Qualcomm (QCOM.US) teams up with Samsung Electronics (SSNLF.US), Google (GOOGL.US) to develop mixed reality smart glasses

Qualcomm (QCOM.US) CEO Cristiano Amon said in an interview that the company is working with Samsung Electronics (SSNLF.US) and Google (GOOGL.US) to explore the development of mixed reality (VR) smart glasses that can be connected to smartphones.The mixed reality smart glasses may be lighter and more focused on pairing with smartphones, unlike Apple's standalone, heavier headset (Vision Pro), according to the report. "It's going to be a new product that's going to give users a new experience," Amon said. "My real expectation for this partnership is that I hope that every person who owns a smartphone goes and buys a smart glass."The project builds on the existing partnerships between the three companies. Last February, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics and Google had already collaborated to develop a mixed reality platform, but did not mention any specific products or service timeline.In addition, Amon also mentioned Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which look like regular sunglasses but can wirelessly connect to smartphones and have built-in cameras. Besides, they also come equipped with a voice assistant powered by Meta's AI models. According to third-party estimates, the Ray-Ban smart glasses have already sold over 1 million units.Amon added: "I think we need to get to a point where the mixed reality smart glasses are indistinguishable from regular glasses. And then we can scale and bring it to the masses."It is worth noting that Qualcomm has already set mixed reality as one of its key target areas for business diversification, not only limited to the smartphone market. To support this area, Qualcomm has launched a chip called Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1, which is specifically designed for smart glasses, aiming to provide the necessary computing power for the next generation of smart glasses to support their performance in augmented reality applications.