Samsung Android XR Glasses Open for Pre-Order Nov. 12 at Warby Parker

Samsung’s first Android XR glasses, sold under the name Intelligent Eyewear, will be available to pre-order on Nov. 12. The date came from Warby Parker, which designed some of the frames, during its third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 5, according to 9to5Google and Android Central.

Warby Parker said it will show the full collection and its pricing on the same day pre-orders open. GSMArena reports the company said first customer deliveries will begin in mid-December, which matches a report from earlier this week about the launch window.

What Warby Parker announced

Co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa told investors that the company will start taking orders for its “first Intelligent Eyewear collection” on Nov. 12. In the company’s words, it expects to deliver customer orders “during the holiday season.”

Reports differ slightly on how specific that is. 9to5Google said it was unclear whether shipping would start before Thanksgiving week or in December, while GSMArena said the earnings call pointed to mid-December deliveries. Android Central noted that both Gilboa and fellow co-CEO Neil Blumenthal used the phrase “first collection,” which leaves room for more designs later. Nothing has been confirmed on that.

Try before you buy: store demos

People who want to wear the glasses before paying can book a demo. According to GSMArena, demos start next week in 65 Warby Parker stores in the US. The week after, they expand to all of the chain’s more than 360 locations. Appointments can already be scheduled on Warby Parker’s website.

What the glasses do

Intelligent Eyewear runs Android XR with the Gemini assistant built in. Samsung makes the hardware, and the chip inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster handled the frame designs, and 9to5Google says each partner has shown two styles so far this year.

These are audio glasses. There is no display in the lenses. Instead, they have a camera, microphones and speakers, and you control them by voice or by tapping touch-sensitive areas on the sides of the frame. Android Central reports they are meant to work alongside a Galaxy phone rather than replace it.

Samsung first showed the glasses at its Galaxy Unpacked event in July. Earlier rumors had placed the launch in November before reports pushed it back a month.

What this means for buyers

Price is the biggest unknown, and it should be answered on Nov. 12 when Warby Parker unveils the collection. Until then, the store demos let US shoppers try the glasses in person.

Availability outside the US is less clear. Android Central cited reports from three days before the earnings call saying Samsung might release the glasses only in South Korea and the U.S. at first, possibly to gauge how consumers respond. Warby Parker’s announcement covered its US stores only.

What happens next

• Demos begin next week in 65 US Warby Parker stores.
• Pre-orders open and pricing is revealed on Nov. 12.
• Demos expand to all of Warby Parker’s more than 360 locations the following week.
• First deliveries are expected in mid-December, during the holiday season.

9to5Google pointed out that the pre-order date was announced before the full product reveal, the same pattern Google used for the Googlebook, which got a date a week before its unveiling.

Sources: GSMArena, Android Central, 9to5Google