Samsung has finally confirmed that it’s joining the smart glasses bandwagon in 2026. Obviously, the exact launch timeline is under wrap, but the company has indicated that the product could arrive before the end of the year.
The news was shared during an earnings call. Seong Cho, executive vice president of Samsung’s Mobile Experience division, said the company aims to deliver “rich, immersive multimodal AI experiences” on different devices. This includes smartphones and what he called next-generation AR glasses, indicating that smart glasses are an important part of Samsung’s future plans.
Samsung’s move follows its partnership with Google, announced last year, to work on smart glasses and extended reality headsets. The upcoming smart glasses are expected to run on the Android XR platform and integrate with Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem, including smartphones, smartwatches, and smart rings.
Reports say Samsung is working on two versions of its smart glasses, with model numbers SM-O200P and SM-O200J. Both are likely meant for the same markets, so they may be regional or hardware variants instead of completely different products. Early leaks suggest the first-generation glasses might not have an AR or heads-up display. Instead, they are expected to have a camera, microphones, and speakers, focusing on AI features and audio-visual tools.
A second-generation model with an AR display is also on the horizon and could launch in 2027. Besides, the South Korean conglomerate has also partnered with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, which is said to help the company on design and daily comfort.
However, with the new smart glasses, Samsung is entering a market that is already growing fast. Meta has released two versions of smart glasses with Ray-Ban and has shown a prototype with an AR display. The success of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses has made smart eyewear a real platform for AI-powered devices.
Apple is also said to be developing several smart glasses. Where one model is expected to focus on audio and AI features without a display, while another could offer a full AR experience.
Meanwhile, Snap is increasing its efforts in this area. The company recently announced it will create a separate business for its augmented reality smart glasses. This move is meant to attract outside investment and compete more directly with Meta, as smart glasses become more popular as AI-first devices.
Industry forecasts predict strong growth for smart glasses. Smart Analytics Global estimates that revenue from AI smart glasses will reach $5.6 billion in 2026, with shipments rising from 6 million to about 20 million units. With Samsung, Meta, Apple, and Snap all moving forward, smart glasses are becoming the next big area for consumer AI hardware.
