Gentle Monster Smart Glasses Built With Google and Samsung Sell Out Key Styles in Hours as New York Preview Opens

Gentle Monster's Gemini-powered smart glasses, built with Google and Samsung, sold out in key styles within hours of preorders opening Nov. 12 in South Korea and the U.S., as the brand opened a public preview at 23 Wall Street in New York ahead of a Dec. 10 launch.

Nov 14, 2026 - 11:17

0 1

Gentle Monster's first smart glasses, built with Google and Samsung Electronics and powered by Google's Gemini AI assistant, sold out in key styles within hours of preorders opening in South Korea and the United States, the South Korean eyewear brand said on Nov. 13, according to Maeil Business Newspaper. The same day, the company opened a public preview of its Intelligent Eyewear Collection at 23 Wall Street in New York, which runs through Nov. 23, Hypebeast and TIDEZINE reported.

Preorders opened on Thursday, Nov. 12, ahead of a Dec. 10 launch in both countries, The Korea Times reported. Maeil Business said Gentle Monster is taking sign-ups on its official online store for notifications about a second round of preorders.

Six Frames, 16 Versions and a $449 Starting Price

The Gentle Monster collection comprises 16 variants across six designs, according to The Korea Times. Maeil Business and TIDEZINE described the six designs as two optical shapes and four sunglass shapes, offered in combinations of colors and lenses. In a post announcing preorders, Google said the frames come in colors including dark red, pink, gray and yellow, paired with tinted, clear, blue or brown lenses, and that prescription options are available for most frames.

Google said the Gentle Monster collection starts at $449 and will be available in the United States and South Korea. Hypebeast reported a U.S. price range of $449 to $489, while Maeil Business and TIDEZINE put Korean prices at 650,000 to 700,000 won depending on the model. Days earlier, when The Korea Herald reported the upcoming preorder date on Nov. 8, it said pricing and detailed retail availability had not yet been disclosed.

Gentle Monster is one of two eyewear partners in the program. The Korea Times reported that Samsung and Google unveiled a full lineup of 30 models in New York, including 14 Warby Parker variants across three designs, with Warby Parker models starting at $395 in the U.S. According to The Korea Times, the full lineup will be sold in the U.S., while only the Gentle Monster collection will be released in Korea.

What the Glasses Do

The glasses were first introduced at Google I/O in May and combine Samsung's hardware with Google's Android XR platform and Gemini, The Korea Herald and Variety reported. The Korea Herald said Qualcomm also contributed to the project, and The Korea Times reported that the frames run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform and use a 12-megapixel camera mounted on the left side of the frame.

According to Google, wearers can say "Hey Gemini" or tap the frames to ask about what they are looking at, check calendar availability from an event poster, or add items to a grocery list. Google said Google Maps provides turn-by-turn directions through the glasses' open-ear speakers and that Google Translate offers real-time speech translation across more than 70 languages. The glasses work with Pixel and Samsung phones as well as iPhones, Google said.

Reports differ slightly on the specifications. Google, TIDEZINE and Maeil Business put the weight at about 41 grams, while Hypebeast reported about 40 grams. On battery life, Google said the glasses last up to nine hours and that the charging case can recharge them up to seven times; The Korea Times, Maeil Business, Hypebeast and TIDEZINE reported up to nine hours on a single charge and up to 72 hours with the case.

On privacy, Google said camera visuals used by Gemini are not saved in Gemini History or used to train AI models or target ads, and that bystanders' faces are automatically redacted before Gemini processes images.

A Gallery-Style Preview on Wall Street

The public preview follows an invitation-only event at the same address on Nov. 10, according to TIDEZINE, and is open by reservation through the brand's U.S. website.

WWD reported that guests at the private event included Joaquin Phoenix, Alex Consani, Anok Yai, Charles Melton and Paloma Elsesser. Guests chose a pair of glasses before walking through installations in which large floating heads spoke in different languages, with their words translated through the eyewear, WWD reported. A dinner upstairs was prepared by the New York restaurant Atomix. According to WWD, Gentle Monster founder and chief executive Hankook Kim addressed the room and spoke about his fascination with what he calls the "intermediate world," the space between consciousness and unconsciousness.

A Campaign Film and a Crowded Market

Phoenix stars in the collection's campaign film, directed by Jonathan Glazer, the filmmaker behind "The Zone of Interest," Variety reported. In the short film, Phoenix plays a salesman who encounters strange figures in an unfamiliar hotel and discovers that his glasses let him understand and communicate with them. The Korea Herald reported that Gentle Monster said the narrative portrays the possibilities of AI-assisted communication rather than directly demonstrating product features. Both outlets said the full film is scheduled to debut later this month.

The launch enters a growing category. Variety noted that Meta and Ray-Ban released a second generation of AI glasses earlier this year, and that Kering has partnered with Google on its own AI eyewear, with Kering CEO Luca de Meo saying in April that the company was targeting a 2027 debut for Gucci-branded smart glasses.

Google said the glasses will be available to buy in stores and online on Dec. 10, and that hands-on demos are available at select Gentle Monster, Warby Parker and Google Store locations. Google added that the eyewear can be used only with Google accounts from the United States and South Korea, and TIDEZINE reported that a Taiwan launch date has yet to be announced.