Preorders opened on November 12, 2026, in the US and South Korea for "Intelligent Eyewear," Gemini-enabled glasses developed with Google and Samsung. The glasses go on sale on December 10, with Warby Parker models starting at $395 and Gentle Monster models at $449. You can ask the AI about what the camera sees and hear the answer through open-ear speakers that don't cover your ears.
But the compatible smartphone model is not the only thing to check before buying. There are also limits based on the country and age of your Google account, and on which features you want to use. In addition, the footage used when you ask the AI about your surroundings, the photos you capture to keep, and your chats each follow different storage rules.
On sale December 10, with a choice of frames and prescriptions
According to Google's announcement, Intelligent Eyewear will be available in stores and online from December 10. The collaboration, in which eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker join Google and Samsung, has now reached the stage of having a price and a release date.
Warby Parker offers three styles, Alden, Reid and Wren, with prescription lenses and a choice of widths and lenses. The company says it will also take bookings for guided demos at more than 360 stores.
Gentle Monster offers six designs. In its Japanese-language announcement, the brand's operator IICOMBINED JAPAN describes 16 variations based on two optical models and four sunglasses models. Many frames come with prescription-lens options, and tax-inclusive prices in South Korea range from 650,000 to 700,000 won depending on the model. These differ in region and conditions from the $449 starting price shown for the US.
Price is only the entry point. With multiple frames, prescription options and fitting-based demos available, checking shape, prescription, width and comfort, as you would with ordinary glasses, is also part of the buying decision.
Ask by sight and voice, connected to your phone
Say "Hey Gemini" to the glasses or tap the frame, and you can ask about what you're looking at. Google gave examples such as checking your calendar for open slots while looking at a poster, or adding items to a shopping list. You can make requests by voice, using the information in front of you, before taking out your phone.
Google Maps gives turn-by-turn directions you can hear. Google Translate detects the language automatically and translates speech in more than 70 languages in real time, according to Google. These require the Google Maps and Google Translate apps respectively, and video calls use Google Meet.
Music, calls and messages are also available through the open-ear speakers. The camera is a 12-megapixel ultra-wide unit with HDR and image stabilization, and the product site describes video of up to 3K.
The glasses do not do everything on their own, however. According to Google's FAQ, asking Gemini about your surroundings and streaming media both require a Bluetooth connection to your phone. Taking photos, adjusting volume and checking battery level can be done without a Bluetooth connection.
The glasses weigh about 41 grams, and the stated usage time is up to 9 hours on the glasses alone. Google says the case can recharge them up to seven times, while IICOMBINED JAPAN describes up to 72 hours when used with the case. The 9-hour figure was measured under mixed use that combines notifications, calls and conversations with the AI, as well as music, photos and video. It does not mean how long you can keep shooting continuously or keep talking to the AI, and actual time varies with usage, settings, network conditions and other factors.
Compatible phones aren't the only requirement
Device support, Google account country and age, and Android-only features are separate conditions. For example, even if you own a compatible model, you need to check the requirements for your account and for the features you want to use. The launch conditions shown in Google's announcement and the product FAQ are as follows.
| Condition to check | What the official materials state |
|---|---|
| Device / OS | Pixel 7 series and later with the September 2026 update to Android 17 or later. Galaxy S, S FE, Z Fold, Flip and Fold Ultra with One UI 9.0 or later. For iPhone, the FAQ says "iPhone 13 or later, 6GB or more of RAM, iOS 26.6 or later," while the announcement's footnote says "iPhone 13 Pro or later" |
| Google account | A compatible Google account from the US or South Korea, held by someone aged 18 or older |
| Individual features | Guided Vision, Aira Explorer and Audible are limited at launch to use with compatible Android devices. Guided Vision and Aira Explorer may require a subscription or similar |
Note: As of the November 12, 2026 announcement. The minimum iPhone model is stated differently in the announcement footnote and the FAQ.
In short, anyone considering using an iPhone should check the RAM and OS conditions in the FAQ as well as the model name. The official announcement does not state a Japan release date or price, or whether Japanese Google accounts will be supported.
Guided Vision describes visual information aloud in a conversational format for people who are blind or have low vision, among others. Aira Explorer sends camera footage to a trained human visual interpreter for real-time assistance. The two differ in that one relies on AI descriptions and the other on human assistance.
Google states plainly that Guided Vision's AI descriptions may be wrong. It is not a medical device, clinical visual aid, mobility aid or substitute for a white cane, and it is not intended for navigation, obstacle detection or other safety-related uses.
Different storage for AI visual queries, photos and chats
With a camera-equipped pair of glasses, what gets kept is also part of the decision to use them. Google's privacy explanation treats footage shown to Gemini for questions, photos saved to the gallery, and conversations separately.
| Input / action | How it is stored | Protections and settings Google describes |
|---|---|---|
| Visual question asking Gemini about your surroundings | Camera footage is not saved to Gemini history and is not used for AI training or ad targeting | Designed to blur the faces of people nearby before Gemini processes the image |
| Request to take a photo or video | The photo or video taken is saved to the gallery | An outward-facing LED lights up, and the design prevents capture if the LED is covered or tampered with |
| Chat with Gemini | Saved to Gemini history | View and delete history, personalization, and use of conversation text to improve generative AI are managed in settings |
That visual-query footage isn't kept in history doesn't mean processing happens entirely inside the glasses. Google specifies processing on the phone and in the cloud, and says data stored on the device and data transferred from it are encrypted. Private AI Compute is presented as technology to be offered in the future.
Protections for people nearby also apply to different things depending on the action. Face blurring is designed for images used when you ask Gemini a visual question, while the outward-facing LED lights up when you take photos or videos for the gallery. Google says the directional microphones are designed, in principle, to focus on the wearer's voice.
Users can change camera access permissions for each app. They can also turn off the physical power switch and use the glasses as ordinary eyewear. Users must also agree to usage requirements such as not recording others without permission, not recording in sensitive places and not covering the LED, and violations may result in suspension of use.
As a Google Play policy, Google says it prohibits live streaming to social media using the camera, real-time face identification, and changing the LED's behavior. Whether the convenience of making requests by sight and voice fits into daily life depends on whether the features you need work with your own device and account, as well as on how the glasses feel to wear and whether you can explain to the people around you the difference between taking photos and asking the AI a question.