It's been known for the longest time that Samsung is working on an Augmented Reality/Extended Reality device. There were reports that Samsung was making an XR headset that would rival the Apple Vision Pro. While that may still be a pipeline, recent reports have provided some clarity on the matter, as the company would first be releasing a pair of AR smart glasses similar to the Ray-Ban Meta.
A new report has emerged from South Korea providing some key launch details about Samsung's first augmented reality smart glasses. The company is reportedly going to start selling the device in the third quarter of 2025. The initial production run will be limited which suggests that the device may only be available in select markets.
No word as yet on what this device will cost
Samsung teased its work on an “XR Experience” device back in 2023 when the Galaxy S23 was unveiled. The company confirmed then that this device was being built in collaboration with Qualcomm, which will be providing the chipset, and Google, which will ostensibly provide the LLMs that will power the device's AI features.
It was actually revealed by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon a couple of months ago that there's a mixed-reality smart glass product that Samsung is making for which Qualcomm will provide the chipset. While Samsung itself hasn't confirmed the device, it did mention recently that the company's first device in this category will be released in 2025.
This lines up nicely with the latest report that claims a Q3 2025 launch for Samsung's smart glasses. It further mentions that the initial production run will be 500,000 units. Perhaps Samsung may want to test the waters with this product and opt for a larger production run later, or it may choose to only make it available in select markets in a limited quantity.
The report says Samsung's smart glasses use Qualcomm's AR1 semiconductor as the main processing unit and NXP semiconductor as the auxiliary processing unit, and the camera is 12 million pixels and will be equipped with Sony IMX681 CMOS image sensor.
It's also claimed that alongside the Qualcomm chipset, an NXP chip will be used as the auxiliary processing unit. The device will have a 12-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX681 CMOS image sensor.
These glasses will support mobile payments through QR codes, gesture recognition, and other AI features. There will be a 155mAh battery and the glasses will weigh 50 grams. Google's Gemini LLM will be installed on the device to provide AI features.
A Q3 2025 launch would mean that we'll likely see a formal announcement of these glasses either at or around the same time of the second Unpacked event where the company unveils new foldable phones. Whether the company teases them at its CES 2025 booth or at the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year remains a mystery for now.
