Samsung Electronics doesn't see the smart glasses it teased at this week's Unpacked being launched in 2025, a senior executive has said, perhaps to avoid overshadowing the much-hyped extended reality headset it showcased at the event.
The wearable augmented reality device was among a series of upcoming hardware from the Suwon-based company, including the slimmer Galaxy S25 Edge and the Project Moohan XR headset, which was also on display at Unpacked.
The smart glasses, however, appeared as a mere icon represented by a pair of eyeglasses during a presentation showcasing Samsung's hardware ecosystem. The device is also part of plans to help develop Google's Android XR operating system, which powers Project Moohan.
It also has the sparsest details and will be prepared for launch only "when it's ready", Hyesoon Jeong, executive vice president, and head of framework research and development at Samsung Electronics, told The National.
"For the Galaxy S25 Edge, we plan to launch it in the first half of this year and Project Moohan, perhaps not in the first half but within this year, we foresee that," Ms Jeong said on the sidelines of Unpacked, where the Galaxy S25 series was introduced.
"And for the [smart] glasses, I don't believe [they will be launched] this year, not this year. But we are making it ready, and when it's ready, it will be launched."
T M Roh, president of Samsung's mobile division, had told Bloomberg this week that the company plans to launch the smart glasses "as soon as possible".
Samsung's jump into the smart glasses and headset races will pit it against some of the tech industry's top names in an increasingly crowded sector – though it does have the resources, being the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer and a top chipmaker, in addition to its partnership with Google.
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, already has its Meta Quest line-up of AR headsets and teamed up with Ray-Ban to launch smart glasses, while Microsoft already has its HoloLens. Apple, Samsung's biggest rival in smartphones, has the capable but highly priced Vision Pro.
For Google, it could be an opportunity to redeem itself from the failure of its Project Iris and, most notably, Google Glass, the Alphabet unit's first major attempt to bring the device into the mainstream that struggled with a number of problems and a hefty $1,500 price tag.
Samsung has given no further hints on its virtual reality wearables. For the time being, it is concentrating on its Google partnership, part of its wider strategy of further optimising the latest technology, Ms Jeong said. Google's generative AI platform, Gemini, has been integrated into the Galaxy S25 devices.
"We established a task force and worked hard with Google to develop [our new operating system]," she said.
The Samsung-Google team-up draws parallels to the alliance between Apple and OpenAI as the fight for generative AI on mobile devices heats up. However, unlike Apple's famously tightly guarded ecosystem, Samsung is encouraging open collaboration, according to Ms Jeong.
"Apple has a closed platform ... our collaboration model with Google is a little bit different because we're based on openness, trying to together build the ecosystem. We're working to establish a win-win relationship," she said.
For the broader industry, Samsung sees the heavy investments and key partnerships being forged for AI as a sign of a future in which companies will be jockeying for position to address consumer demand for the technology, Ms Jeong said.
These have been further super-charged by US President Donald Trump's announcement this week, that a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and Japanese investment firm SoftBank is to pour in up to $500 billion to boost AI infrastructure in the US.
While declining to comment directly on the initiative, Ms Jeong said the big money being invested is setting the stage for more intense competition and readiness to cater to evolving AI requirements to be influenced by user preferences, and the need to instil trust in AI.
"The announcements of big investments such as that [in the US are] very future oriented ... yes, the direction for the future I think is being established right now and these AI features continuously will accelerate to these initiatives," she said.
"And with that, consumer expectations are also growing and their needs are quite diverse now. So we have to look into what consumer needs really are."
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 715bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,289,376
On sale: now
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20US%20Congress%2C%20explained
%3Cp%3E-%20US%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20435%20members%20make%20up%20the%20House%2C%20and%20100%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20party%20needs%20control%20of%20218%20seats%20to%20have%20a%20majority%20in%20the%20House%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20Senate%2C%20a%20party%20needs%20to%20hold%2051%20seats%20for%20control%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20event%20of%20a%2050-50%20split%2C%20the%20vice%20president's%20party%20retains%20power%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
