyewear or headwear that contains cameras, microphones or other recording technology will not be allowed inside any Unified Court System facilities, according to a memo from the Office of Court Administration.
[syracuse.com]
The Xreal Neo video dock-meets-charger has been canceled. The company shared the news on Reddit, stating its decision was based on concerns about its “3rd party dock reliability” and “battery longevity.” Xreal owners hoping to play the Switch 2 through their glasses now have to rely on third-party products, like a battery dock from Viture, a company that Xreal recently sued for patent infringement.
If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
Google enlisted Xreal to bring Android XR to life in a compact set of AR glasses, resulting in Project Aura. They’ll launch in 2026, but Google is already locking down Xreal’s hardware chops for another couple years. It’s now designated as a lead hardware partner for Android XR.
Apparently, ‘smart glasses’ is insufficient. Enter AI glasses, AR glasses, wired XR glasses, and everything in between.
The company formerly known as Facebook has had some trouble making its namesake metaverse become a thing. And rumors are that division of the company is facing massive budget cuts. But things aren’t going so smoothly elsewhere, either. Now word is that the company’s next-gen Phoenix mixed reality glasses are being delayed until 2027, according to Business Insider.
At $1,799 and with an impressive subscription bundle, Samsung is aggressively taking shots at the Vision Pro.
That’s according to app listings that have popped up on Google Play ahead of tomorrow’s launch. Other notable launch apps for the first Android XR headset include Tripp XR, Walkabout Mini Golf, and a new headset-optimized video editor from Adobe.
5
Verge Score
This very first-gen device raises several questions about where the next chapter of mobile computing is headed.
Another tidbit from Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter further explores the rumor he’s reported about Apple shifting resources from a Vision Pro follow-up to something more like Meta’s Ray-Ban Display:
The smart glasses are also likely to run the Vision Pro’s operating system, visionOS... A future device could operate the full version of the OS when it’s paired with a Mac, and then switch to a lighter, more mobile-friendly interface when it’s linked to an iPhone, I’m told.
The new $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses have a screen that can show directions, pictures, translations, and more.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman mentions that Meta has decided that when its smart glasses with a heads-up display debut later this fall, the starting price will be around $800 instead of the $1,000 price range previously rumored.
Details about the hardware are scarce, but CEO Evan Spiegel says the first consumer pair of Specs glasses will definitely cost less than the Vision Pro.
Mark Zuckerberg and Palmer Luckey have buried the hatchet after Zuckerberg fired Luckey in 2017, so they can build virtual and augmented reality gear for the military. Oculus made, of course, the most successful VR headset and was also a tremendous flop for Meta. Anyway, here’s the WSJ story about their new team-up. Time and money heal all wounds, I guess?
This year’s rumored redesign for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS is also coming to watchOS and tvOS, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter. In an April subscriber edition of Power On, he wrote that watchOS would only get elements of the redesign “here and there.”
It’s expected the updates will take cues from the look of the glassy, translucent visionOS, which, Gurman writes, is also getting tweaks where they “make sense for a headset.”
