Samsung and Google Team Up to Challenge Meta and Apple in AR Glasses Race

Samsung and Google have joined forces to develop augmented reality (AR) glasses, aiming to enter the competitive market alongside Meta and Apple. The collaboration, confirmed by Samsung's president of mobile experience, TM Roh, is expected to result in a pair of AR glasses that leverage the Android XR operating system. This partnership comes on the heels of Samsung's Project Moohan mixed-reality headset announcement, which is set to launch this year.

The AR glasses market is heating up, with major players like Meta and Apple working on their own products. Meta's Orion prototype glasses, for example, are expected to cost around $10,000 per pair to produce. However, Samsung and Google's collaboration could help them overcome production costs and form factor challenges by combining their expertise in hardware, software, and AI.



Samsung's entry into the AR glasses market is a logical next step for the company, following its success in the wearables market with products like the Galaxy Ring. The partnership with Google also extends beyond AR glasses, with Samsung integrating Google's Gemini AI across its Galaxy S25 smartphones. This integration includes multimodal AI and improvements to Gemini's usability across Samsung's ecosystem of devices.

However, developing AR wearables is no easy task. Production costs and form factor challenges have proven to be significant hurdles for companies like Meta, which has resorted to putting most of the device's processing components in an external "puck." Samsung and Google will need to address these challenges to create a lightweight, wearable, and affordable AR glasses product.

The timeline for Samsung and Google's AR glasses is still uncertain, with Roh stating that the companies will "try to reach the quality and readiness we want as soon as possible." Given the competition's roadmaps, Samsung and Google's AR glasses are expected to be released before 2027, when Meta plans to introduce its Artemis AR glasses. Apple, on the other hand, has been secretive about its AR ambitions, and Snap Inc. entered the AR space with its smart glasses in 2024.

In conclusion, Samsung and Google's partnership in developing AR glasses positions them as a strong competitor in the rapidly growing AR market. By combining their expertise in hardware, software, and AI, they aim to create a high-quality, ready-to-use product as soon as possible. The AR glasses market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and Samsung and Google's collaboration could help them capture a significant share of this lucrative market.