Samsung and Google show four smart glasses designs ahead of fall launch

In short: Samsung and Google previewed their upcoming smart glasses, showing four frame designs and sharing early specs, including a claimed 9-hour battery life.

What happened

Samsung has shown what its next smart glasses look like in person for the first time, according to reporting from The Verge. The glasses are being developed with Google, plus eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Samsung says the glasses are planned to launch this fall.

The Verge reports there are now four frame designs in total. Two new designs were shown, a squared black pair from Gentle Monster and a rounder red-brown pair from Warby Parker. A Samsung executive told CNBC that more designs are coming.

In terms of hardware, Samsung shared early specs that include a reported 9-hour battery life. The Verge also describes the glasses as light and close in size to normal thick-rimmed glasses. The arms of the glasses hide speakers and microphones, and there is a button on the right side for controls.

Every pair also includes a camera on the front, plus a recording light that turns on when recording. That setup is similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses.

Why it matters

Smart glasses are trying to act like a phone you can wear on your face (like earbuds plus a camera built into regular glasses). A longer battery life could make them more practical for a full day out. But a camera on every pair also raises privacy concerns, since people nearby may not realize they are being recorded, even with a small recording light.

Source: The Verge AI