Apple is testing four smart glasses designs to compete with Meta

Many of Silicon Valley’s heavy hitters are investing heavily in smart glasses, and a new report sheds light on Apple’s plans to join the party.

The latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple is currently testing four different designs for smart glasses that will compete with the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses. Gurman says the product could be unveiled in late 2026 ahead of a 2027 launch.

A lot could have changed in that time, although Gurman has a pretty impressive track record of Apple scoops.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is testing a variety of frame styles, such as rectangular, oval and circular, as well as multiple color options. If Apple smart glasses hit the market, some or all of these designs may be available at launch.

Additionally, according to Bloomberg, the glasses will have unique oval camera lenses, with the lights oriented vertically. Finally, similar to other AR glasses from companies like Xreal and TCL, onboard speakers will allow users to take phone calls and listen to music.

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Based on previous reports, Apple will create augmented reality glasses with a built-in display similar to the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses and the unreleased Google Android XR glasses, which are expected to be released later this year.

Presumably, by the time the Apple smart glasses are released, Apple will also have introduced the long-awaited Siri AI upgrade. This could allow users to talk to Siri by wearing the glasses for voice control, helping with navigation or activating other AR features.

Meta-Ray Ban Smart glasses sales are set to triple by 2025, according to Reuters, but smart glasses have not yet become as mainstream as smartphones, tablets or laptops.

Big tech companies see this new form factor as a major potential opportunity (see also: AI wearables), but it’s not yet clear how eager the average consumer will be to incorporate smart glasses into their daily lives.

Apple may be better suited to introduce a new form factor than other companies based on its past success with smartphones and MP3 players; However, sales of the company’s previous AR device, the Apple Vision Pro, have been very low.