Smart glasses are on the up and up. Tech companies are entering — and re-entering — the field by bringing advanced technology to the wearable tech, which will now include built-in screens, VR capability, pop-up alerts, and AI assistance, according to Yahoo News.

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Meta is building a bridge to Orion. Last year, the tech giant introduced Orion as a replacement for smartphones altogether. The glasses were fully functional, not just a prototype, but had a production cost of USD 10k, making its mass production a thing of the future. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn’t giving up just yet. Meta’s Ray-Ban collaboration already offers phone-like features like recording videos and sending voice notes, but the Zuck is hoping to bridge the gap between both glasses by adding a built-in display, real-time language translation — albeit between limited languages — and AI video capability.

Google is stepping back into the game with a new operating system. After the spectacular collapse of Google Glass due to price, safety, and privacy concerns, eventually leading the company to pull the product off the shelves for good, Google is once again taking a shot at the wearable tech. Kinda. Android XR, an AI-operated OS expected to be compatible with a TBD list of smart glasses and headsets.

What we do know: The system’s first product will be in collaboration with Samsung. The suspected headset has been given the codename Project Moohan — infinity in Korean — and is expected to be announced and released this year. The Verge reported the device as a mix between Meta Quest 3 and Apple’s Vision Pro. “Glasses with Android XR will put the power of Gemini one tap away, providing helpful information right when you need it — like directions, translations or message summaries without reaching for your phone.” Google said in a blog post.

But it doesn’t stop there. Counterpoint, a global technology market research firm, believes that the market will continue to gain momentum throughout the year. Other tech companies including Amazon, Oppo, and the smaller XReal, Baidu, and Solos are all working on smart glasses as well, says Yahoo. Apple is also reportedly working on a new product in a shift towards a more affordable AR headset, news that comes hot on the heels of the company halting production of the Vision Pro less than a year after launching.

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