Race in the AR glasses market: Samsung and Google challenge Meta and Apple

Samsung and Google have announced a strategic partnership to jointly develop augmented reality (AR) glasses. The co-operation was confirmed by TM Roh, president of Samsung's mobile experience division, to the US media Bloomberg.

The aim of the partnership is to achieve the quality and market maturity of AR glasses as quickly as possible. However, there is no exact timetable yet, according to Roh. However, the AR glasses should be launched on the market "as soon as possible". Unlike VR glasses, AR glasses are not intended to create a virtual world in front of the wearer's eyes, but to project data and graphics into the real world and thus create an "augmented reality" - hence the name.

The two companies have been working together since last December as part of the Project Moohan. This involves the development of a mixed reality headset. Mixed reality is a technology that combines real and virtual worlds. It makes it possible to combine physical and digital content in real time and experience it interactively. Virtual objects can be embedded in the real environment so that they can interact with it and the users

Technological basis and development

The AR glasses will run on the new Android XR operating system, which was specially developed for wearable headsets. Samsung and Google want to further optimise it and ensure seamless integration. To this end, the companies plan to involve third-party developers to provide a wide range of content and apps for the AR glasses.

This fits in with the recent smartphone partnership between Samsung and Google, where Google's AI "Gemini" replaces Samsung's "Bixby" and becomes the new AI voice assistant:

Competition stimulates business

This partnership puts Samsung and Google in direct competition with Meta and Apple, who are also working on AR technologies. Meta is planning to launch its Artemis AR glasses in 2027, while Apple is keeping its AR ambitions largely secret.

The Artemis AR glasses from Meta

According to Meta, the Artemis AR glasses are a further development of the Orion AR glasses that Meta presented last year.

The Artemis AR glasses are a further development of the Orion AR glasses that Meta presented last year.

These AR glasses will be lighter and more advanced than their predecessors and are designed to offer a true AR experience that could potentially even replace smartphones. This is according to a report from Bloomberg. They come with a small puck and a wristband to control the display. Meta is working on optimising costs, displays and mass production to make the Artemis glasses ready for the market.