I’m looking forward to Android XR glasses, despite my disdain for Gemini

Source: Android Authority

Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority

I’m not a big fan of generative AI at all. Aside from this technology driving the enshittification of the web, companies like Samsung also use the tech to hide the fact that their phones have few hardware upgrades. Then there are the environmental concerns and the blatant, almost gleeful copyright violations. So it’s no surprise that I don’t give a crap about Gemini.

Despite my disdain for Google’s chatbot and AI model, I’m still looking forward to Android XR glasses. And it has nothing to do with AI or even augmented reality in the first place — I just want to see what smartphone makers do with the camera experience.

Why are you excited about Android XR glasses?

• 44 votes

How I Plan to Use Android XR Glasses

I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’m unreasonably excited about the prospect of a camera on my face. This is despite the fact that I thought Google Glass and its camera were corny back in 2015. Meta’s own smart glasses have since shown what’s possible with a camera, but I detest the tech giant, and I think the only bigger privacy nightmare than Google on your face is Meta on your face.

One major reason why I’m keen on a pair of camera‑equipped Android XR glasses is that I really like the idea of using them in my line of work. We often film tons of hands‑on videos at product briefings and tech expos, so the idea of doing a quick hands‑free video is very appealing.

In fact, I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had both hands free to properly show off a phone, tablet, or another product while filming. Smart glasses with a camera would definitely be a welcome approach. Sure, a tripod is an obvious solution, but that takes time and space to set up, and it occupies a lot of room in my luggage.

I don’t see myself using these cameras much outside of work, but I still like the idea of using them for quick landscape snaps, city‑scape/sightseeing shots while traveling, and other similar situations.

Lots to learn from smartphone cameras

Paul Jones / Android Authority

Perhaps the biggest reason I’m keen to try camera‑equipped Android XR glasses is that I want to see how major mobile brands bring their smartphone‑camera technologies and expertise to this more constrained form factor.

We already know that Samsung is working on Android XR glasses¹, and the company could bring several notable smartphone‑camera features to a future pair of Galaxy Glasses. Features that could work well on smart glasses include:

• Single Take mode – captures multiple photos and videos with one tap²
• Samsung’s custom image‑filter technology
• High‑quality video recording, which could translate into polished videos on Galaxy Glasses

There are plenty of smartphone camera modes and features that would be a good fit for smart glasses.

I’m also hoping that Google will launch Pixel Glasses and bring some of its Pixel‑camera tricks to this form factor. After all, the HDR+ technology that underpins Pixel phone cameras originally stemmed from the first Google Glass. It would be great to see Pixel phone features such as:

• Super Res Zoom
• Action Pan
• Photo Booth (automatic selfie capture)³
• The automatic‑capture mode from the ill‑fated Google Clips camera⁴

Other brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, OPPO, and others could also join the party and offer camera‑equipped Android XR glasses. They could lean on features such as:

• Varied color profiles
• Smart scene detection (e.g., fireworks, silky water)
• Document‑scanning functionality
• Snapshot modes and teleprompter modes (already seen on some Chinese phones)

Unfortunately, vivo announced it will not be entering the smart‑glasses segment⁵. That’s a shame, as the company’s phones offer great video quality, a variety of color profiles, and polished low‑light performance.

References

I’m Ready for Android XR Glasses, but Without the Slop

Don’t get me wrong—I’m sure some of Android XR’s AI features will be very useful, such as augmented‑reality mapping and Gemini Live camera sharing. AI on smart glasses could also be a game‑changer for accessibility purposes.

However, I couldn’t care less about generative AI on my face, and it goes without saying that smart glasses are a privacy nightmare for non‑wearers.

I’m still really interested to see whether major smartphone makers can successfully bring their signature photographic looks and core camera experiences to the smart‑glasses category. These manufacturers have tons of camera features and modes that they could port to their glasses, so my fingers are crossed that we’ll see some exciting devices later this year.

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Footnotes

1. Samsung is working on Android XR glasses – Android Authority ↩

2. Single Take mode – Samsung Support ↩

3. Photo Booth feature – Google Research Blog ↩

4. Google Clips review – Android Authority ↩

5. Vivo will not enter the smart‑glasses market – Digitimes ↩