Samsung's Android XR glasses may have competition from an unlikely rival

Last week, Samsung revealed that it is working with fashion eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to launch Android XR-powered smart glasses. Now, it appears that even though it has a close relationship with Google for Android XR, it will still have competition in the Android XR smart glasses market.

Magic Leap, a company that has been working in the AR space for at least a decade, has showcased its first Android XR-powered smart glasses prototype. It has extended its partnership with Google and made a reference device for the Android XR ecosystem. It looks pretty similar to the prototype Samsung made for Google, which means it has a thick frame, a camera, and microphones.

The company said it is using its in-house waveguides and optics, and combining Magic Leap’s waveguides and optics with Google’s Raxium microLED light engine. Using these technologies, Google and Magic Leap are trying to develop AR smart glasses that offer comfort and an all-day battery life.

Magic Leap has been through lots of ups and downs since it was founded in 2010. It failed to sell enough AR headsets and pivoted to the enterprise AR market with the Magic Leap 2, which was launched in 2022. However, it let go of 75 employees last year but is now partnering with Google to improve the Android XR ecosystem.

Google took help from Magic Leap's 100 engineers last year to develop the Android XR platform. And it appears that Magic Leap has plans to launch AR glasses in the future, which will likely compete with Samsung's AR display-equipped smart glasses sometime in 2027.