Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) is making a full-scale push into the premium wearable device market by launching AI glasses lighter than Meta's. Its smartwatch has also expanded into the premium segment by adding a host of new healthcare features tailored to running, a popular activity.
Choi Jae-in, vice president of Samsung Electronics' extended reality (XR) development team, held a product briefing for the AI glasses "Intelligent Eyewear" at the Old Billingsgate exhibition hall in London on the 23rd. "Our approach to glasses products differs from competitors including Meta," Choi said. "I believe Samsung's glasses have greater strengths in terms of being lightweight and comfortable to wear."
Samsung Electronics unveiled the Intelligent Eyewear to the public for the first time at "Galaxy Unpacked 2026," held on the 22nd, and announced plans to launch it this fall. While the company has not yet announced detailed specifications, Choi indirectly explained that its core performance, including weight, is ahead of the latest products such as "Ray-Ban Meta." For example, Ray-Ban Meta's battery lasts up to 8 hours and weighs 50 grams. The Intelligent Eyewear is expected to use its battery for up to 9 hours and be lighter in weight.
This is thanks to interoperability with other Galaxy devices. Unlike Meta's products, other Samsung Electronics products that users carry together, such as smartphones and watches, assist with AI tasks, reducing the components the glasses must carry on their own. "Through 'split computing,' the smartphone's graphics processing unit (GPU), neural processing unit (NPU) and memory help with the glasses' image processing tasks," Choi said. "The gesture function of the Galaxy Watch can also be used together."
Samsung Electronics has secured about 200 registered patents related to AI glasses. The "ultra-slim hinge" is a technology that makes the printed circuit board (PCB) thin and stable so that wires can be connected and current can flow even through the hinge linking the front of the glasses and the temples. The company has also secured a dedicated frame structure that applies comfort at the facial contact area, left-right weight balance and heat dissipation, as well as speakers that do not malfunction even when exposed to sunscreen applied to the face. Samsung Electronics plans to preempt the premium glasses market by continuously commercializing new technologies through next-generation products.
The new smartwatch "Galaxy Watch Ultra2" also targets the premium market so it can create synergy with the AI glasses. Compared with the first-generation premium model "Galaxy Watch Ultra" launched in 2024, its GPU performance improved by 19%, its central processing unit (CPU) by 32% and its battery capacity by 35%, while its thickness became 12% thinner at 10.7 millimeters. Its weight, including the band, also decreased.
In particular, new features aimed at runners were added, including "Vital Signs," which reports overall condition, "Cardio Health Score," which monitors heart status during exercise and provides customized coaching, and "Daily Cardio Load."
The Galaxy Watch Ultra2, tested while actually running in London's St. James's Park, served well as a pacemaker. As soon as warm-up exercises began, the Vital Signs function alerted that two indicators—breathing rate and skin temperature—were unstable and advised against overexertion. During the run, it warned against overexertion again, noting that the heart rate reached up to 174 beats per minute and maximum oxygen intake reached 52, hitting a "very high" status.
The Watch Ultra2's coaching function was easy to check even in a broad daylight outdoor environment, thanks to a display boasting a brightness of 5,000 nits, the highest ever for a smartwatch.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics operates the "New Galaxy AI Subscription Club," which reduces the burden of purchasing new products. It is a service that lowers the burden of buying new products by compensating up to 50% of a device's value at the used price when an old Galaxy device is returned. The subscription fee is 9,900 won per month based on the "Galaxy Z Fold8."
