Google recently showed off a pair of extended reality (XR) glasses at the ongoing TED 2025 conference in Vancouver. While companies like Apple and Samsung have already developed mixed reality headsets (Apple Vision Pro and Project Moohan), several firms like Meta, Google, Apple, Samsung, and Snapchat are working on lighter XR glasses that resemble spectacles. The new Google XR glasses prototype connects to a smartphone, and it is capable of performing tasks like real-time translation or analysing recently viewed scenarios with a ‘Memory’ feature.
Google’s XR Glasses Are Equipped With a Camera, Microphone, and Speakers
On the second day of the TED 2025 conference (via Axios), Shahram Izadi, Vice President and General Manager of XR at Google, made a presentation wearing a pair of XR glasses that resemble the Project Orion prototype shown off by Meta last year. The executive reportedly told the audience that he was viewing the notes for his speech using the smart glasses’ display.
Izadi was joined by a colleague who also wore a pair of the smart glasses to show off a few features available on the device. This included generating a haiku about the audience, translating text into different languages, identifying music and playing it via the YouTube Music app on a connected smartphone.
Google’s XR glasses prototype are also capable of another useful feature dubbed ‘Memory’. As the name suggests, the feature allows the smart glasses to remember various objects it has «seen» via the built-in camera, and respond to user queries about these objects.
In order to reduce the amount of processing taking place on the device and keep its weight in check, the XR glasses are connected to a smartphone. Content is streamed to the handset and information is sent back and showed on the display. This also reduces the amount of power consumed by the XR headset.
The company previously confirmed that it is already working on smart glasses, after it launched a new operating system for wearables called Android XR. Samsung’s first mixed reality headset that will run on Android XR is expected to arrive this year alongside a pair of XR glasses, and Google has previously showcased a pair of wearable XR glasses that are connected to a smartphone.
Google has yet to announce plans to launch a commercial version of these smart glasses, and it could be a few years until the company introduces an XR headset. Meta could launch a pair of smart glasses based on its Orion prototype by 2027, and other brands could also introduce similar products in the coming years.
