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Google announced three advances in its Android XR platform.
They're headlined by display AI glasses that will be available to developers first.
Galaxy XR and Project Aura also get updates that improve their immersive experiences.
Last week, within the confines of Google's Hudson River office, I put on a pair of Android XR glasses and conversed with Gemini as I walked around the room. These weren't the Warby Parker or Gentle Monster models that had been teased at Google I/O in May, but rather a developer kit that will soon be in the hands (and on the faces) of Android developers worldwide.
The demos, ranging from visual assistance to gyroscopic navigation, progressed swiftly and, to my surprise, efficiently. At one point, I tried to stump Gemini by asking for a fruit salad recipe with the pasta on the shelf, only for it to recommend a more traditional tomato sauce dish instead. That's both a testament to Gemini's smarts and the glasses' multimodal hardware.
Also: I invested in Samsung's $1,800 XR headset to replace my dual monitors - and it's paying off big time
By the time my briefing was over, I switched from the Android XR glasses to Samsung's Galaxy XR headset and an upcoming pair by Xreal, Project Aura. This seamless transitioning between wearables, most of which will also leverage your Android phone and smartwatch for added functionality, is one of Google's moonshots for 2026.
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