Google will launch its first smart glasses on December 10, 2026. They will go on sale in the United States and South Korea. The tech giant made them with Samsung and the eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. The company says privacy is at the center of the launch.
The glasses have a camera and microphones. Users can take photos, record video, and talk to Google's Gemini assistant without picking up a phone. Warby Parker models start at USD 395. Gentle Monster models start at USD 449.
A light on the outside shows when the glasses are taking photos or recording video. Google says the light is designed to resist tampering, making it harder to cover or disable during recording.
Faces are blurred in photos sent to Gemini before the images are processed. But this does not apply to photos and videos saved in the user's gallery. Google says camera data is encrypted. It will not be used for ads or to train AI models. Apps from other companies must ask for permission before they use the camera.
Google is looking at more ways to warn people near the glasses. Juston Payne, a senior director of product management, said ideas include limits based on location and extra alerts.
Both ideas have problems. A user could switch a phone to airplane mode and dodge location limits. Alerts sent to phones could flood people with too many messages.
Shahram Izadi, who leads Google's smart glasses plans, said the company will not add facial recognition. Meta's Ray-Ban glasses already face criticism. Some venues in New York and London have restricted them over fears of hidden recording.
Google is entering a market where trust matters as much as features. Its safeguards are a start, but gaps remain, especially for saved photos and videos. The next few months will show if the extra protections arrive in time and if buyers and the people around them feel safe.