Samsung seeks smart glasses edge over Meta with smartphone expertise

Samsung Electronics is positioning its upcoming smart glasses as a smartphone companion rather than a replacement, leveraging its expertise as a smartphone specialist to balance AI computing power with lightweight design, according to Samsung Electronics Head of Extended Reality Research & Development Team Choi Jae-in at a press briefing after Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Thursday.

LONDON — Samsung Electronics is distinguishing its upcoming smart glasses from rival products in the market, defining them as a “wearable device made by a smartphone specialist.” During a press briefing after Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Thursday, Samsung Electronics Head of Extended Reality Research & Development Team Choi Jae-in said the company's smart glasses are not intended to replace smartphones but to extend the mobile experience through a new wearable device. “Smart glasses are an extension of the experience centered on the smartphone, rather than being a post-smartphone device,” Choi said. “Running artificial intelligence AI effectively requires significant computing power, but packing all the necessary chips into a pair of glasses makes it difficult to deliver a lightweight and comfortable experience that smart glasses should provide. … That's where our technological strength lies. As the first major smartphone brand to enter the smart glasses market, we have a lot of things to offer to the market .” At Galaxy Unpacked 2026, Samsung showcased four smart