Android XR: Briefly tried out Google's smart glasses with integrated display

No photos, please! At the MWC 2026 in Barcelona, Google is letting trade fair visitors try out Android XR on smart glasses with an integrated screen. According to the company, this is the first time Google has made the glasses available to a wider audience. The demo is short – about 10 to 15 minutes – but it already shows the first possibilities of the new operating system for your nose.

Prototype

Before trying them out, Google made it clear that these are currently still prototypes and that no photos of the glasses are allowed. The glasses look a bit like those the company let people try out at Google I/O in May 2025. The prototypes back then were from Samsung.

The device provided for testing consists of a simple black frame with a waveguide display in the right lens, capable of showing many colors. On the outside of the right temple, there is also a touch-sensitive control surface that can be used to launch the Gemini Live chatbot. Speakers and microphones are also integrated, among other things, to hear Gemini's responses and to be heard. A camera is also integrated for capturing the outside world.

The glasses are not standalone; they are paired with an Android smartphone that provides processing power and data connection. The advantage of this approach is that the small integrated battery is relieved of these tasks and can run longer. Google does not provide specific details, but ultimately the glasses are more of a technology carrier than a final product. The glasses, which resemble Ray Ban Wayfarers or similar classic frames, are not heavy; they sit comfortably on the nose and do not press on the ears.

Nano Banana on Board

Not all functions that Google envisions for the future can be demonstrated on a trade fair stand. The manufacturer released a video months ago showing what should be possible with the AI glasses. However, this at least gives us a glimpse of the reduced user interface and what it feels like to talk about the outside world with Gemini.

In a small booth in the “Android Plaza,” which Google has set up between the exhibition halls for years, there are props like books, record players, and other items on a shelf. A picture of Barcelona's football stadium, Camp Nou hangs on the wall. Looking at the photo, I ask Gemini, after pressing the touch surface on the temple for a longer time, in English, “What's the capacity?” The chatbot thinks for a moment and answers quite extensively that it is Camp Nou stadium and it is currently under renovation. A capacity of 105,000 visitors is planned. Correct. To pause Gemini, you tap the bridge, and it's quiet. With Gemini on your nose, you have the knowledge of the internet at your fingertips and don't have to take your phone out of your pocket.

In another example of the short demo, Google's AI image generation Nano Banana is featured. With this, things can be projected into the real world via augmented reality and even changed. As the demo showed, you can even manipulate the appearance of people. A Google employee volunteered: A decisive command: “Take a picture and turn the person into Darth Vader” worked: After some processing time, the Star Wars character suddenly appeared in the room. This function raises questions: Isn't this already a copyright infringement, and can't I just have other people put on a virtual bikini? Google needs to integrate appropriate security mechanisms here so that the function is not misused, similar to xAI's Grok.

According to Google, the first glasses with Android XR, with and without waveguide, will be launched this year. Google itself does not initially plan to enter the market with its glasses. Instead, alongside Samsung, eyewear manufacturers like Warby Parker and Gentle Monster will offer corresponding products.

The first generations of Android XR glasses with waveguide are unlikely to be cheap: A similar product, the X3 Pro from TCL with a color screen, could cost around 1500 Euros – including prescription lenses, the price would likely be even higher.

(afl)