Don't Buy Google and Samsung's AI Glasses Until You Know This

Quick summary: Google and Samsung’s Gemini AI glasses, officially called Intelligent Eyewear, are up for pre-order from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Before you put your money down, there are some things you really need to know: live streaming to social apps is blocked, Google can remotely disable the glasses, a lot of Android phones won’t work with them until 2027, and iPhone owners lose a few features. I also have one big question about the speakers compared to my Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Key takeaways

• Correction: Warby Parker does offer transition lenses. They changed their ordering flow, and it’s much easier to find now.
• No social live streaming: you can’t go live to Instagram, Facebook or YouTube from these glasses.
• Privacy is strict: no facial recognition, faces are blurred before Gemini sees them, the recording light is tamper-proof, and you need an 18+ Google account.
• Google can remotely disable the glasses if it decides you broke the terms.
• Phones: recent Galaxy S, Z Fold and Z Flip phones, Pixel 7 and newer, and iPhone 13 Pro and newer. Galaxy A phones are out, and Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor are excluded until 2027.
• Price: Warby Parker starts at $395 and Gentle Monster at $449. With prescription lenses, I paid close to $700.
• My concern: at just 41 grams, will the speakers hold up against Ray-Ban Meta?

I already covered official prices and features for Warby Parker vs Gentle Monster and what happened when I actually tried to buy them. This one is everything I think you should know before you order.

A correction: Warby Parker does have transition lenses

In my last video I said Warby Parker didn’t offer transition lenses. That was wrong. Warby Parker changed its ordering system late in the day, and after the update the transition lenses were a lot easier to find. I actually went ahead and ordered a pair of Warby Parkers, with reading lenses in them.

Privacy rule #1: social live streaming is banned

You can’t live stream from these glasses to Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. I get why Google and Samsung are doing it. It’s a brand new product, and they don’t want a headline about someone doing something bad while live streaming from their glasses. People can already do that with their phones, though, and I know some creators who would have wanted this feature.

No facial recognition, and a recording light you can’t cover

• No facial recognition. Faces are automatically blurred before anything goes to Gemini AI.
• Tamper-proof recording LED. The light has to show when you’re recording video or taking a photo, and covering it isn’t allowed, so no covers or accessories over the light.

Meta does something similar with its recording light. In my experience, when someone builds something, someone else usually finds a workaround, so I’m curious to see how well this holds up. But I’m not surprised Google is being strict here.

Your visuals, your age, and a remote kill switch

• Encrypted visuals. What the glasses see when you use AI is excluded from your Gemini history, isn’t used to train AI and isn’t used for ads.
• 18+ Google account required. You have to be 18 or older to use these.
• Remote disable. If Google decides you broke the terms, it can terminate or disable the glasses. I’d hope that means just the glasses, not your whole Google account.

That last one is wild to me. You’re buying a product, and it can be shut off. I haven’t seen Meta talk about banning glasses or requiring an 18+ account like this. Google is taking it to a whole other level.

Physical off switch and directional mics

This part I like. There’s a physical on/off switch, which I’d love to have on my Meta glasses, plus directional, noise-canceling microphones that pick up sound based on where you’re facing. My guess is something like Meta’s conversation-boosting hearing feature could come at launch or shortly after, but that’s just a guess for now.

Which phones work with the Gemini glasses?

This is the big one. Check your phone before you order:

1. Samsung Galaxy: Galaxy S, S FE, Z Fold (including the Fold Ultra) and Z Flip phones running One UI 9 or later. Galaxy A phones are excluded.
2. Google Pixel: Pixel 7 and newer, running Android 17.
3. iPhone: iPhone 13 Pro and newer on iOS 26.6 or newer, with at least 6GB of RAM. That means no regular iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 mini.
4. Everyone else: Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor phones are excluded until 2027.

That’s what’s crazy to me. If you have one of those phones, you can’t use these glasses at all. As far as I know, my Meta glasses work with basically all of these phones.

What iPhone owners get (and miss)

On iOS you still get Gemini Q&A, the camera, calls, messaging and music. What you lose are features like Guided Vision and Aira, the assistance features that help you see things or get information about what’s in front of you.

Pre-order, prices and specs

You can pre-order now, but from what I’ve seen, only through Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Samsung’s website links out to those two stores.

• Price: Warby Parker from $395, Gentle Monster from $449. With my prescription lenses, I paid almost $700.
• Display: none. These are audio-only with open-air speakers and no in-lens display.
• Weight: 41 grams, lighter than even Meta’s audio glasses.
• Camera: 12MP ultrawide with HDR and 3K video.
• Battery: about 9 hours, which is amazing.
• Durability and connectivity: IPX4 water resistance, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4.
• Galaxy perks: Bixby is built in, so you can use it alongside Gemini with a Samsung phone, plus Galaxy Watch gesture controls, which I love.

My one big concern: the speakers

Here’s what I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet. One of the best things about Ray-Ban Meta glasses is the speakers. They’re not as good as earbuds like Galaxy Buds that go right in your ear, but I wear my Metas on bike rides, on walks and around the house. I listen to music on them all the time, take calls and use the AI.

You can do all of that on the Gemini glasses too. But speakers usually add weight, and these are really light. So my big question is whether the speakers will be as good as Meta’s. If you’ve heard them, let me know in the comments on the video.

Shop AI glasses you can buy today

Google and Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear is only sold through Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, so there’s no affiliate link for them here. If you want AI glasses you can buy right now, these are the Meta glasses I’d compare them to (prices from meta.com). Use promo code GREGGLESTV at checkout on Meta’s site.

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

Want to see what Meta’s glasses already do? Here are the Meta AI glasses features I use every day.