I wish Samsung would just commit to its next big thing and release it already

For some reason, Samsung appears to be very afraid of committing to and releasing its next big thing: smart glasses. The company has launched the Galaxy XR headset but glasses, which are what Apple and Samsung were working up to with their respective MR (Mixed Reality) headsets, remain missing.

Galaxy smart glasses spotted yet again

In the code for One UI 9, vague details of Galaxy smart glasses have been spotted. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Multiple different models have been similarly spotted in Samsung’s code prior.

In fact, a pair of Galaxy smart glasses were expected to release alongside the Galaxy XR headset. Instead, only the headset was unveiled and it’s been a pretty uncommon sight since.

It’s like the company keeps toying with the idea, getting close to launching a pair of glasses at last, before pulling back at the last second. Whether this is because Samsung keeps getting cold feet or whether it wants its first go to be perfect is completely unknown.

Just commit already, Samsung

Samsung is far from the only company that is expecting smart glasses to replace smartphones in large numbers in the near future when the technology matures a bit more. To get customers ready for that future, Samsung, Apple, Google, Meta, and other manufacturers are working on simpler glasses first.

Meta has already established itself in the market with offerings like the Ray-Ban smart glasses and the Ray-Ban Display glasses. However, considering what we know now about how the Ray-Ban glasses leak private moments on purpose, I’d suggest staying away from them for good.

That leaves Samsung, Apple, and Google as the bigger companies that I’m hoping for smart glasses from. Apple and Google are taking it slow, but Samsung’s continued delays make me wish it would just get on with it already.

Especially because the first pair of smart glasses that Samsung is seemingly working on aren’t even AR glasses. They’ll just be like the Meta Ray-Ban glasses: no display but a microphone, speakers, and a camera.

Glasses like this will probably sell decently enough, but it’s the proper AR smart glasses that I, and I’m sure other VR enthusiasts, are actually waiting for. If Samsung keeps getting cold feet for glasses without a display, then it’s only delaying the release of true AR smart glasses that might actually propel it forward in this market.

Are you waiting for Apple again, Samsung?

Samsung’s flip-flopping temperament makes me wonder if the company is waiting on Apple to make a move first.

After all, Samsung immediately started work on the Galaxy S25 Edge when news about the iPhone Air started coming out. The aforementioned Galaxy XR headset also came out as a direct response to the Apple Vision Pro. It even looks like Apple’s headset, for crying out loud.

Then there’s the upcoming Galaxy Z Wide Fold, something that Samsung apparently started working on when initial leaks about the foldable iPhone design started surfacing. I’ll refrain from mentioning the creative inspiration that the company’s earphones and smartwatches took in recent times.

It might very well be possible that Samsung is waiting on Apple to make the first move. The company might be confident enough to introduce new features like the privacy display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra or make new phones like the Galaxy Z TriFold, but it’s holding back on untapped markets.

First-generation products are never perfect. It’s why I keep saying that you shouldn’t buy the iPhone Ultra this year. But if Samsung keeps hesitating, then it’ll be too late to a race that it has the perfect opportunity to win.

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