Google launched Android XR nearly a year ago, a software platform centered around Gemini AI for smart glasses and spatial computing devices. In partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm, Google displayed early prototype units at the Google I/O 2025 event. Samsung revealed the Project Moohan headset last December, subsequently debuting it as Galaxy XR in October. The South Korean company is also working with Google on Android XR smart glasses, along with eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Recently, Google hosted a livestream event unveiling new capabilities for Galaxy XR and hinted at upcoming Android XR smart glasses experiences anticipated for next year, including Project Aura, which represents Google’s most ambitious endeavor in Android XR glasses to date.
Two of the three AI glasses will not come as a surprise to aficionados of smart glasses. Google confirmed its partnership with Samsung, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster on both screen-free and display AI glasses. The screen-free model will come equipped with integrated speakers, microphones, and cameras, enabling users to engage with Gemini regarding their environment. The display AI glasses will feature an in-lens screen that shows information from AI interactions, including images, Google Maps directions, responses from Gemini, live translations, and more. Google showcased capturing images with the display AI glasses and utilizing the Nano Banana AI image generator to modify them in real-time.
Project Aura, developed in collaboration with XReal, provides spatial computing experiences similar to Samsung’s Galaxy XR but in a design resembling typical smart glasses. Project Aura introduces wired XR glasses linked to a smartphone-like puck that enables touch input and functions as a mouse. These glasses allow users to operate a virtual Android XR computer anywhere, giving them a view of the world while managing a private computing experience.
Project Aura glasses are equipped with a 70-degree field of view display, facilitating the concurrent use of multiple Android XR applications similar to the Galaxy XR spatial computing experience. The glasses are compatible with Android apps from Google Play and also include built-in Gemini AI. The puck can connect to a computer, broadening the workspace and integrating applications from a laptop or desktop. Google’s demonstration illustrated Gemini’s ability to comprehend and facilitate apps the user may be utilizing on their computer in real-time.
While Google did not reveal pricing or exact release dates, the livestream included executives from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, indicating that a launch may be near. Google stated that the first AI glasses would be released in 2026 but did not clarify whether both screen-free and display AI glasses would be launched at the same time. Project Aura glasses are set to be available next year.
