Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear Preorders Open on the 12th

By Priya Raman

Preorders for Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) first artificial intelligence glasses open on the 12th in South Korea, the United States and other major markets. The product goes on sale next month. Samsung enters a category where Meta held 81.3% of the market in the first half of this year, according to research firm Omdia, and it does so at a price above its chief rival.

The device, called Intelligent Eyewear, will cost slightly more than the Ray-Ban Meta series, whose latest model sells for 740,000 won ($500). Samsung did not state an exact figure. That gap is the first claim worth stress-testing. Premium pricing demands a demonstrable performance edge, and Samsung's stated differentiators rest largely on integration rather than raw hardware.

Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster and U.S.-based Warby Parker will handle preorders. Both companies contributed to the design. Samsung's strategy pairs this fashion-brand muscle with Galaxy smartphone integration and Google AI to compete on performance and design.

What does the hardware actually deliver?

Intelligent Eyewear was jointly developed by Samsung Electronics and Google. Cameras mounted at both ends of the frame let an AI agent (a software assistant that performs tasks on the user's behalf) based on Google's Gemini recognize the wearer's field of view in real time. Samsung says this enables everyday tasks: interpretation and translation, navigation, and restaurant menu recommendations.

The weight claim is concrete. The glasses weigh less than the Ray-Ban Meta, which comes in at 50 grams. Samsung gave no absolute figure for its own device. The battery runs nine hours, one hour longer than Meta's offering.

Two functions depend on other Samsung hardware. The glasses can share AI workloads with Galaxy smartphones to speed up processing. A gesture feature lets users trigger certain functions with hand movements via the Galaxy Watch. Neither works without the wider Samsung ecosystem. Samsung has not said which functions require a paired phone or watch, nor what happens when they are absent.

Can Samsung take share from Meta's 81.3%?

Samsung plans to expand its share of the AI glasses market quickly on the strength of its hardware, according to the announcement. The claim is broad. Meta's 81.3% share in the first half of this year, per Omdia, reflects a commanding lead built on Ray-Ban's brand reach and an earlier entry.

Samsung's counter rests on three pillars:

• Gemini-based real-time visual recognition through dual frame cameras
• Offloading of AI workloads to Galaxy smartphones
• Design partnerships with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker

Each pillar carries a caveat. Google co-developed the product, yet Google's own AI-glasses ambitions remain unannounced in this market. The ecosystem play assumes buyers already own Galaxy devices, a population Samsung has not quantified. The fashion partnerships address design, not the distribution depth that moved Ray-Ban units.

What remains unanswered?

The announcement omits several facts a buyer would need. There is no exact price, only the promise of a figure above 740,000 won. There is no absolute weight, only a comparison against 50 grams. There is no standalone battery figure, only the one-hour advantage over Meta's eight hours.

Nor has Samsung specified launch markets beyond South Korea and the United States, described as "other major markets" by industry sources on the 9th. Availability next month is firm. Everything else carries the qualifier "expected."

The market verdict arrives quickly. Preorders open on the 12th, and sales begin next month. Meta's 81.3% share gives Samsung a precise benchmark to beat, and buyers a precise price premium to weigh.