The AI glasses war heats up! Google (GOOGL.US)'s first product equipped with Gemini will shake Meta (META.US) and Apple (AAPL.US) next year

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Google (GOOGL.US), a subsidiary of Alphabet, said it is working to create two different types of artificial intelligence smart glasses to compete with existing Meta Platforms (META.US) models next year: one equipped with a screen, and the other focused on audio functions. The company said in a blog post on Monday that the first batch of AI glasses developed in collaboration will be launched sometime in 2026. Samsung Electronics, Warby Parker (WRBY.US), and Gentle Monster were their early hardware partners, but these companies have yet to show any final designs.

Google also outlined a number of software improvements that will soon be applied to the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, including a “travel mode” that will allow the mixed reality device to be used in cars and airplanes.

Competition is heating up in the emerging category of AI and augmented reality (AR) glasses. Meta has always been the most active player in this field. It sells relatively affordable glasses under the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, and has received positive reviews and good sales. The company also recently launched a more expensive model with an integrated display. Snap Inc. (SNAP.US)'s first consumer AR glasses are also scheduled to be unveiled next year, while Apple (AAPL.US) plans to enter the field around the same time.

For Google, these new products, as well as its new Android XR operating system, represent a more refined and planned strategy compared to “Google Glass.”

In a demonstration at Google's New York City office, the company presented several prototypes of AI glasses, as well as early samples of glasses codenamed “Project Aura” developed by Google in collaboration with Xreal.

Similar to Meta's popular Ray-Bans, most of these glasses connect wirelessly to smartphones and rely on phones to process requests, whether it's asking Google's Gemini AI assistant to play songs on YouTube Music or analyze the ingredients in front of them to generate recipes. The phone takes on most of the heavy computing tasks, making these glasses slim and light enough to look like normal glasses.

In a hands-on demo before release on Monday, the company demonstrated two different prototypes of smart glasses with built-in displays: one is a monocular, where the right lens has a single screen; the other is a binocular, with a display in front of each eye. Both types support augmented reality overlay interfaces for apps such as Google Maps and Google Meet, but the binocular design can provide a larger virtual display.

“We want you to find the right balance between weight, style, and immersion according to your needs,” the company said in a blog post.

The company's goal is for as many software experiences as possible to perform well in both formats. When using the real-time translation feature, users can display the subtitles of the conversation on the screen or turn off the display to focus on the translation coming through the speakers.

The display is particularly advantageous. When using Google Maps, the possibilities go far beyond augmented reality turn-by-turn navigation. Users can look down to get a larger overhead map of their current location, with a compass showing the direction they're facing. When you take a photo and ask Gemini to beautify it using Google's Nano Banana Pro generative AI model, you can preview the final result without pulling out your phone.

What's unique about the glasses partnered with Xreal is that it's a standalone experience: Project Aura runs the Android XR system like a Samsung headset, but has a sleeker shape, similar to the company's other glasses, including the One Pro. Similar to the Galaxy XR, the Aura project must always be connected to an external battery pack to work.

The glasses will provide a 70-degree field of view, which is more immersive than Xreal's current series. The navigation in Project Aura feels familiar and intuitive, as it uses the same hand tracking technology as Samsung headsets, albeit with fewer cameras.

Galaxy XR improvements

Google and Samsung are responding to early feedback on the $1,800 Galaxy XR headset, introducing features that users and reviewers have been asking for. One of these is the upcoming “Travel Mode,” which will make it easier to use XR devices on the move. Previously, when in a car or airplane, a virtual window would fly past the user, making it extremely difficult to watch movies on an airplane.

Google will also release a PC Connect app that will allow any Windows PC to connect to the Galaxy XR and mirror its laptop screen in a virtual environment. The app is currently in beta and can also be used for gaming, which could greatly broaden the appeal of this headset. This is an improvement over the situation at the beginning of the release, when customers needed to use Samsung's own Galaxy Book laptop to use virtual desktop mode. Google said it is also developing a version for macOS.

Additionally, Google is introducing a new “realistic” avatar style, which is more realistic than Samsung's cartoonized design. With the help of a smartphone app, Galaxy XR users will be able to scan their faces to get an accurate representation of their self-image during video calls. Realistic images can mimic facial movements and gestures. Like the PC Connect app, this feature will be available as a beta. Both will be available starting this week.