Erencan YılmazAfter dipping into the mixed-reality headset space, Samsung is said to be releasing its first smart glasses before the end of 2026. In a new report published by South Korean news outlet SEDDaily, the product will represent a new battlefield for the company in its competition against tech rivals Apple and Meta. Interestingly, the first-generation glasses are said not to have a display, setting them apart from more immersive AR headsets and positioning them squarely in competition against Meta’s existing AI-centric glasses.
Samsung is gradually entering the smart glasses market
Samsung’s foray into the smart glasses market is a definitive indication of its vision for the future. The company is said to consider smart glasses as the future of personal computing, and feels that they will ultimately replace smartphones as the device of choice that users will carry with them everywhere.
By developing its own product lineup and software, independent of its current collaboration with Google, Samsung hopes to establish itself as a leader in a segment that is fast gaining traction. Recent statistics from Counterpoint Research indicate that the AI smart glasses category registered a growth of more than 250% year-over-year during the first half of 2025, an indication of the growing consumer appetite for the technology.
Samsung’s inaugural smart glasses are said to resemble the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses. They will be equipped with a camera, microphones, and speakers. This enables them to capture photos and videos, make phone calls, and provide responses from an AI assistant embedded in them. While lacking a screen may be viewed as a limitation, it has several significant advantages like being lighter, having a longer battery life on a single charge, and being more fashionable and inconspicuous.
The current status of other competitors in the smart glasses market
Currently, Meta is the leading business in the industry with a dominant 73% of the AI smart glasses market. It owes its success to its collaboration with Ray-Ban, which merges high tech with fashionable and recognizable glasses. Meta is already working on its second-generation AR glasses, named “Orion,” which will feature a full AR display, but they will not be available for several years, giving Samsung some time to leave its mark.
Samsung won’t be going solo in this pursuit. Apple is also said to be working on its own display-less smart glasses for release around the same period in 2026. This now sets the stage for another head-to-head confrontation between the two technology behemoths in the wearables segment. By working on its own exclusive software for its glasses, Samsung is actively getting ready for a future when it might need to battle it out with Google directly, similar to how it does with its Galaxy phones and watches.
Source: Sedaily
