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Meta Leaks Next-gen Smart Glasses with Display Ahead of Connect This Week

From roadtovr

It seems Meta has a new generation of smart glasses to show off at Connect this week, and it appears we’ve just got an eye-full of the long-rumored version with a built-in display, previously codenamed ‘Hypernova’.

As noted by XR analyst Brad Lynch, Meta seems to have leaked the next slate of smart glasses built in collaboration with Essilor Luxottica.

The video, which was unlisted on Meta’s YouTube channel, has since been deleted.

The video shows off four main models: the recently released Oakley Meta HSTN, the rumored Oakley Meta Sphaera model, what appears to be the next gen version of Ray-Ban Meta, and the rumored variant with display, which also comes with an electromyography (EMG) based wristband for input.

Meta also showed off a few use cases for the new display-clad smart glasses: typing on the back of a laptop to send a message, following turn-by-turn directions, identifying an object using AI, and real-time text translation.

Image courtesy Brad Lynch

Notably, prior to its unintentional unveiling, it was thought the display model would not be built in collaboration with Essilor Luxottica, and instead be marketed under the Meta name, owing to its ‘Celeste’ branding seen in previous leaks. It appears however the company is coopting a slightly larger Ray-Ban Wayfarer design and appending the name ‘Display’.

What’s more, the the new smart glasses with heads-up display are also shown with the previously reported EMG wristband, which is meant to control the device’s UI. Meta has previously shown the wristband input device working with its prototype Orion AR glasses, which picks up movement in the wrist without needing line of sight to camera sensors, like Meta Quest 3 does.

There’s no confirmed pricing info yet, however a previous report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintains the display model and EMG wristband controller could cost “about $800.”

Meta Connect kicks off September 17th – 18th, where we expect to learn more about release dates and pricing for all of the company’s newest smart glasses.

We will be at Meta Connect this week, so make sure to check back soon for all of the latest in Meta’s XR hardware and software.

Samsung Preps iPhone-Style Spatial Videos & Photos for “Galaxy XR Headset”, Leak Suggests

From roadtovr

A new feature has leaked to some Samsung smartphones which is expected to bring the ability to capture 3D images and videos specifically for “Galaxy XR headsets,” SamMobile has discovered.

Samsung revealed its forthcoming XR headset, codenamed ‘Project Moohan’ (Korean for ‘Infinite’), late last year, which is slated to bring competition to Apple Vision Pro sometime later this year.

When, how much, or even the mixed reality headset’s official named are all still a mystery, however a recent feature leak uncovered by SamMobile’s Asif Iqbal Shaik reveals Samsung smartphones could soon be able to capture 3D photos and video—just like iPhone does for Vision Pro.

Image courtesy SamMobile

Shaik maintains the latest version (4.0.0.3) of the Camera Assistant app contains the option to capture specifically for “Galaxy XR headsets,” initially hidden within an update to the app on Galaxy S25 FE. Transferring the APK file to a Galaxy S25 Ultra however reveals the option, seen above.

Speculation regarding the plurality of Galaxy XR headsets aside: Samsung has gone on record multiple times since Project Moohan’s late 2024 unveiling that the mixed reality headset will indeed release later this year, making the recent software slip an understandable mistake as the company ostensibly seeks to match Vision Pro feature-for-feature on its range of competing smartphones on arrival.

Slated to be the first XR headset to run Google’s Android XR operating system, Moohan could be releasing sooner than you think. A recent report from Korea’s Newsworks maintained the device will be featured at a Samsung product event on September 29th. Notably, Moohan was a no-show at Samsung’s Galaxy event earlier this month, which saw the unveiling of Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy Tab S11, and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

Newsworks further suggests Moohan could launch first in South Korea on October 13th, priced at somewhere between ₩2.5 and ₩4 million South Korean won—or between $1,800 and $2,900 USD—with a global rollout set to follow.

Snapchat CEO’s Open Letter Ties Spectacles AR Glasses to the Survival of the Company at Large

From roadtovr

According to Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel, the company behind Snapchat has reached a “crucible moment” as it heads into 2026, which he says rests on the growth and performance of Spectacles, the company’s AR glasses, as well as AI, advertising and direct revenue streams.

Snap announced in June it was working on the next iteration of its Spectacles AR glasses (aka ‘Specs’), which are expected to release to consumers sometime next year. Snap hasn’t revealed them yet, although the company says the new Specs will be smaller and lighter, feature see-through AR optics and include a built-in AI assistant.

Snap Spectacles (gen 5) | Image courtesy Snap Inc

Following the release of the fifth gen in 2024 to developers, next year will be “the most consequential year yet” in Snap’s 14-year history, Spiegel says, putting its forthcoming generation of Specs in the spotlight.

“After starting the year with considerable momentum, we stumbled in Q2, with ad revenue growth slowing to just 4% year-over-year,” Spiegel admits in his recent open letter. “Fortunately, the year isn’t over yet. We have an enormous opportunity to re-establish momentum and enter 2026 prepared for the most consequential year yet in the life of Snap Inc.”

Not only are Specs a key focus in the company’s growth, Spiegel thinks AR glasses, combined with AI, will drastically change the way people work, learn and play.

“The need for Specs has become urgent,” Spiegel says. “People spend over seven hours a day staring at screens. AI is transforming the way we work, shifting us from micromanaging files and apps to supervising agents. And the costs of manufacturing physical goods are skyrocketing.”

Image courtesy Snap Inc, Niantic

Those physical goods can be replaced with “photons, reducing waste while opening a vast new economy of digital goods,” Spiegel says, something the company hopes to tap into with Specs. And instead of replicating the smartphone experience into AR, Spiegel maintains the core of the device will rely on AI.

“Specs are not about cramming today’s phone apps into a pair of glasses. They represent a shift away from the app paradigm to an AI-first experience — personalized, contextual, and shared. Imagine pulling up last week’s document just by asking, streaming a movie on a giant, see-through, and private display that only you can see, or reviewing a 3D prototype at scale with your teammate standing next to you. Imagine your kids learning biology from a virtual cadaver, or your friends playing chess around a real table with a virtual board.”

Like many of its competitors, Spiegel characterizes Specs as “an enormous business opportunity,” noting the AR device can not only replace multiple physical screens, but the operating system itself will be “personalized with context and memory,” which he says will compound in value over time.

Meanwhile, Snap competitors Meta, Google, Samsung, and Apple are jockeying for position as they develop their own XR devices—the umbrella term for everything from mixed reality headsets, like Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro, to smart glasses like Ray-Ban Meta or Google’s forthcoming Android XR glasses, to full-AR glasses, such as Meta’s Orion prototype, which notably hopes to deliver many of the same features promised by the sixth gen Specs.

And as the company enters 2026, Spiegel says Snap is looking to organize differently, calling for “startup energy at Snap scale” by setting up a sort of internal accelerator of five to seven teams composed 10 to 15-person squads, which he says will include “weekly demo days, 90-day mission cycles, and a culture of fast failure will keep us moving.”

It’s a bold strategy, especially as the company looks to straddle the expectant ‘smartphone-to-AR’ computing paradigm shift, with Spiegel noting that “Specs are how we move beyond the limits of smartphones, beyond red-ocean competition, and into a once-in-a-generation transformation towards human-centered computing.”

You can read Snap CEO Evan Spiegel’s full open letter here, which includes more on AI and the company’s strategies for growth, engagement and ultimately how it’s seeking to generate more revenue.

XR Glasses Maker VITURE Secures $100M Investment as Wearable Segment Heats Up

From roadtovr

San Francisco-based XR glasses company VITURE announced it’s secured $100 million in Series B financing, which the company says will aid in global expansion of its consumer XR glasses.

Viture initially announced in October 2024 it successfully secured a Series B, however now the company reveals its most recent tranche has brought the Series B total to $100 million, bringing overall funding to $121.5 million, according to Crunch Base data.

Previous investors include Singtel Innov8, BlueRun Ventures, BAI Capital, Verity Ventures, with the company noting that some strategic investors in the Series B “prefer to remain undisclosed at this time.”

Viture Luma | Image courtesy Viture

The company says its Series B will allow it to expand its consumer XR glasses globally through retail and distribution networks, grow its enterprise offerings, and further develop its hardware and AI-powered software ecosystems.

This follows the July announcement of the company’s Luma series and Beast, phone/PC-tethered XR glasses that use bird bath-style optics, which the company is targeting towards casual content consumption and productivity.

Meanwhile, the XR glasses segment is heating up, although not uniformly in the direction of the sort of casual content-focused specs that Viture is developing.

More precisely, smart glasses with heads-up displays (i.e. not augmented reality) appear to be the next hot commodity among Meta, Google, Amazon and possibly even Apple, which generally see them as stepping stones to all-day wearable AR glasses of the future.

These sorts of smart glasses are very different from Viture’s however, or full-AR glasses, like Meta’s Orion prototype; smart glasses are essentially designed to offload daily tasks from the user’s smartphone, such as notifications, turn-by-turn directions, AI queries, calls, as well as photo and video capture.

Check out this handy primer on the differences between smart glasses and AR glasses to learn more.

Amazon Reportedly Developing Smart Glasses with Display to Rival Meta

From roadtovr

Amazon is reportedly developing a pair of consumer smart glasses which is slated to rival Meta’s rumored ‘Hypernova’ smart glasses with display, according to a report by The Information.

Citing two people with direct knowledge of the plans, The Information maintains the glasses, internally codenamed ‘Jayhawk’, are set to include include microphones, speakers, a camera, and a monocular, full-color display.

The report maintains Amazon is eyeing a consumer launch of Jayhawk in late 2026 or early 2027, however the price point is currently unknown.

Equally uncertain is whether Jayhawk will be marketed under Amazon’s ‘Echo Frames’ line, first introduced in 2019, including voice-controlled frames and music playback, calls, and smart home control powered by Alexa.

Third-gen Echo Frames | Image courtesy Amazon

Now in its third generation, launched in late 2023, Echo Frames offer essentially the same set of features as the first and second, with the notable outlier being any sort of camera (or display) for photos and video capture.

Additionally, The Information reports that Amazon is also creating smart glasses for its delivery drivers, said to be bulkier and less sleek than the consumer ‘Jayhawk’ model for consumers.

Codenamed ‘Amelia’, the glasses are reportedly set to provide instructions to help sort and deliver packages. Those are said to rollout as soon as Q2 2026, and include an initial production run of 100,000 units.

In contrast, recent reports from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintain Meta is nearly ready to begin mass production of its own smart glasses with monocular display.

Internally codenamed ‘Hypernova’, and possibly marketed as ‘Celeste’, Meta’s forthcoming smart glasses are expected to cost around $800, according to Kuo.

– – — – –

The Information maintains in its reporting that the glasses will be “augmented reality”, however the device’s description puts it squarely in the smart glasses segment.

In short, AR glasses overlay spatially anchored 3D digital content into the real environment, while smart glasses mainly provide heads-up information or notifications, either by monoscopic or even stereoscopic displays. You can learn more about the difference between AR and smart glasses here.

Mojo Vision Secures $75M Investment to Commercialize Micro-LED Displays for XR Glasses

From roadtovr

Mojo Vision announced it’s secured a $75 million Series B Prime investment round, which the company says will support the commercialization of its powerful and flexible micro-LED platform for XR glasses.

The round was led by Vanedge Capital, and included investments from current shareholders Edge Venture Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Fusion Fund, Knollwood Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, and Khosla Ventures, and new shareholders, including imec.xpand, Keymaker, Ohio Innovation Fund, and Hyperlink Ventures.

This brings the company’s overall funding to $345 million, according to Crunch Base data; Mojo Vision’s penultimate round came in late 2023, amounting to $43.5 million.

While previously geared towards producing smart contact lenses, Mojo Vision is now all about the underlying micro-LED technology that initially generated headlines back in 2022.

Image courtesy Mojo Vision

At the time, it was expected Mojo Vision would commercialize a contact lens with embedded micro-LED display, however in April 2023 the company announced it was pivoting.

Founded in 2015, Mojo Vision is now building a type of micro-LED technology that allows the mass-production of them onto silicon chips, combining advanced components like gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon emitters, quantum dots, and micro-lens arrays. According to Mojo Vision, this makes the displays very bright, very small, and energy-efficient.

“Through our micro-LED technology development, Mojo has made significant advancements in establishing breakthrough performance standards while laying the foundation for micro-LEDs as a platform for AI innovation in large market segments,” said Nikhil Balram, CEO of Mojo Vision. “This oversubscribed funding round and strong industry support mark a new phase in the design and production of our next-generation micro-LED platform. The company is on an accelerated path to commercialize micro-LED applications that can power AI.”

The company says it’s targeting the micro-LED platform to build displays for XR glasses, but also large format displays and optical interconnects for AI infrastructure.

U.S. Army Reportedly Taps Anduril & Rivet to Compete in Revamped XR Headset Military Contract

From roadtovr

According to a Breaking Defense report, the U.S. Army has chosen defense startups Anduril and Rivet to compete in its revamped Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) project, now called the Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC), which is slated to integrate AR headsets into combat roles.

Rivet, partly funded by Palantir and led by former Microsoft IVAS lead David Marra, announced last week it’s secured a $195 million, 18-month contract to prototype and produce 470 “production representative” devices in the new SBMC program.

At present, the company produces an XR platform, called Rivet Hard Spec, which is designed for frontline professionals in defense and industrial sectors. Information is thin on the ground surrounding Hard Spec, and whether the system is playing a central role in the SBMC bid.

Rivet notes however the company will “help the Army field [SBMC] to the Infantry through rigorous iteration with Soldiers, ensuring an adaptable and extensible platform for lethality and overmatch against evolving threats.”

Rivet Hard Spec | Image courtesy Rivet

While Rivet has confirmed it’s secured the $195 million contract for the batch of XR prototypes, Rivet still faces strong competition from a possible Anduril + Meta partnership. In May, Anduril and Meta announced the companies were aiming to make “the world’s best AR and VR systems for the US military.”

Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey, known for creating Oculus Rift and selling the company to Meta (then Facebook) in 2014 for more than $2 billion, teased a military-focused XR device called Eagle Eye, which is said to serve as central component in their SBMC bid.

At the time of this writing, Anduril has not publicly confirmed a contract with the U.S. Army, however Breaking Defense reports Army sources have confirmed their selection alongside Rivet.

The SBMC recompete follows years of challenges with IVAS, which was initially awarded to Microsoft in 2018 to produce a combat-ready AR headset based on HoloLens 2 capable of fulfilling the $22 billion, 10-year production deal.

Microsoft’s IVAS ultimately suffered multiple challenges in the following years, including poor field testing results due to comfort, reliability and ruggedness issues, ultimately leading to Anduril taking over development of IVAS’ software earlier this year.

At the time, it was seen as a way of potentially giving Luckey’s defense company valuable time to work with Army leaders in preparation to recompete for the new, revamped SBMC program.

‘Project Moohan’ Android XR Headset is Launching by Year’s End, But Still No Official Name or Release Date

From roadtovr

Project Moohan was a no-show at Samsung’s Galaxy product event yesterday, giving the company even fewer opportunities to announce and release the Vision Pro competitor by year’s end.

Samsung confirmed in early August that Project Moohan is coming before the end of the year, although we still don’t know its name, release date, or price.

At its recent Galaxy event, the company unveiled a number of mobile devices, including Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy Tab S11, and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Just not Project Moohan.

A recent report from Korea’s Newsworks maintained Moohan would be featured at Samsung Unpacked, which is rumored to take place on September 29th. Still, that’s awfully close to the Galaxy product event, which took place yesterday.

The Newswork report maintains Project Moohan—which means ‘Infinite’ in Korean—is rumored to launch first in South Korea on October 13th, priced at somewhere between ₩2.5 and ₩4 million South Korean won, or between $1,800 and $2,900 USD.

Samsung Project Moohan | Image courtesy Samsung

Still, it’s fairly odd that Samsung hasn’t taken more of an opportunity to hype the mixed reality headset, which will be the first to run Google’s Android XR operating system.

Samsung has essentially kept the lid fairly tight on Moohan since it was announced in December 2024; it was often available for demo behind closed doors at events like MWC in March and Google I/O in June, although it was conspicuously absent from Unpacked in January and the second Unpacked in July… and now the Galaxy product event.

With claims of launching in South Korea first, and at around $2,000, it could be that Samsung is expecting fairly low sales volumes from the standalone MR headset, which admittedly has some fairly good specs under the hood.

Here’s the short of it: Moohan packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 + Gen 2, dual micro‑OLED panels (resolution specs yet), pancake lenses, automatic interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment, support for eye and hand-tracking, optional magnetically-attached light shield, and a removable external battery pack. It’s also getting VR motion controllers of some sort, but we still haven’t seen those either.

You can learn more by checking out our hands-on with Project Moohan from December 2024, which includes everything from comfort, display clarity, and how Android XR looks a lot like Horizon OS combined with VisionOS.

Pimax Promises Development Update on Delayed Dream Air Headset Later This Month

From roadtovr

Pimax announced Dream Air last December, aiming to take on the emerging segment of compact high-end PC VR headsets, such as Bigscreen Beyond and Shiftall MaganeX Superlight 8K. Initially planned for launch in May, the headset was delayed until Q3 2025. As we head into the tail-end of Q3, Pimax says it has reached “several exciting milestones” for the headset, and promises a substantial update before the end of September.

In a post on the company’s blog last week, Pimax said it is planning a “detailed presentation” with updates on the development of the Dream Air and Dream Air SE (a cheaper variant). It’s unclear if the company will have a final launch date for the headsets or offer a further delay.

The product pages for the Dream headsets still say they will “Start shipping [in] Q3 2025.” Pimax has been taking pre-orders for Dream Air since its announcement in December 2024, and Dream Air SE since its announcement in May.

Pimax has attributed the ‘May’ to ‘Q3’ delay of Dream Air to issues getting its hands on Sony’s high-end micro-OLED panels which have a 13.6MP (3,840 × 3,552) per-eye resolution. They are purportedly the same panels used in Apple’s Vision Pro headset.

However, Dream Air SE, the less expensive variant of the headset, uses 6.5MP (2,560 × 2,560) per-eye displays. It’s unclear if these displays are any easier for the company to source. If so, we could see the Dream Air SE (which was announced months after the higher-end Dream Air) ship ahead of its more expensive sibling.

In addition to the promised update, Pimax’s blog post says that the wireless streaming update for the original Pimax Crystal headset will begin rolling out this month. And the company detailed its latest work on GPU upscaling features for its headsets, which complement an array of features the company offers to help users optimize the visuals and performance of their Pimax headsets.

Apple ‘Vision Air’ Rumored for 2027, Reportedly 40% Lighter and 50% Cheaper Than Vision Pro

From roadtovr

Independent supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released a report claiming that Apple is gearing up to launch a cheaper and lighter version of Vision Pro in 2027, which is expected to be called ‘Vision Air’.

Ostensibly leaked from supply chain sources, Kuo claims Vision Air is estimated to be “over 40% lighter and more than 50% cheaper” than Vision Pro, which weighs in at around 600g, and is priced at $3,500.

Notably, that weight figure doesn’t take into account the external battery pack, which weighs 350g. Provided Kuo is only quoting that ~600g on-head weight of Vision Pro itself, this would put the rumored Vision Air at less than 400g, and priced at less than $1,750.

At least by Kuo’s description of the headset’s weight, it’s also sounds like Vision Air is sticking with the external battery; the inclusion of an internal battery, like that found in Quest 3 and Quest 3S (both around 515g), would make it difficult to reach that sub-400g weight.

One of the biggest features likely to be on the chopping block for a cheaper and lighter Vision Pro is undoubtedly the headset’s glass-covered EyeSight front display, which provides a sort of virtualized representation of the user’s eyes.

Photo by Road to VR

Vision Pro is also made with out of premium materials, such as aluminum and magnesium, which could be lightened by replacing them with plastic. That may be a bridge too far though, as it could sacrifice Apple’s premium design aesthetic.

According to the report, it also appears the Cupertino tech giant is hoping to make a bigger splash with Vision Pro’s lighter and cheaper follow-up—not to be confused the with reported M5 hardware refresh of Vision Pro expected to arrive sometime later this year.

Kuo maintains Apple is internally targeting anticipated shipments of Vision Air to reach one million units in 2027. While Apple hasn’t released Vision Pro sales data any time following the device’s initial launch in February 2024, an October 2024 report from The Information claimed Apple was eyeing a sales target of 420,000 units for its first year.

Additionally, Kuo maintains General Interface Solution (GIS), the Taiwan-based company involved in the lamination process of Vision Pro’s pancake lenses, will broaden its role to become the exclusive supplier of pancake lenses.