What you need to know
- Google and Magic Leap are continuing their partnership to build Android XR smart glasses.
- Magic Leap will build prototype and reference designs for Android XR glasses.
- The two companies are combining display technologies in an effort to make glasses that are both stylish and functional.
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Magic Leap, a leader in augmented reality (AR) optics and displays, first partnered with Google in 2024. Now, the company is showing off a prototype and reference design for Android XR glasses at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) event. It also announced a deal to extend the partnership between Magic Leap and Google for three years.
The event provided our first look at Android XR smart glasses since Google I/O, where the AR glasses were demoed. The reference glasses use Google’s Raxium microLED light engine and Magic Leap's waveguides and optics technology to provide crisp in-lens visuals.
It's unclear whether Magic Leap or Google would ever release these Android XR smart glasses. For now, they're prototype and reference glasses that serve as a launching pad for other manufacturers. However, Magic Leap said it is becoming "an AR ecosystem partner" with Google, which could leave the door open for future consumer products.
"Magic Leap's optics, display systems, and hardware expertise have been essential to advancing our Android XR glasses concepts to life," said Shahram Izadi, who is the vice president of Google XR. "We're fortunate to collaborate with a team whose years of hands-on AR development uniquely set them up to help shape what comes next."
Magic Leap says it's also working with other partners to create AR glasses based on its current concept designs.
A glimpse into the future of Android XR glasses
It's hard to tell how these reference Android XR glasses might compare to what we saw at Google I/O based on the on-stage demonstrations. It's even trickier to gauge how they might stack up against Meta Ray-Ban Display, the smart glasses that recently made AR glasses with a waveguide display available to consumers. With that being said, it's clear that Google's partnerships with Gentle Monster, Warby Parker, and now Magic Leap prioritize design, style, and display quality.
"What makes this prototype stand out is how natural it feels to look through," Izadi added. "Magic Leap's precision in optics and waveguide design gives the display a level of clarity and stability that’s rare in AR today. That consistency is what makes it possible to seamlessly blend physical and digital vision, so users' eyes stay relaxed and the experience feels comfortable."
Android XR is progressing rapidly, with Samsung confirming this month it is working with Google, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker to build smart glasses that might challenge Meta.
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