Google has its work cut out if it's going to make the smart glasses we've been waiting for.

Smart eyewear company Xreal is partnering with Google to produce augmented reality glasses that it is calling Project Aura, a new product built using Android XR technology. The AI-powered glasses will use optical see-through technology to enhance the consumer AR experience and will include a widened 70-degree field of view.

Google has dug back into its past and introduced its latest take on smart glasses during I/O 2025. Glasses with Android XR brings Gemini AI to smart glasses thanks to an expanded partnership between Google and Samsung.

Google is working with Samsung to bring a desktop mode to Android. During Google I/O’s developer keynote, engineering manager Florina Muntenescu said the company is “building on the foundation” of Samsung’s DeX platform “to bring enhanced windowing capabilities in Android 16,” as spotted earlier by 9to5Google.

Google confirmed that Android 16 gives devices the ability to display a desktop-style experience when they're connected to an external monitor.

We've known for while that Google is working a version of DeX as previously leaked Android 16 code revealed a desktop mode that was turned off by default. At the same time, a version of Samsung DeX was discovered in One UI 8 test builds that appeared to take advantage of the Android 16 Material 3 Express redesign.