Google has opened pre-orders for its first Intelligent Eyewear collections, the Gemini-powered smart glasses it has built with Samsung, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. The Warby Parker collection starts at $395, while the Gentle Monster collection starts at $449, and both go on sale in shops and online on 10 December.

Google announced the launch on its blog on Thursday, confirming that pre-orders are live online and in store at Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with hands-on demonstrations available at selected Gentle Monster, Warby Parker and Google Store locations. The glasses have no display in the lenses. Instead, they pair a camera, microphones and open-ear speakers with Gemini, Google's AI assistant, which is reached by saying "Hey Gemini" or tapping the frames.

What the two collections offer

Warby Parker's lineup has three styles — Alden, Reid and Wren — inspired by the brand's best-known silhouettes, in 14 variations. They come in optical or sun styles starting at $395, in Pine, Saddle and Jet Black, with a range of prescription, width and lens options. Gentle Monster's collection has six designs in bold colours, including dark red, pink, grey and yellow, paired with tinted, clear, blue or brown lenses. Prescription options are available for most frames, and that collection starts at $449.

Samsung engineered the hardware, while Google supplies the Android XR software and Gemini. The glasses weigh around 41 grams and have a battery lasting up to nine hours, according to Google. Each pair comes with a portable charging case that can recharge the frames up to seven times. A 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera takes photos and video at the press of a button or on a voice command, with HDR processing and image stabilisation, and spatial audio capture.

What Gemini does on the glasses

Gemini is meant to give hands-free help while the wearer is out and about. Google says it can explain the story behind a street-art mural, suggest a book from a "New Arrivals" shelf, check calendar availability from an event poster, add items to a grocery list, or give a reminder about the next meeting. Google Maps delivers turn-by-turn directions in the ear, and Google Translate offers real-time speech translation with automatic language detection across more than 70 languages.

The glasses also include Gemini Guided Vision, which offers conversational audio descriptions for people who are blind, have low vision, or want help reading small print or finding everyday items. Through a collaboration with Aira, users can say "Hey Gemini, open Aira Explorer" to stream the camera feed to a trained human visual interpreter. Music, podcasts and audiobooks play through custom-tuned open-ear speakers, and wearers can catch up on messages and take calls hands-free.

Privacy protections and phone compatibility

Google has put privacy at the centre of the launch, with a separate blog post on the subject. Camera visuals sent to Gemini are not saved in Gemini History and are not used to train AI models or target advertising, the company says. The glasses are designed to automatically redact bystanders' faces from those visuals before Gemini processes them. Data stored on the glasses is encrypted, as is data in transit, and users control which apps can access the camera and microphone.

An indicator light lets people nearby know when a photo or video is being taken, and the glasses are designed to stop recording if the light is covered or disabled. Every pair also has an off switch, so the frames can be worn as ordinary glasses. The Gentle Monster collection will be available in the United States and South Korea. The glasses work with Pixel 7 phones and newer, selected Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 9.0 or later, and iPhone 13 Pro and later, according to reporting of the launch. No launch date or price has been given for the UK or other markets.

Sources: Google — The Keyword and 9to5Google.