(Credit: Warby Parker/Samsung)
Samsung’s upcoming Android XR Glasses, made in partnership with Google alongside fashion houses Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, have been teased throughout the year, and the company is going to squeeze into the 2026 release cycle with a mid-December launch.
Each brand has been quiet about the upcoming smart glasses in recent months, but Warby Parker now says preorders will open on Nov. 12. Unfortunately, we still don’t know how much they’ll cost, but they should arrive next month.
For readers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, timing matters more than price right now. Samsung hasn’t announced regional pricing, so there’s no AED or SAR figure to quote yet. Reports also suggest the first wave of sales may be limited to a small number of markets, starting with the US and South Korea, so Middle East availability at launch isn’t guaranteed.
“We are anticipating a pretty robust preorder period before then, and then for production and sales to scale meaningfully in 2027,” Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, said during an earnings call this week.
Warby Parker also plans to offer demos of the glasses in 65 of its US stores, though it has yet to clarify which locations. It then plans to roll out device demos across 360 locations in the coming weeks to help generate interest.
PCMag got some hands-on time with a pair of “in-progress” Warby Parker smart glasses at Google I/O earlier this year. Most of the demo was audio-only, but in our brief test, access to Gemini seemed like one of the main selling points.
It’s unclear whether Samsung plans to share more details ahead of launch or if we’ll have to wait until Nov. 12 to learn everything the glasses can do. Details about the Gentle Monster version have also been scant.
Criticism of smart glasses has increased in recent months with growing reports of privacy invasions, leading some to nickname the tech “pervert glasses.” Many public places around the world, such as courtrooms and bars, have chosen to ban the tech altogether.
Price and availability in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Until Samsung or its regional partners publish pricing for the UAE and Saudi Arabia, any AED or SAR number would be a guess, so we won’t offer one. The Nov. 12 preorder date is the most likely moment regional pricing and launch markets get confirmed, so that’s when to check back.
If you’re shopping for smart glasses in the Middle East right now, the launch timing gives you a few weeks to compare options before Samsung’s pair is in stock. Don’t pre-commit to a preorder from a store that hasn’t confirmed local warranty and return terms for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Egypt.
