With a low-profile revival, Google’s smart glasses edge closer to market, blending AR hardware, Gemini AI, and sleek designs in a cautious but deliberate push toward 2026.
Google is reportedly resuming development of its smart glasses, with Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai offering only limited details about the progress.
According to a report by Digitimes Asia, the augmented reality (AR) eyewear project is still in flux, with ongoing recruitment and restructuring in the development team. The final design has yet to be confirmed.
While work continues, Google is prioritising the expansion of its Gemini AI user base, with smartphones currently seen as the more practical platform for delivery.
Speaking during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Pichai said he was encouraged by recent advances in user experience compared with earlier prototypes. However, he noted that smartphones would remain the dominant consumer device for the next two to three years, reflecting a more cautious stance than the company’s public enthusiasm for AR at its I/O conference in May.
Pichai rarely discusses smartphones in earnings calls, given the Pixel line’s modest sales of just over 12 million units annually. But as the main gateway for Gemini App adoption, the Pixel now features more prominently in his remarks.
Google has continued to invest in AR infrastructure. In late 2024, it launched the Android XR system in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, while recruiting talent from Meta and Apple. Supply chain partners such as Quanta and GoerTek are also involved.
The smart glasses are expected to incorporate a lens display, camera, eye-tracking, microphone array, speakers, and seamless integration with Gemini and Android apps. Multiple sizes and frame designs are planned.
Prototypes have been shown at developer events, and a market launch is rumoured for early 2026. Within the Android XR ecosystem, Samsung’s Project Moohan headset is reportedly the most advanced product and is expected to debut this autumn.
