Apple Smart Glasses: What we know so far
Display-free and iPhone-tethered, Apple's answer to Meta Ray-Ban is now expected late 2027
Apple's next wearable won't look anything like the Vision Pro. According to mounting reports, the company is developing a pair of AI-powered smart glasses styled after ordinary eyewear rather than a bulky headset, making them a direct rival to Meta's Ray-Ban line rather than an extension of spatial computing.
Apple Smart Glasses specs (expected)
In the first generation of the glasses, the AR visuals will be completely skipped, and the glasses will use an internal camera, a speaker, and a microphone to interact with the paired iPhone using Bluetooth technology.
According to reports, the reported features will include live object recognition by way of visual intelligence, live translation, turn-by-turn audio directions, and a heads-up display restricted to notifications only.
The interaction with the glasses will heavily depend on the advanced version of Siri.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in April that Apple has four frame designs in testing: a large rectangular style resembling Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular design similar to CEO Tim Cook's own glasses, and two oval or circular options in different sizes.
The frames are made from acetate rather than standard plastic, and Apple is developing them entirely in-house instead of partnering with an eyewear brand, unlike Meta's tie-ups with Ray-Ban and Oakley or Google's deal with Warby Parker.
The Apple Smart Glasses are likely to have a modified version of the Apple Watch's S-series processor, designed to be energy-efficient for camera operations and AI operations without having a bulky battery attached to it.
The cameras are also reported to have vertically aligned oval-shaped lenses along with indicator lights around them, which is something different than the round cameras present on Meta’s glasses.
Apple had planned on releasing its smart glasses early next year, 2027, but according to a recent report by Gurman, the new product may come out towards the end of 2027, following some developmental delays, and could be announced at the WWDC event in June 2027.
Apple Smart Glasses' price (expected)
There has not been any official pricing announcement yet, but Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley models currently cost between $299 and $499.
