What you need to know
- CNBC held a brief interview with Samsung’s vice president of mobile business, Jay Kim, who touched on the brand’s smart glasses ambitions.
- Kim says the glasses will feature an eye level camera that will lean on AI to “understand” what users see before sending it to their phones for processing.
- Samsung confirmed in an earnings call earlier this year that its AR glasses are on the way in 2026.
Samsung hasn’t forgotten about AR glasses, as a recent report highlights an interview with an executive who’s talking about what consumers might expect.
In an interview with CNBC, Samsung’s vice president of mobile business, Jay Kim, briefly discussed the company’s upcoming smart glasses. As MWC 2026 wrapped up, Kim got candid, stating Samsung’s smart glasses will feature a “built-in camera” that will be positioned “at eye level.” Kim informed CNBC that AI was a big part of Samsung’s glasses that it wanted to get right. Specifically, the glasses needed to have AI software that could “understand” what the user is looking at.
Android Central’s Take
What I’m getting from this is Samsung might position its smart glasses with more utility-focused AI. Considering Jay Kim has declined to respond about the existence of a display, and that the company focused on AI providing “a lot” of information, I might not care if it has a display. Perhaps there’s a speaker that lets us hear the AI. If not, reaching for your phone (which we do already) might be fine, too.
From there, the AI would send the information it gathered from the lenses to your phone for processing. Kim adds this would result in users receiving “a lot of information.” This back and forth is reportedly a significant portion of how users would interact with Samsung’s smart glasses and (likely) their Galaxy device.
Kim states the lenses will be connected to your phone to process the camera’s information. When questioned on whether or not the product would feature a display, Kim reportedly declined to answer.
Lookin’ smart
We’ve been wading through Samsung smart glasses rumors for a while. Last year, it was reported that Samsung’s bold move—smart glasses—could launch in 2026. Samsung wanted to move itself into a position to become a noteworthy smart glasses maker to compete with others. Its own brand of glasses would be separate from what it’s working on with Google. Those rumors claim that the company’s product would not feature a display, so Kim’s silence on the matter might not be that much of a shock.
Android Central’s Take
Among the many things discussed during an earnings call, this was probably the one bit of news that perked everyone up. Samsung’s smart glasses seem to be eyeing (no pun intended) a 2026 debut. I’m just wondering when. During Unpacked this summer? Maybe a fall release? Or somewhere in between now and then? Samsung has remained silent for the most part, though. We know 2026 could be the year, now we know about tis eye level camera. There’s still much that’s unknown.
It was reported that Samsung was developing glasses under Project HAEAN. During Samsung’s earnings call earlier this year, the company made a brief note about its pursuit of smart glasses. In reality, it confirmed that its AR glasses will see a 2026 launch, as part of its broader AI expansion. These glasses were reported to be made in partnership with Google, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster. Additionally, there could be two versions of its smart glasses on the way.
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