Gentle Monster is known for its stylish, out-there eyewear that’s popular with celebrities. Now, the trendy Korean brand is jumping into the world of smart glasses.
Google, Samsung, and Gentle Monster have announced that they will collaborate on the brand’s first intelligent eyewear line. These new Google x Samsung smart glasses will feature audio speakers, voice assistance, and an internal camera.
But what will the glasses look like? And what other features will they have? Let’s get into it.
How Is the New Collaboration Different From Google Glass?
It’s no secret that Google has wanted to be in the intelligent eyewear space for a while. In 2013, they launched Google Glass with high hopes of being the iPad of glasses.
Unfortunately, the venture fell flat for multiple reasons. It was an awkward head-mounted display vaguely shaped like glasses. The built-in camera that could record in public places led to legitimate privacy concerns. Plus, the battery life was too short, and the navigation software didn’t work well.
Due to all these issues, Google Glass never took off. The brand was quietly shuttered in 2015.
Since then, over a decade of progress has addressed many of the technological issues, but privacy concerns have only increased. Smart glasses’ capabilities raise the possibility of a stranger recording you, identifying you, or taking your picture right from their eyeglasses.
Recent news that Meta has embedded code for a face-recognition system in its own smart glasses has only added to these concerns.
Google’s head of XR, Shahram Izadi, says the company is working on ways to address privacy concerns. He adds that the brand will explain its AI privacy policy in detail during a fall release event for the new Gentle Monster x Google and Samsung smart glasses.
“We’ve been doing a lot of thinking from the very beginning with these kinds of devices. Given the privacy aspects, you have to design with privacy in mind from the very, very beginning and leverage some of the standards that have been set in the AI world,” says Izadi.
The typical Google Gemini privacy policy used for phones will probably apply to the new eyewear, but there may be additions specific to the smart glasses. Izadi notes that the company plans to “raise the bar” on privacy as they move into the smart eyewear space.
What Features Will the Samsung Smart Glasses Have?
The new line is anticipated to have multiple features, including:
- The smart glasses are expected to be lightweight.
- The new collaboration will use Google Gemini, Google’s AI assistant.
- You should be able to interface your intelligent glasses with smart watches as well as phones and tablets, using existing apps like Google Calendar or Keep.
- As with Meta’s line of smart glasses, the Google/Gentle Monster specs will have microphones, cameras, and embedded speakers.
- With Gemini Live mode enabled, the glasses should be able to describe things in your environment or answer questions.
- Some widgets may function like mini-apps, so you can keep track of things like the weather.
- The glasses will likely have a touchpad in one temple arm and a camera shutter on the top. However, you can also control some functions with another device, like a smart watch or phone.
- At the moment, the smart glass functions appear to be limited to a single lens. But Google promises future designs will have dual-lens displays.
Google, Gentle Monster, and Samsung plan to release more details about the glasses at Samsung’s Unpacked event in July 2026.
What About Your Prescription?
With all the excitement about smart features, it can be easy to forget about the original feature of eyeglasses: helping you see clearly!
Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a problem with the Gentle Monster x Google and Samsung smart glasses. Google and Samsung say that the new smart glasses will support a range of prescriptions for everyday use.
What Will the New Gentle Monster Smart Glasses Look Like?
We don’t yet know how many designs/color options will be available. The only photo the companies have released shows a model in basic black with oval frames. The temples are somewhat thick. This makes sense when you remember that much of the tech is housed there.
South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster is known for its fashion-forward luxury lenses. You’ll often see its frames on celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK, and Felix of Stray Kids.
Google’s collaboration with the company suggests they are leaning into making the new smart glasses look more fashionable, as opposed to previous clunky versions. Because of Gentle Monster’s influence, Google and Samsung may be offering intelligent eyewear that buyers choose for form as much as for function.
More About Gentle Monster
Gentle Monster was founded in Seoul, South Korea, in 2011. Over the years, they’ve grown exponentially, and now, the luxury brand has 81 stores across 14 countries. Additionally, over 450 retailers around the world stock its eyeglasses and sunglasses. Known for its distinctive look and creative use of shapes, the brand’s early styles favored the oversized lenses and frames popular in South Korea.
However, as the company has grown globally, it’s introduced smaller, more minimalist designs for other markets, like the U.S. Multiple celebrity and gaming collaborations, as well as pop-up stores, have kept the brand popular in recent years.
TL;DR
- Google, Samsung, and Gentle Monster have combined forces to create a new line of intelligent eyewear.
- The new smart glasses improve on earlier Google Glass efforts, with a new, lightweight design that includes a microphone, camera, and embedded speakers.
- The single-lens display can describe things, take pictures, and interface with other devices, including smart watches.
- Google also says it will address privacy concerns that have haunted other smart glasses like Meta’s Ray-Bans.
- The new Google, Gentle Monster, and Samsung smart glasses line will be released sometime in the fall of 2026.
