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Google and Samsung’s intelligent eyewear is official. It’s made with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, it has Gemini built in for hands-free use, and the prices are finally out. Here’s everything you’ve probably wanted to know about these glasses, from when you can order them to what they can actually do.

Pre-orders start November 12, release date is December 10

Pre-orders begin on November 12, with in-store and online availability. It looks like pre-orders open as early as 6:00 a.m. Pacific / 9:00 a.m. Eastern, so check the specific stores you want to order from.

The release date is December 10. So you pre-order on November 12, then pick them up or get them delivered by December 10. That’s right around the corner.

Warby Parker vs Gentle Monster: prices and styles

Warby Parker prices start at $395. They come in three styles, Alden, Reed and Ren, in the colors pine, saddle and jet black. You can get them with optical lenses, sunglasses or prescription lenses, and there are different width options too. That’s good news for me, because I always need the wide or large version.

Gentle Monster is a little more expensive, but honestly not as expensive as I thought. It starts at $449, with six designs and different frame colors and lens options. Prescription lenses are available for most frames, and it’s launching in the United States and South Korea. Warby Parker doesn’t say, but it looks like it’s probably a United States-only rollout.

Keep in mind these are starting prices. Depending on which frame you choose, and especially if you add prescription lenses, the price will go up from there.

Weight, battery and phone support

• Weight: around 41 grams, designed for comfortable everyday wear. That’s very light for glasses that have cameras in them.
• Battery: up to 9 hours, and the included charging case can recharge the glasses up to seven times.
• Phones: compatible with supported Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and iPhone models, though some features are Android-only at launch.

On the Android side, the wording makes it sound like they’ll only work with Samsung and Pixel phones for now. If you have a Motorola phone, for example, it may not be compatible. I don’t know for sure, but that’s how it reads. Maybe the Android-only features eventually come to the iPhone too. We don’t know yet.

Gemini, Uber and Google Maps

You can activate Gemini by voice, by saying “Hey Gemini,” or by touch, tapping the frames to ask questions about what you’re looking at. That makes it easy to handle everyday tasks without pulling out your phone, like adding items to your grocery list or checking your Uber status. Uber support is Android-only at launch, which is one of the few features iPhone users won’t get so far.

Google Maps gives you turn-by-turn directions in your ear while you’re exploring. I love that. As long as you use Maps on your phone, you’ll hear it through the glasses.

Translation, speakers and Audible

• Real-time translation: Google Translate supports conversations across up to 70 languages, right on the glasses.
• Open-ear speakers: listen to music while staying aware of your surroundings. They support YouTube Music, Spotify and Apple Music. That’s very similar to what Meta’s glasses do. I don’t think Meta’s glasses support YouTube Music by voice, but music still plays through them.
• Audiobooks, messages and calls: listen through Audible, catch up on group chats, reply to messages and take hands-free calls. Audible is another Android-only feature at launch, even though Audible does work on Meta glasses.

12MP ultrawide camera

There’s a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that takes photos and videos with a button press or when you ask Gemini. It has HDR and image stabilization to keep shots vibrant and steady, plus spatial audio capture for recordings. That’s not a huge surprise, since that’s what these glasses are, but it’s good to see.

Accessibility, privacy and the recording light

Guided Vision is an accessibility feature that uses conversational audio descriptions to help people with vision impairments read fine print, identify colors and find everyday items. There’s also Aira integration, which streams the glasses’ camera to a human interpreter for real-time visual help. Guided Vision and Aira require Android at launch, and subscriptions may apply. That sounds a lot like what Meta already offers with a different company, where a person can see through your glasses and guide you.

On privacy:

• Camera visuals shared with Gemini aren’t saved to your Gemini history or used for AI training or targeted ads.
• Bystanders’ faces are automatically redacted before Gemini processes those visuals. I think that applies to the AI side, not to the photos and videos you take yourself.
• A recording indicator light lets people know when you’re capturing photos or video, and recording is designed to stop if that light is covered.
• There’s encrypted data, adjustable camera and microphone permissions, and options to review or delete your Gemini chats. Honestly, not something I really care about, but it’s there.

Where to buy them (and why it’s weird)

You can buy them on the Gentle Monster and Warby Parker websites and in their retail stores, with demos also available at the Google Store. Earlier I guessed you’d be able to buy them from Google’s website, Best Buy or maybe Samsung, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

That’s really weird, and I don’t think I like it. Why wouldn’t Google sell them in its store and on its website? Why wouldn’t Samsung, especially with its name on them? This launch is so strange. It almost feels like Google and Samsung are hands-off, telling Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, “You handle it from here.” I want these to succeed, because they seem really interesting and I love smart glasses.

My take: how they stack up against Meta’s glasses

The big takeaways:

• The prices aren’t as expensive as I expected, at least to start, especially Gentle Monster. I can see Gentle Monster getting pricier depending on the model you pick.
• The lightweight design, good battery life and iPhone and Android support are all good things.
• Gemini, Maps, real-time translation, open-ear speakers, solid cameras with HDR and stabilization, accessibility features and a recording light are pretty much what I’d expect.

A lot of this isn’t hugely different from what Meta already has. The biggest difference is Google’s AI model versus Meta’s. It’s very parallel in a lot of ways. You’d think they’d want to add something Meta doesn’t already have.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments on the video.

These are the Meta Burbank audio-only glasses, and this walkthrough is all about getting replacement lenses for them. Not through Meta, but through a third party: VR Wave, a company I work with.

Heads-up: VR Wave is a brand I work with, and it has sponsored the channel before. Links on this page are affiliate links.

Why I like VR Wave lenses

They’re excellent. I love them because they’re inexpensive, they ship fairly quickly, and they make quality lenses. They make basically everything you could want:

• Prescription or non-prescription
• Shaded lenses
• Transition lenses

They’re also very easy to install. I’ve had these glasses for a while but hadn’t really tried them out much, so here’s how to get them set up.

Step 1: Remove the stock lenses

Taking the stock lenses out is very easy. Push with two thumbs on the lens, pushing from the nose side outward, and it comes right out. Do the same thing on the other side.

Why audio-only frames are worth it

The nice thing about the Burbank being audio-only is that you get better battery life, up to 12 hours, and a lighter frame on your nose, ears and face. That’s great if the weight of the Ray-Ban Meta or the other Meta glasses bothers you. You lose the cameras, but you get a lot more battery life and less weight. Personally, I don’t get bothered by the Ray-Ban Meta, but it’s still really nice to have a little less weight. And up to 12 hours is amazing.

Step 2: Check the case and the left/right labels

VR Wave’s lenses come in a case. You can put your old lenses in there, or if you have different lenses from them, you can swap them out and keep them protected and clean at the same time.

What I love about these lenses is that each one is labeled with which side it’s for, left or right. Even without the label it’s pretty easy to figure out. You can just line it up.

Step 3: Pop in the new lenses

I wear gloves to keep the lenses less fingerprinty, so you don’t have to clean them afterward. There’s also a little protective layer on both sides to keep them clean when you get them.

Start from the side and push the lens right in. It snaps right in. Perfect fit. Then do the same with the right lens.

Transition lenses: clear indoors, tinted outdoors

The lenses I put in are transition lenses, also called photochromic lenses. Indoors they’re clear, and when you go outdoors they transition into a tint. They come in all kinds of transition colors. I usually go with gray or black, because it goes with almost anything.

Here’s how the shade compares to regular sunglasses:

• When UV rays start to hit the lens, it adds roughly 60 to 70 percent of the shade a traditional pair of sunglasses would give you.
• You won’t get the full dark feeling of sunglasses, but they shade things out enough outdoors to be very helpful. They were a lot easier on my eyes after being inside all day.

I use these now exclusively over regular sunglasses. Sunglasses are only good outdoors. With transition lenses it doesn’t matter if the sun’s coming out, you’re heading back inside, or it’s cloudy or night outside. You can always wear your glasses, and I love that.

How fast do they clear up indoors?

When you go back inside, it takes anywhere from about 30 seconds to a minute, maybe 90 seconds or two minutes, for them to go from the sunglass look back to clear. It can happen really quickly, and it depends on how strong the UV rays are.

My recommendation

These are just so convenient, and I love convenience. If you’re thinking about getting lenses, especially replacement lenses, I totally recommend them. I love the ones from VR Wave, and they’re in all my glasses.

• VR Wave lenses for Meta audio glasses (use code gtv10 at checkout)
• Meta Burbank glasses

Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear, also known as Galaxy Glasses, is coming from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, and the pre-order is almost here. This is a rundown of what we already knew plus some new details that have leaked out. I expect we’ll learn even more right before the actual launch on the 12th.

Pre-order, shipping and in-store demos

The pre-order starts November 12. It’s just America right now, though I’d assume there will be an international rollout of some kind eventually.

On shipping, deliveries are reportedly coming in December 2026, before Christmas. So you pre-order before Black Friday, and delivery happens after Black Friday, in December.

Warby Parker has opened in-store demo appointments online. At a demo, they basically show you how to use the glasses. You’ll still be able to buy them online. I don’t think you need to go into a store to buy them.

• The booking calendar shows demo slots opening as early as November 12.
• Confirmed demo hubs are in major metro areas, including Los Angeles and Phoenix, with active scheduling slots live.
• Outside of booked appointments, there will be locations around major metro areas where you can just try the glasses on.

These try-before-you-buy demos let you check the comfort and audio clarity in person before ordering.

Prescription lenses

Demo frames don’t include prescription lenses. If you need prescription lenses, you’ll probably want to wear contacts to your demo so you get a real sense of what they’re like.

You will be able to get prescription lenses. They just won’t be available right at the time of the demo. You pre-order now and get your prescription filled. Prescription lenses come through Warby Parker or Gentle Monster.

Branding: who makes what

Across partners, the official marketing name is Intelligent Eyewear powered by Android XR. Here’s how the roles break down:

• Samsung: the primary hardware manufacturer, handling sensor integration, battery tech and motherboard engineering.
• Google: the Android XR platform, the multimodal Gemini AI system, voice recognition and cloud services.
• Gentle Monster and Warby Parker: frame design, materials, acetate construction, sunglass tints and custom prescription lenses.

Why this launch is so confusing

This is one of the weirdest launches I’ve ever seen. Samsung really isn’t pushing it at all. It’s Google, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster doing most of the promotion. Even the marketing images list Gentle Monster, Google and Samsung together.

Why wouldn’t you promote it by saying, “On November 12, we have something big to show you”? Instead it’s backdoor press releases and a mention on an earnings call: “Hey, we’re going to release glasses on the 12th.” It’s so weird to me.

I’m not saying it’s true or that it’s bad, but it makes me wonder whether these glasses aren’t fully ready, and whether we’ll get more of the features months later. The actual pre-order is just two days away, and they still aren’t really letting people know.

iPhone and Android compatibility

The glasses work with iPhone and Android. Leaks show support inside the Galaxy Wearable app. I don’t know yet whether Galaxy Wearable is the app everyone has to use no matter what phone they’re on, or whether it will be one of two apps alongside a separate Intelligent Eyewear app. I actually think there will be two apps, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Having them in Galaxy Wearable makes sense for extras, like controlling your glasses with your watch.

11 models, the same hardware, and the colors

Both brand lines share the internal Samsung project name Jinju, which means “pearl” in Korean. That confirms they share the same underlying compute boards, microcontrollers and audio tech.

• There are 11 models: six from Gentle Monster and five from Warby Parker.
• They all have the same hardware, so even if Warby Parker ends up less expensive, you’re not getting different internals for paying a little more or a little less.
• Confirmed frame colors from app render assets: classic black, deep green, rich burgundy and tortoise. So far there are no cream, white or purple options. That’s not to say they won’t come later, but right now they don’t exist.

Battery life and the charging case

• Up to 9 hours of battery on a single charge for the frames alone. That’s really good. For comparison, the new Ray-Ban Metas are either eight or nine hours.
• The charging case gives you seven additional full charges. So if you’re out and about and kill your glasses, you’ve got seven more full charges, which adds up to about 72 hours total.

That’s pretty impressive if you go camping or travel somewhere with mixed use. You obviously won’t be recording video for nine hours straight, but with mixed use you’re getting a lot out of these glasses.

Features: no display, but Gemini sees what you see

These are audio and camera AI glasses only. They don’t have an optical HUD or in-lens micro display.

• Gemini built in: the camera and mic array let you ask Gemini about what you’re seeing in real time.
• Live translation: open-ear audio drivers give you live spoken translation, plus translation of signs and printed text in your field of view. Meta’s glasses already do this.
• Audio and navigation: discreet open-ear temple speakers handle phone calls, music playback and hands-free turn-by-turn walking navigation. You won’t use these while driving, but for walking, no problem at all.

If I could only choose two features, those are probably the two I’d actually pick.

Controls and privacy

• A physical capture button on the temple, capacitive touch zones and hands-free voice activation.
• A front-facing LED lights up during camera capture, and recording cuts off if you block it.
• An inner status light for the wearer, plus wear-detection sensors that disable capture when you take them off.

Final thoughts: am I hyped yet?

Some of this we already knew and some of it we didn’t, but ultimately it’s a super weird launch, and I’m still perplexed by it. Once there’s official coverage, I’ll probably be saying, “Oh my god, I’m so hyped.” But right now, it’s hard to get excited when the companies themselves don’t seem excited about a brand-new product.

With Meta, even though Meta doesn’t own Ray-Ban or the companies that make its frames, it feels like one entity with one mission. This feels like four different companies going at it in different ways. Even the two eyewear brands are holding two separate events, and I don’t think they’re connected to each other business-wise at all. It feels messy.

What do you think? Are you pre-ordering? Let me know in the comments on the video.