Google Opens Pre-Orders for Gemini Smartglasses With Warby Parker, Gentle Monster; December 10 Launch

Google and its partners opened pre-orders today for the first "Intelligent Eyewear" collections running Android XR, with Warby Parker frames starting at $395 and Gentle Monster at $449. The glasses ship December 10. Google is adding privacy protections for both the wearer and bystanders — indicator lights, a physical off switch, no live streaming, automatic face redaction — in a market where Meta's similar camera-glasses approach has faced criticism over data handling and bystander consent [3][4].

What's shipping and when

Warby Parker announced the November 12 pre-order date in its third-quarter earnings release, with co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa stating: "One week from today, on November 12, we'll begin accepting pre-orders for our first Intelligent Eyewear collection and look forward to delivering customer orders during the holiday season" [3]. Google's own blog confirms pre-orders are open today for both Warby Parker and Gentle Monster collections, with in-store and online availability on December 10 [6].

Warby Parker offers three frame styles — Alden, Reid, and Wren — in Pine, Saddle, and Jet Black, with optical or sun lenses and a wide range of prescription options. The full collection is available at warbyparker.com and in more than 360 retail locations for guided demos [6]. Gentle Monster offers six designs in dark red, pink, gray, and yellow with clear, tinted, blue, or brown lenses; prescription options are available for most frames. Gentle Monster's collection will be sold in the United States and South Korea [6].

Hardware and specs

The glasses are audio-focused — no display in the lenses — and weigh approximately 41 grams without prescription lenses [4][6]. Samsung provides the computing hardware inside the frames [4]. Each pair includes a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, custom open-ear speakers, directional microphones, and a touch-sensitive area on the frame for invoking Gemini [4][6]. Battery life is rated at up to nine hours, with a portable charging case capable of recharging the frames up to seven times [6].

Road to VR reported earlier that Samsung's first-generation smart glasses would use a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, a single 12MP front-facing camera with indicator LED, and up to nine hours of use per charge [2]. Google's blog does not specify the chipset.

Interaction is voice-first: say "Hey Gemini" or tap the frame to activate the assistant. Features include real-time translation across more than 70 languages, turn-by-turn navigation via Google Maps, hands-free calls and messaging, photo and video capture with HDR and stabilization, and Gemini Guided Vision for conversational audio descriptions aimed at users who are blind or have low vision [6]. Aira integration allows streaming the camera feed to a trained human visual interpreter [6].

Privacy measures

Ars Technica reports that Google says it designed privacy protections for "both sides of the lens" [4]. Key measures include:

• A recording indicator light that illuminates whenever the camera is active; the glasses refuse to activate the camera if the light is covered or disabled [4][6].
• A physical off switch on every pair [4][6].
• Camera visuals from Gemini are not saved in Gemini History and are not used to train AI models or target ads [6].
• Bystander faces are automatically redacted from visuals before Gemini processes them [6].
• No live-streaming to social media from the glasses, including YouTube Live; recorded content saves to the user's gallery for manual upload [4].
• Real-time facial recognition is not supported [4].
• Data on the glasses is encrypted at rest and in transit; Google says it is working to bring Private AI Compute to glasses to isolate data during processing so even Google cannot access it [4][6].
• Terms of use require users to agree not to record people without consent or in sensitive areas; Google may remotely disable glasses for violations [4].

Ars Technica notes that voice interactions with Gemini via the glasses are not guaranteed the same level of protection as camera data; users can delete chats from Gemini History [4].

Engadget notes that Google's "remarkably similar approach" to camera-equipped glasses "doesn't seem poised to change" the distrust created by Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have faced "well-documented misuses" that Meta has tried to address with software updates [3].

Platform and compatibility

The glasses run Android XR, Google's platform for extended reality devices, with Gemini as the AI layer [1][5]. At launch, supported phones include Google Pixel 7 series and above running the Android 17 September 2026 update or later; Samsung Galaxy S, S FE, Z Fold, Flip, and Fold Ultra series running One UI 9.0 or higher; and iPhone 13 Pro and above [6]. Intelligent Eyewear is only available for use with Google accounts from the United States and South Korea, and requires a compatible 18+ Google Account [6].

What's unconfirmed

Google has not published a feature checklist for the Warby Parker model specifically, so the exact list of camera-driven tasks remains open [1]. Ars Technica notes that in testing, Gemini can be frustratingly fallible at times; the chatbot still regularly screws up simple things like adding calendar appointments or identifying objects in an image [4]. Without a screen to verify output, reliability becomes critical.

Gentle Monster's December release window was previously reported as a teaser with a Joaquin Phoenix–starring short film directed by Jonathan Glazer [2]; Google's blog now confirms the December 10 launch date for both brands [6]. No provided source indicates Samsung has announced a launch date for its own branded frames under Android XR.

The $395 and $449 starting prices cover non-prescription lenses; final pricing varies with prescription, lens type, and frame selection [4][6].