Samsung could launch Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses next month

Samsung unveiled its first smart glasses, called Intelligent Eyewear, a few months ago and detailed them during its most recent Galaxy Unpacked event. While the company revealed the device would go on sale later this year, a specific launch date was not mentioned. Now, that information has surfaced.

The South Korean firm will launch Intelligent Eyewear in November in partnership with Gentle Monster, Google, and Warby Parker. The glasses feature an onboard camera, microphones, and loudspeakers, and they run Google's Android XR operating system.

They also include Gemini, Google's AI-powered digital assistant that can see what you see using the camera and hear your voice and surroundings to help you complete tasks.

A report from The Korea Herald claims that Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear features a lightweight design, weighing 5 grams less than the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which currently occupy a 94% global market share. Samsung's smart glasses could be priced anywhere from $349 to $499 in the US.

Because smart glasses face growing privacy concerns, Samsung added two LED status indicator lights to the device. These light up whenever the camera is active so people nearby know when they are being recorded. If a user covers these LED lights, the camera automatically disables itself.

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission reportedly met with Samsung in late July to address these issues, focusing on how bystanders should be alerted when the cameras or microphones are active.

Additionally, the country's Ministry of Science and ICT began drafting guidelines in September to prevent secret filming and exam cheating.