Warby Parker says preorders for its first Intelligent Eyewear collection, the Android XR audio glasses built with Google and Samsung, open November 12, with deliveries during the holiday season. Price is not announced. The glasses have a camera and Gemini but no display in the lens.
The first smart glasses from Google’s Android XR program get a date. Warby Parker said in its third-quarter results on November 5 that it will start taking preorders for its first “Intelligent Eyewear” collection on November 12, and expects to deliver orders during the holiday season. Nobody has announced a price.
What Warby Parker confirmed
The date came from Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker’s co-founder and co-CEO, in the earnings release: “One week from today, on November 12, we’ll begin accepting pre-orders for our first Intelligent Eyewear collection.” The same filing lists the partnership with Google and Samsung among the company’s business risks. That is all the company put in writing. We found no launch announcement from Google or Samsung when this story ran.
What we know about the glasses comes from earlier showings and from reporting:
- Audio first. These are the glasses without a display in the lens. They are audio glasses paired with a camera, and you control them by voice and a touchpad on the side, according to 9to5Google.
- Camera on board. Engadget says all the launch models have cameras and quick access to Gemini. Android Authority reports that an LED lights while recording and that the glasses won’t record if the LED is covered.
- Who builds what. Samsung makes the hardware on Qualcomm chips, and Warby Parker and Gentle Monster design the frames, per 9to5Google.
- Demos first. Warby Parker customers can already book in-store demo slots, according to Engadget. Gentle Monster hasn’t said when its designs go on sale.
Android Authority says recent rumors point to shipping in December. Neither Google nor Samsung has confirmed that.
Don’t preorder blind: price and prescription decide this one
Wait for November 12 and read the terms before you put money down. Three things are still unknown, and each one matters more than the date:
- Price. Android Authority expects these to cost far less than the $1,800 Galaxy XR headset, but possibly as much as a decent phone. That is a guess until Google or Samsung names a number.
- Prescription lenses. Warby Parker is an optical retailer, so prescription support is the obvious selling point. Check what lens options and lens prices the preorder page lists before you assume it.
- Cancellation. A preorder placed without a confirmed ship date should be refundable. Make sure it is.
If you mainly want to take calls and dictate notes away from your laptop, this is the product to watch. It is built around audio and Gemini. If you want a private display for spreadsheets and documents, this isn’t it. That job belongs to display glasses like the $1,099 XREAL Aura, which also runs Android XR and ships in mid-November. Our guide to smart glasses for work covers how the two types differ for meetings and focused work.
One more thing to plan for: a camera on your face changes how colleagues and clients react in meetings. Android Authority notes governments are adding limits on where camera glasses can be used. If you work in client offices, ask before you wear them in.
I haven’t tested the Intelligent Eyewear glasses.