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Samsung just revealed more details about its upcoming smart glasses, including battery life
Samsung has revealed further specifications for its forthcoming smart glasses, unveiled at its Unpacked event following an initial tease at Google I/O earlier this year. The glasses run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform, which includes a Hexagon NPU for on-device AI processing, and will offer features such as visual search and real-time translation, though the device has no display of any kind. This positions Samsung to compete more directly with Meta in the smart glasses market ahead of a full launch later this year.
Samsung says the glasses will last nine hours per charge and ship with a charging case holding enough power for seven additional charges. They also support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 for streaming from a paired phone, and include a built-in camera with a recording indicator light and software that disables the camera if the light is covered, addressing privacy concerns similar to those raised over Meta's glasses. Frame designs have been created in partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, though pricing and availability remain unconfirmed, with Samsung promising more details in autumn.
In short
- Samsung detailed its smart glasses' specs at Unpacked, ahead of a full launch.
- Battery lasts nine hours, with a case adding seven more charges.
- No display, but camera, translation and visual search features included.
Explained simply
Smart glasses look like ordinary spectacles but contain technology such as a camera, microphones and a connection to a phone. Samsung is developing a pair with Qualcomm’s chip, which can process some artificial intelligence tasks on the glasses; they have no screen, so information such as translations is delivered without being displayed on the lenses.
Samsung is a South Korean electronics company, and Qualcomm makes chips used in many mobile devices. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, already sells smart glasses, while eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are helping shape Samsung’s frames.
The glasses sit at the intersection of wearable technology, artificial intelligence and everyday privacy. Their camera and connected features may be useful, but recording in public raises questions about whether people nearby know they are being filmed.