Pre-orders for Gentle Monster’s “Intelligent Eyewear” open November 12, the same date Warby Parker appeared to accidentally share on Thursday. Both eyewear brands, along with Samsung, are Google’s partners on the project. Retail arrival: December.
The frames run Android XR, Google’s platform designed to power everything from the mixed reality experience on the Samsung Galaxy XR to the augmented reality one offered on the Xreal Aura. Google’s project is set up to be both a competitor to Meta’s smart glasses and a revival (of a sort) of Google Glass. Google’s counter is different: no display at all.
Audio-first frames, Gemini inside
Both versions — Gentle Monster’s and Warby Parker’s — provide a display-free, audio-first version of the operating system. Just microphones, speakers, and access to Gemini. Both pairs should offer similar access to Gemini.
Gentle Monster’s first Intelligent Eyewear collection ⠀ Joaquin Phoenix stars in a short film directed by Jonathan Glazer—a cinematic journey between reality and dream. Full film releasing mid-November. ⠀ The collection launches this December. ⠀ Register for the collection… pic.twitter.com/UBv6pdHWSW
Android XR is designed to power everything from the mixed reality experience on the Samsung Galaxy XR to the augmented reality one offered on the Xreal Aura. Gentle Monster and Warby Parker’s glasses will provide a display-free, audio-first version of the operating system.
Two brands, one leak, zero confirmation from Google
Warby Parker appeared to share the November 12 preorder date on Thursday. Gentle Monster then confirmed it on its website alongside its own announcement. Google itself has yet to confirm either date.
The timing matters. A November 12 preorder window puts the frames on the calendar for December. Google seems to be hoping Meta’s strategy of packaging tech in a desirable brand will help counter any backlash.
A Joaquin Phoenix film about falling for an AI, obviously
Gentle Monster paired its announcement with a teaser for a short film directed by Jonathan Glazer — best known for “Under the Skin” and “The Zone of Interest” — starring Joaquin Phoenix, who famously played a man who falls in love with an AI in “Her.” Gentle Monster describes the film as “a cinematic journey between reality and dream,” with the full version arriving mid-November; the teaser suggests it will skew much more toward experimental film than a straightforward commercial.
Both Gentle Monster and Warby Parker are Google’s partners on the Android XR smart glasses project. Google seems to be hoping Meta’s strategy of packaging tech in a desirable brand will help counter any backlash.
The spec sheet stays sealed
What remains is the part buyers care about. Google has yet to confirm either the preorder date or the December launch. The “Intelligent Eyewear,” as Google and its partners call it, is the label for the category.
That leaves a short runway. The full Glazer film lands mid-November. Pre-orders open November 12. The frames arrive in December.
