SMRTR TechMay 19, 2026Wired

Hands-On With All of Google’s New Upcoming Android XR Smart Glasses

SMRTR summary

Smart glasses that can identify a board game, translate a stranger's voice, and redecorate a room in medieval style, all from the bridge of your nose, are coming this fall.

At Google I/O, the company pulled back the curtain on Android XR-powered glasses co-developed with Samsung, with frames designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. A separate device, Xreal's Project Aura, brings a full mixed-reality experience closer to Apple's Vision Pro, but in a wearable glasses form.

The audio-only versions arrive first, though even those come equipped with cameras, allowing Google's Gemini assistant to see what you see and respond accordingly.

A hands-on demo revealed genuinely impressive audio quality, real-time language translation, and an AI that can snap a photo and then, within seconds, swap out a houseplant for a medieval banquet hall.

Project Aura, meanwhile, offers a full Android app interface controlled by hand gestures, all without the bulk of a traditional headset. The miniaturization alone feels like a turning point.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Wired.

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