[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] SamsungElectronics(005930)is preparing to launch a pair of smart glasses that connect users’ eyes and ears to artificial intelligence (AI), following its Galaxy smartphones and watches. At the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on the 22nd, the company is expected to provide a preview of the design and direction of the AI glasses, which are set to launch this fall.

According to industry sources on the 19th, SamsungElectronics is expected to unveil the mass-production design and launch plans for its “Intelligent Eyewear”—developed in collaboration with Google—at “Galaxy Unpacked 2026,” taking place at 10:00 p.m. (KST) on the 22nd in London, UK.

The official name of this product, also known as “Galaxy Glass,” has not yet been finalized. SamsungElectronics and Google are currently using the term “Intelligent Eyewear.”

SamsungElectronics and Google first unveiled two pairs of glasses—designed by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, respectively—at Google’s annual developer conference, “Google I/O 2026,” last May. The collaboration involves SamsungElectronics handling hardware design, Google providing the Android XR platform and its generative AI, Gemini, and the eyewear brands overseeing design and comfort.

The Gentle Monster model features wide oval lenses and thick black frames, emphasizing the brand’s signature bold design. The Warby Parker model, with its thick frames and classic shape, gives the impression of everyday eyewear. Samsung and Google plan to include both designs in the full collections that each brand will launch this year.

This collaboration with eyewear companies is seen as stemming from the belief that the success of smart glasses hinges on a design that people are willing to wear every day. In the past, Google Glass struggled to gain widespread adoption due to its design, which exposed mechanical components on the front, and concerns about privacy infringement.

Samsung and Google believe that AI features can only become part of everyday life once the glasses are first accepted as fashion items. Google also explained that it is developing products by first determining the design—rather than the technical specifications—and then incorporating the features that can be implemented within that framework.

The product set to launch this fall is expected to take the form of “audio glasses” without a display on the lenses. The frames will house a camera, microphone, and speaker. When the user says “Hey Google” or taps the side of the frame, Gemini recognizes the scene in front of the user via the camera and responds with voice commands.

For example, while walking down the street, users can ask for a restaurant’s rating or check the meaning of a parking sign. Based on the user’s current location and line of sight, the device provides directions and supports phone calls, text messaging, notification summaries, and photo and video capture.

Features have also been announced that will handle multi-step tasks on the user’s behalf, such as real-time translation of foreign-language conversations and signs, and placing coffee orders through delivery apps. Rather than taking out a smartphone and interacting with the screen, the AI understands the scene the user is looking at and their voice.

SamsungElectronics is developing these AI glasses against the backdrop of a rapidly growing market. According to Counterpoint Research, global smart glasses shipments in the second half of last year increased by 139% compared to the same period the previous year. Meta captured 82% of the market, led by its AI glasses developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban. Samsung appears to be aiming to challenge the market by adding glasses to its existing Galaxy ecosystem, which includes smartphones, watches, and earbuds.

Even if the first product launches as a screenless AI glasses model, the company’s ultimate goal is to develop display-based glasses that project information directly into the user’s field of view. Google has announced that it is developing two types of Android XR-based glasses: screenless models and models that display information on the inside of the lenses. Display-based models can show navigation arrows or real-time translation subtitles directly in the user’s field of view.

A recently disclosed SamsungElectronics patent related to head-mounted displays (HMDs) also aligns with this mid- to long-term direction. The patent titled “Head-Mounted Display Device and Its Operation Method,” for which SamsungElectronics filed a divisional application last April, incorporates technology that tracks the gaze of both eyes to locate the point the user is looking at, and then designates only that portion of the stereo camera footage as the region of interest to measure the distance and depth of objects. It also includes functionality to overlay virtual objects onto the real-world environment based on the measured depth information.

This technology allows the system to focus its processing on the area the user is actually looking at, rather than analyzing the entire image captured by the camera. The glasses can quickly determine the position and distance of objects by following the user’s gaze, and this capability can be used to naturally place virtual guidance or information within the real-world environment.

This patent suggests that SamsungElectronics has been preparing the eye-tracking and spatial recognition technologies necessary for future display-based AR glasses. After entering the market with its first screenless product, the company may expand its lineup to include products that recognize gaze and depth to display information right in front of the user’s eyes.

At this Unpacked event, attention is focused on how SamsungElectronics will integrate its AI glasses into the Galaxy ecosystem. This fall will be a test of whether a product combining Gentle Monster’s design, Google Gemini, and SamsungElectronics’ hardware can establish itself as the next everyday device after the smartphone.