Gentle Monster will launch its first Android XR glasses in December, the brand announced in a post accompanied by a cinematic teaser starring Joaquin Phoenix. The collection will be available for reservation starting November 12; Google, for its part, has not yet officially confirmed the launch dates, according to Engadget.
The confirmation clears up one of the unknowns surrounding the first batch of glasses from the Android XR project. Gentle Monster’s announcement refers to its own collection: Warby Parker has not yet said that its glasses will also launch in December, although 9to5Google considers it possible that they will share that window.
Reservations on November 12 and presentation in New York
Gentle Monster announced that reservations for its Intelligent Eyewear collection will open on November 12 on its website. Engadget also places the start of preorders on that date. Variety reported the reservation date and added that there will be a public presentation in New York between November 13 and 23; registration to attend will be available on the brand’s website.
For now, the schedule distinguishes between reservations and the market launch: reservations begin on November 12, and the launch is planned for December. 9to5Google describes the announcement as official confirmation of that window for Gentle Monster’s glasses. By contrast, a December date has not been announced for Warby Parker’s model.
Gentle Monster’s post introduced the collection with a brief sentence: “The collection launches this December.”
The collection launches this December.
— Gentle Monster, post on X
The reservation date coincides with the one Warby Parker had announced for its own glasses. According to 9to5Google, the brand announced earlier that week that it would open preorders on November 12. Engadget described Warby Parker’s announcement as a post that apparently revealed the date accidentally on Thursday. For now, both schedules point to the same day for reservations, but only Gentle Monster has explicitly tied its launch to December.
A product announcement told like a film
The schedule was accompanied by a trailer for a short film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Phoenix. Gentle Monster described the piece as “a cinematic journey between reality and dream” and announced that the full version will premiere in mid-November. Variety also places its premiere later in the month, without giving a specific day. The brand’s post does not specify whether it will be on November 12.
The story follows a salesman, played by Phoenix, who stays in an unfamiliar hotel and encounters strange events and mysterious figures. In a red-lit corridor, the glasses let him understand and communicate with them, according to Variety’s description. FashionUnited also reports that the plot uses the device to establish that communication and plays with the boundary between dream and reality.
The teaser does not offer a conventional demonstration of features. According to FashionUnited, the campaign introduces the glasses’ capabilities within the story rather than showing them directly, and presents the technology as a way to create unexpected connections. Engadget describes the trailer as an experimental piece, closer to cinema than a traditional product ad.
Variety describes Glazer as the filmmaker behind The Zone of Interest and notes that he is known for Under the Skin. Phoenix plays the short film’s salesman; Variety also recalls his role in Her, where he portrayed a man who falls in love with an artificial intelligence. The campaign thus brings together two figures from cinema in a story that makes the glasses the element that allows the protagonist to interact with the characters he encounters.
Android XR without a screen, with Gemini
Gentle Monster and Warby Parker’s glasses will use Android XR, but will not include a screen, according to Engadget. The outlet describes them as audio-focused devices, with access to Gemini planned. This sets them apart from other experiences Google groups under Android XR: the platform is also designed for the mixed reality of Samsung Galaxy XR and the augmented reality of Xreal Aura.
Variety details some of the features planned for the collection: hands-free assistance, photo capture, calls, and conversation translation. The article says the device runs on Android XR and the Gemini artificial intelligence assistant. It does not specify hardware specifications, battery life, price, or availability in specific markets.
Google and Samsung presented their collaboration with Gentle Monster at Google I/O in May, according to Variety. The South Korean brand contributes the glasses’ design, while Android XR provides the platform. Engadget places the project within Google’s broader effort to bring the system to mixed and augmented reality devices, in addition to these audio glasses.
Google aims to compete in branded glasses
The project aims to challenge Meta’s smart glasses and partly revive Google Glass, according to Engadget. The outlet notes that Google has not yet confirmed the dates announced by its partners. Engadget also points out that Google hopes associating the technology with a desirable brand will help counter potential negative reactions.
FashionUnited places Gentle Monster in the segment the company itself calls “alternative luxury eyewear” and describes its history through its experimental designs, art-linked campaigns, and immersive flagship stores. The outlet adds that Google bought a 4 percent stake in the brand in June 2025 for about $100 million, an investment tied to glasses based on Android XR and Google’s artificial intelligence, developed with Samsung and designed by Gentle Monster.
The launch comes in a market where Meta holds a prominent position. FashionUnited attributes to IDC year-over-year growth of 167 percent in worldwide shipments of screenless smart glasses during the first quarter of 2026, reaching about 2.25 million units. According to the same outlet, Meta accounted for 69.2 percent of the broader smart glasses and headsets market. IDC expects, according to FashionUnited, shipments of screenless glasses to reach 13.6 million units in 2026.
FashionUnited also reports that EssilorLuxottica, owner of Ray-Ban and Oakley, credited its collaboration with Meta as the main driver of 11 percent sales growth in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Kering is working with Google on its own AI glasses; its CEO, Luca de Meo, said in April that the company was targeting a 2027 debut for Gucci smart glasses, according to Variety.
For now, the next concrete milestone for Gentle Monster is the start of reservations on November 12. The brand has set December for the launch of its collection, while the full short film and the public presentation in New York are planned for mid-November and November 13–23, respectively.
Sources: 9to5Google, Engadget, Variety, FashionUnited
