Google Opens Gemini Intelligent Eyewear Preorders at $395

By Elena Vasquez

Google’s Intelligent Eyewear starts at $395, weighs about 41 grams and delivers up to nine hours of battery life ahead of the official Dec. 10 launch. Warby Parker’s entry price sits $54 below Gentle Monster’s $449 starting point, giving U.S. buyers a lower-cost option in the Gemini-powered range.

Google opened preorders on the 12th after introducing the lineup, which it developed with Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Preorders began through both eyewear brands’ online and physical stores. Gentle Monster models will sell in South Korea and the United States; Warby Parker models will sell only in the United States.

The glasses work with both Samsung Galaxy phones and the iPhone. For buyers, that makes handset choice a separate decision from frame selection rather than locking the product to one phone brand.

Google also set out its camera-data policy: camera footage processed by Gemini "is not saved to activity history" and "is not used to train AI models or to target advertising." The policy applies specifically to processed camera footage.

What can Gemini do?

Users can summon Gemini by voice or by tapping the frame. The assistant can check Google Calendar while the wearer looks at a poster, or add an item in front of the wearer to a shopping list.

Google Translate handles real-time voice translation in more than 70 languages. It can also make foreign-language signs easier to read. A separate Guided Vision feature describes the wearer’s surroundings through conversational audio for blind and low-vision users.

Those functions put camera context to work across routine tasks rather than limiting the glasses to a voice-only assistant. For blind and low-vision users, Guided Vision adds spoken descriptions of the environment to the camera and translation toolset.

Which frames and prices are available?

• Gentle Monster: The six-frame range includes dark red, pink, gray and yellow, paired with tinted, clear, blue or brown lenses. Most frames can be fitted with prescription lenses. U.S. launch prices start at $449.
• Warby Parker: The offer includes three styles, Alden, Reid and Wren, in Pine, Saddle and Jet Black. Buyers can choose eyeglasses or sunglasses. The starting price is $395.

The two brands cover different retail positions. Gentle Monster supplies the larger frame range, while Warby Parker sets the lower entry price and limits its offer to the U.S. market.

What hardware sits inside the frames?

The lineup carries a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera for high-resolution photos and video, with image stabilization. Open-ear speakers positioned near the ear deliver the audio output.

At about 41 grams, the frames pair that imaging and audio hardware with the Gemini service. The stated battery life reaches up to nine hours, giving buyers a defined endurance target.

How does Google address camera privacy?

Google said the design protects both the privacy of people nearby and the privacy of the wearer. The listed controls cover retention, training, advertising and bystander identification.

Before Gemini processes the video, the system automatically blurs the faces of passersby. A recording indicator light turns on during capture, and recording stops immediately if that light is covered, damaged or tampered with.

The face-blurring step places privacy control ahead of Gemini processing rather than after it. The model therefore receives an already masked scene. Google encrypts all data stored on the device and encrypts transmissions to outside destinations in transit.

Users choose which apps can access the camera and microphone. Every model includes a physical power switch that shuts the device down completely, allowing use as ordinary eyewear.

What changes at launch?

Google sets Dec. 10 as the official launch date after preorders through Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. U.S. shoppers can choose either brand; South Korean buyers receive Gentle Monster models. Both tiers carry the same stated camera, speaker, weight and battery specifications, so price, design and market availability drive the choice.