Google’s Smart Glasses Will Have the Best Software. But They’ll Have to Win on Style Too

Meta also has trust issues, stemming from its user privacy practices and occasional data leaks.

“Meta is not the most trusted tech brand, shall we say, by a long shot, when it comes to data privacy and security,” says Ben Hatton, tech analyst at CCS Insights. “That could hold back the market. If Meta is the only player and Google can step in and say: this is all on the device, this is all secure, this is all just kept on your device, then more heads could turn.”

The place where Meta has the most leverage is in the style game. Its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban and Oakley, has allowed it to make smart glasses that generally look like something people would be happy to wear in public. The notable exception is the design of the new Meta Display glasses, which still earn a few style points even though they’re bulky, a bit ill-fitting, and definitely “computer glasses.”

Google’s new glasses will definitely look heavy and weird, too. A little over a year ago, Google introduced its Android (Google has promised us our own demo very soon.)

Google’s partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster could also produce frames with more appealing aesthetics, but those glasses will likely have fewer features than more powerful models from Samsung and other Android XR partners.

“I don’t think Meta is in trouble right now,” Urbani says. “Google is a great technology company, but they have a lot to learn in terms of fashion and selling glasses.”

Google’s broader goal with its smart glasses efforts is the expansion of Android XR as a platform. Even if Google can’t figure out the fashion element, its software could attract a third party that can.

“No one wants to actually ship a pair of glasses and build an entire operating system and basic AI model to run on them,” says Sag. “I think people want to build glasses with an operating system that already exists and with an app ecosystem already built.”

So when can you wear Google’s new glasses and start pinging Gemini, making hands-free video calls, and hailing Ubers from your face?

“I certainly expect them to be available by the middle of the year,” Hatton says. And maybe even before. “If they want to offer sunglasses as a form factor, you probably want them for spring so people can start thinking about buying them for summer.”