What you need to know
- Rumors claim Samsung is developing a new pair of smart glasses, and has tapped Samsung Display for an in-lens color display.
- The glasses would allegedly focus on displaying "text, notifications, icons, and more" on an extremely thin panel.
- Samsung has its Intelligent Eyewear, which is supposedly coming out this fall, but those are mostly voice-focused with Google's Gemini and a camera.
Samsung has barely dipped a toe into the world of smart glasses, and there's already a rumor that it wants to go bigger next time.
This report from The Elec (Korean) claims Samsung might've started developing smart glasses with a color display (via 9to5Google). The publication cites its "industry sources" in saying Samsung has tapped Samsung Display to "create microdisplays" for a future pair of AI smart glasses. These rumors claim Samsung has a lot on its plate to prepare this product.
Specifically, the post claims Samsung has a "technical challenge" to overcome: its FOV (field of view). The company is purportedly chasing a wide FOV for these glasses to accommodate the information users would see. What's more, Samsung is leaning on its Display side to create "ultra-small panels" of ~0.2 inches or smaller for the lenses. Samsung is allegedly focusing on displaying "text, notifications, icons, and navigation arrows" (machine-translated).
It's still incredibly early to know for sure how Samsung's first color display smart glasses will arrive. However, the publication suggests the glasses could see a launch in the second half of 2027 or "early" in 2028.
Got lenses?
Samsung's getting serious. I don't think its Intelligent Eyewear are a bad start, though. It's starting simple. Useful, even. Everything is based on your voice. You still have a camera to take photos, and Gemini is there to help with hands-free assistance. To put a color display—a proper screen—would definitely take things up a notch. To me, I think this rumor is probably a little more eye-catching.
We can't help but think about the Ray-Ban Display glasses from Meta. In fact, that's probably the kind of competition Samsung wants to get itself involved in. These glasses also feature the neural band. It makes it easier to control the display and content on your lenses with hand gestures. There's plenty of time still to see how Samsung manages this.
Right now, we have (kind of) Samsung's "Intelligent Eyewear." These glasses are in partnership with Google, alongside designs from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. These are Samsung's first smart glasses, but they lean more on the user's voice. Users can communicate with Gemini for navigation, order pickups, and photos. The glasses feature a camera and a microphone to get all of this done. Google reiterated its Samsung partnership during this summer's Unpacked.
These glasses aren't out yet. During the original announcement this past spring, Samsung said we shouldn't expect to see them until "later this fall."
