Google opens preorders for Gemini-powered smartglasses

Google opened preorders on November 12 for Gemini-powered smart glasses made with Samsung, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Warby Parker models start at $395, while Gentle Monster models start at $449.

Google said the Intelligent Eyewear will be available to buy online and in stores on December 10. The launch turns a product concept previewed at Google I/O in May into a priced preorder lineup, though the announced retail date remains prospective.

Warby Parker’s collection includes three styles — Alden, Reid and Wren — in optical and sun versions. Gentle Monster is offering six designs in the United States and South Korea. Google supplies the software, Samsung supplies the computing hardware, and the eyewear companies designed the frames.

These are audio-focused glasses without displays in the lenses. Samsung said the frames include speakers, microphones and a 12-megapixel camera, with Gemini controlled by voice or touch.

Google said Gemini can answer questions about what the wearer is looking at, work with Google apps, give spoken Google Maps directions and translate speech through Google Translate. The companies’ descriptions of those features were not independently tested in the sources reviewed for this story.

Google and Samsung claim up to nine hours of battery life per charge. Google said the charging case can recharge the glasses as many as seven times, while Samsung described total case-supported use as up to 72 hours. Actual endurance can vary with use, and the figures have not been independently verified here.

The companies also emphasized privacy controls around a camera worn in public. Google said images processed for Gemini are not stored in Gemini History or used to train AI models or target ads, and that bystander faces are redacted before processing. It also said data on the glasses and in transit is encrypted, camera and microphone permissions are user-controlled, and recording to the gallery turns on an external light. Recording stops if that indicator is covered or disabled, according to Google, and a physical off switch disables the glasses. The opened sources did not include an independent audit of those protections.

One accessibility-oriented feature, Guided Vision, provides conversational audio descriptions. Google warns that it can make mistakes, is not a medical or mobility aid, and is not intended for navigation, obstacle detection or other safety-critical tasks.

Use is limited to compatible adult Google accounts in the United States and South Korea. Google lists supported phones as the Pixel 7 series or later on the specified Android 17 update, eligible Samsung Galaxy S or Z devices on One UI 9.0 or later, and the iPhone 13 Pro or later.