It's Strange You Can't Buy Google and Samsung's AI Glasses at Google, Samsung, Best Buy, or Amazon

Quick summary: Google and Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear is finally up for pre-order today, November 12, and it ships starting December 10. You can buy it from Warby Parker, starting at $395, and Gentle Monster, from $449 to $489. I looked for it on Samsung, Google, Best Buy, and Amazon, and you still can’t actually check out there. That feels really strange to me.

Key takeaways

• Pre-orders opened today, with general availability on December 10, according to Google and Samsung.
• Warby Parker starts at $395 for the Alden, Reid, and Wren styles, in optical or sun frames. Gentle Monster runs $449 to $489, depending on the model, with six frame designs.
• Officially, you buy them through Warby Parker’s and Gentle Monster’s own websites and stores. That’s what Samsung says on its Intelligent Eyewear page.
• Samsung.com and glasses.google have product pages, and you can demo the glasses at select Google Store locations now, plus select Samsung stores starting December 10. Those pages still send you to Warby Parker or Gentle Monster to pay.
• I couldn’t find them for sale today on Best Buy or Amazon.

If you want the full rundown of features, battery life, phone support, and how these compare with Meta’s glasses, I already covered that in my prices and features article. This one is about the launch, and about where you can — and can’t — buy them.

What’s actually for sale today

These are the Android XR “Intelligent Eyewear” glasses Google and Samsung have been teasing all year, with Gemini built in, a 12-megapixel camera, open-ear speakers, and no display. Samsung engineered the hardware. Google did the software. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster designed the frames and, now, they’re also the ones selling them.

Warby Parker’s lineup has three styles, Alden, Reid, and Wren, in Pine, Saddle, and Jet Black, with optical or sun lenses and prescription options. Samsung says that adds up to 14 variations, starting at $395. Gentle Monster has six designs and 16 variations, in bolder colors, starting at $449 and going up to $489. Both collections are launching in the United States, and Gentle Monster is also launching in South Korea.

Warby Parker says you can book a guided demo at any of its U.S. stores, with hands-on demos in more than 60 locations starting today and the rest of its 360-plus stores next week. Pre-orders are open on its site now. Gentle Monster’s U.S. shop is taking pre-orders too, with some frames listed from $449 and others from $489.

I checked Samsung, Google, Best Buy, and Amazon

This is the part that got me.

Samsung.com does have an Intelligent Eyewear page, and it’s even in the site’s menu. It looks like a real product page, with features, FAQs, and photos of both collections. Then you get to the question, “How much does intelligent eyewear cost, and where can I buy it?” Samsung’s own answer is that you’ll buy them at Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. There’s no Samsung checkout. Samsung also says hands-on demos will be at select Samsung retail stores starting December 10, when the glasses go on sale. Demos, not a Samsung purchase.

Google is similar. glasses.google is a full marketing site, and the Pre-order buttons go straight to Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. The Google Store has magazine pages for the Warby Parker Alden, Reid, and Wren styles, and the “Shop” buttons on those pages open Warby Parker’s website. Google’s own text says you purchase the glasses at Warby Parker locations and warbyparker.com. You can try them on at select Google Store locations, and Google says virtual try-on will come to the Google Store later. Again: information and demos, not a Google Store cart.

Best Buy and Amazon are simpler. I couldn’t find the Warby Parker or Gentle Monster Intelligent Eyewear collections listed for sale on either site today.

So that hunch was right, with one important footnote: Samsung and Google do have pages about these glasses. You just can’t buy them there.

Why this feels so odd to me

I buy Galaxy phones, Buds, and watches from Samsung and Best Buy. I buy Pixels from the Google Store. When a Samsung-and-Google product finally goes on sale, that’s where I expected to go. These even have Samsung and Google logos on the official photos. And then the buy button ships you off to an eyewear brand.

It almost feels like Google and Samsung are hands-off after building the tech, telling Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, “You handle it from here.” I said something like that when the prices first came out, and today’s official pages make it look even more intentional.

I don’t know the real reason, and I don’t want to pretend I do. Here are a few possibilities, and I want to be clear that this is speculation:

• It may be the Meta and Ray-Ban playbook. Meta doesn’t really want to be in the glasses-fitting business, so Ray-Ban and Oakley handle style, fit, and retail. Google and Samsung may be doing the same thing with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.
• Prescription lenses and in-person fittings are a big part of this product. These are everyday glasses, not just a gadget. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster already know how to do eye exams, lenses, and returns. Samsung.com, the Google Store, Best Buy, and Amazon are set up to sell electronics, not necessarily a pair of prescription frames.
• This may just be a limited launch. It’s only the United States at first, plus South Korea for Gentle Monster, and you need a Google account from one of those countries to use them. Maybe Best Buy, Amazon, or a real Google Store checkout comes later. The planned Google Store virtual try-on is a small hint they might go deeper on Google’s site, but that’s still try-on, not a purchase.
• Support may be tied to wherever you bought them. Samsung’s FAQ already tells you to contact the retailer you purchased from for warranty and returns. If Samsung isn’t selling them, it may not want to take those returns either.

Any of those could be true. Or it could be some mix of all of them. I just think the path to buy a Samsung-and-Google product shouldn’t feel this confusing.

I want these glasses to succeed. I’ve been excited about them for months, and I’m still excited. If you’re ready to pre-order, the places to go today are Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. That’s official, even if it still feels a little backward to me.

Meta glasses you can buy today

Google and Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear is available to pre-order, but it doesn’t arrive until December 10. If you want AI glasses you can buy right now, Meta’s lineup is in stock. I checked meta.com on November 12: Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 3) starts at $449, the Meta Ray-Ban Display with Neural Band starts at $799, and Oakley Meta Vanguard starts at $499. Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 1) and Skyler (Gen 1) are on sale from $224 (was $299). Use promo code GREGGLESTV at checkout on Meta’s site. The Gen 1 Wayfarer is also at Best Buy.

• Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 3) at Meta, from $449
• Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 1) at Meta, sale from $224 (was $299)
• Ray-Ban Meta Skyler (Gen 1) at Meta, sale from $224 (was $299)
• Meta Ray-Ban Display + Neural Band at Meta, from $799
• Oakley Meta Vanguard at Meta, from $499
• Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer (Gen 1) at Best Buy

Sources

• Google: Intelligent eyewear collections with Gemini features
• Samsung US: December release and pre-orders
• Samsung US: Intelligent Eyewear product page
• Google: glasses.google
• Warby Parker: Intelligent Eyewear
• Warby Parker: preorder announcement
• Gentle Monster: Intelligent Eyewear