Google has resurrected its smart glasses concept, revealing a promising new prototype that brings augmented reality to a stylish, wearable form factor. During a TED conference in Vancouver on April 8, 2025, Shahram Izadi, head of Google’s XR/AR division, demonstrated these next-generation AR glasses that significantly evolved from the company’s earlier attempts.
The revival of Google’s smart eyewear technology
After officially launching its Android XR virtual and mixed reality platform in December 2024, Google has taken a bold step forward with a lightweight alternative to full-face headsets. Unlike Samsung’s Project Moohan (which resembles Apple Vision Pro with its full-face coverage), Google’s new AR glasses maintain the appearance of conventional eyewear while incorporating advanced technology.
The demo revealed that these glasses include a miniature display that overlays digital information onto the user’s real-world view. This achievement represents a significant technical breakthrough, as creating true AR functionality in a standard glasses form factor has been a significant challenge for the entire tech industry.
Their integration with Google’s AI capabilities makes these glasses particularly innovative. The prototype demonstrated seamless voice control through Gemini, Google’s generative AI conversational assistant, allowing for natural interaction with the device.
The glasses feature several impressive capabilities:
- Real-time translation (demonstrated with Farsi to English conversion)
- Document scanning functionality
- Augmented reality overlay of information
- Smartphone connectivity for expanded capabilities
- Lightweight design for comfortable daily wear
Smart glasses as smartphone companions
Rather than attempting to create a standalone device, Google has positioned these glasses as sophisticated smartphone accessories. “These glasses work with your phone, in both directions, allowing them to be very lightweight while accessing all your phone’s applications,” explained Izadi during the demonstration.
This approach differentiates Google’s offering from competitors who are pursuing either fully independent wearables or simple notification displays. By leveraging the smartphone’s processing power and app ecosystem, the glasses can remain relatively thin and lightweight while delivering powerful functionality.
The bidirectional connectivity suggests users will be able to control their phones through the glasses and view phone content in their field of vision. This integration creates a seamless extension of the smartphone experience rather than an entirely separate computing platform.
| Feature | Google AR Glasses | Meta Ray-Ban | Samsung Project Moohan |
| Form Factor | Standard eyeglasses | Standard eyeglasses | Full-face headset |
| Display Technology | AR overlay | No display | Passthrough video |
| AI Integration | Gemini | Basic AI | Android XR AI features |
Competing in the evolving XR landscape
Google’s dual approach to extended reality is becoming increasingly apparent. Support for Samsung’s Project Moohan headset represents their entry into the immersive virtual reality space, and these AR glasses target the more casual, everyday augmented reality market.
The demonstration of Project Moohan alongside the AR glasses highlighted the passthrough video technology that allows users to see the world through the headset’s cameras and screens. Additional capabilities shown included multi-window application support, immersive location exploration (presumably through Google Maps), and 360-degree video viewing.
This two-pronged strategy positions Google to compete with both Meta’s Orion glasses and Apple’s Vision Pro headset. By supporting full-featured headsets while developing lighter AR glasses, Google covers multiple segments of the emerging XR market.
The timing of this announcement follows a growing trend of major tech companies investing heavily in wearable AR/VR technology. With Meta already shipping smart glasses and Apple having launched Vision Pro, Google’s latest demonstration suggests the company is determined not to be left behind in what many consider the next major computing platform.
As Google continues refining these prototypes, whether they can overcome the technical challenges that have limited AR glasses adoption so far, particularly battery life, display brightness, and field of view limitations that have plagued previous attempts at mainstream smart eyewear.
