Last year at Google I/O, we got a promising, if frustratingly limited, Android XR. At this year’s event, the company confirmed that the first Warby Parker and Gentle Monster glasses will arrive later this year.
Those frames are still under wraps, though we got a little preview during the I/O keynote. But Google’s developer conference, at least, gave us a clearer picture of how its smart glasses will work. Given that Meta has a title that spans years, Google will have a lot to prove. But despite being embarrassingly late to the smart glasses game, Google has a few key advantages. And, after trying out the latest Android XR glasses, I suspect at least some people will prefer these over Meta’s Ray-Ban shades.
The glasses I presented were not framed with a name briefly displayed during the keynote. They were “hardware references” that Google uses for internal development. These glasses also had a built-in display, unlike the Warby Parker and Gentle Monster specs, which would only be audio. But they didn’t really look or feel like a prototype either. While they weren’t as polished as my Ray-Ban Meta frames, they weren’t too tight or wobbly looking. They also felt much lighter than the more chunky Meta Ray-Ban Display frames.
The display setup is similar to the prototype I saw last year, with a single window over the right lens. In the reference hardware, it had a 20-degree field of view, although Google was quick to point out that some aspects could change.
While the display was impressive – it was as crisp and bright as the Meta’s equivalent – it was clear that even the Android XR’s audio-only glasses would have a huge advantage over the Meta and other potential competitors. Namely, that Google has managed to integrate its apps and, yes, Gemini into frames in a way that seems incredibly useful.
For example, using Google Translate was much more seamless than my experience with Meta Mirrors. I was able to go between a Spanish-speaking Google representative and my Serbian-speaking colleague Igor Bonifacic and the glasses kept the translation going without a hitch. It also ignored the people around me who spoke English, and only showed a real-time translation of what was being said in the other language. There probably aren’t that many real-world situations where you’ll need to navigate between multiple languages within the same conversation, but the fact that it’s possible underlines Google’s advantage.
While I’m generally impressed with the translation capabilities of Meta’s AI glasses, you can only do one language at a time. You also need to download the language to your phone in advance, which can make the current translation difficult.
Igor Bonifacic of EngadgetMirrorless glasses will still benefit from multimodal capabilities, relying on internal cameras and Gemini to display information based on your surroundings. I was able to look up the recipe and ask Gemini to add the ingredients to my shopping list in Google Keep. Gemini actually struggled a bit with the command, but I didn’t have to stop and start over. I kept talking and was able to adapt on the fly.
I’ve always complained that one of the biggest problems with Meta mirrors is that they only work with a few third-party apps. While Meta is working to fix that, for now it’s great if you want to read WhatsApp messages or Instagram DMs, but there aren’t many options outside of the company’s ecosystem. Android XR may also rely heavily on Google’s ecosystem, at least for now, but being able to access Maps, Gmail and Keep feels more practical in my daily life.
Maps in particular can be especially helpful. In my latest demo, I was also able to get directions on the display, alongside a small map view when looking down. The audio-only XR glasses won’t have the benefit of a visual guide, but Google will still be able to provide directions with audio signals. You can also look for restaurants and businesses near you and ask Gemini for reviews and information. I have long thought that traveling is one of the best ways to use smart glasses. The addition of Google Maps data is a real plus, especially when you think about combining that with other features like real-time translation and navigation.
I still have unanswered questions about how all of this will work with glasses that people can buy. And Google still hasn’t revealed details or pricing for the consumer version of these glasses. But we have a lot to look forward to.
