Samsung’s first Android XR glasses face a design problem its competitor already solved

Samsung and Google, along with partners Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, have a problem with the upcoming Android XR smart glasses — or ‘intelligent eyewear’ as they’re often called.

It’s not about software or hardware, in a tech sense, but design and fit. The trouble is, they’re up against Ray-Ban and the Wayfarer, sunglasses that are instantly recognizable, easy to wear, and suit almost all face shapes.

They are so iconic that there’s a strong chance you have owned a pair or tried one on. It gives you the confidence to buy without actually seeing, holding, or trying on the smart version. It’s Meta’s secret weapon, and Samsung isn’t showing any such confidence in its smart glasses, which could prove a very costly mistake if it doesn’t change course soon.

A culture icon

Without getting too deep into it (because Android Authority isn’t a fashion and design site), it’s important to understand how the Ray-Ban Wayfarer — the standard template for the Ray-Ban Meta — became an icon, and why it works for so many people.

Ray-Ban’s head of brand and communications, Alessandro Longo, explained to British Vogue:

“The Wayfarer is more than an iconic frame. It changed the role of eyewear entirely. Before its introduction in the 1950s, glasses were primarily functional objects. But in a post-war era defined by cultural change and creative disruption, the Wayfarer completely reimagined the idea of eyewear, from a simple accessory into something deeply personal, rooted in style, identity and self-expression.”

Designed to mirror the shape of the human face, the Wayfarer’s flattering shape naturally suits many people, and the thick plastic frame is robust and statement-making. But without a crucial, ground-breaking deal made by Bausch & Lomb, which owned the Ray-Ban brand in the early 80s, it’s possible we wouldn’t be talking about them this way at all.

From Jake Blues to Joel Goodson

A product placement deal signed with Unique Product Placement in 1981 put the Wayfarers on the faces of movie stars in some of the biggest films of the decade. These included Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers, played by John Belushi, and Joel Goodson in Risky Business, played by Tom Cruise.

It’s hard to overstate the cultural impact of both these films, and looking back, the Wayfarers were more than just accessories. They feature so prominently, they’re almost supporting characters. The Wayfarers have since been worn by musicians, actors, politicians, and other culturally important figures, a trend driven by the 60 movies and TV shows included in that early product placement deal.

Grazia notes the Wayfarer’s appeal hasn’t waned, stating that at this year’s fashion shows in Paris and Milan, Ray-Ban Wayfarers were more photographed than “the bug-eye frames … and the slender ovals lifted wholesale from the Nineties.”

Whether you wanted to channel Jake or Joel, Chloe Sevigny, Madonna, Mr. White from Reservoir Dogs, Johnny Knoxville, or ‘basically every celeb in Hollywood,’ the Ray-Ban Wayfarer has been the way to do it, at a reasonable price, for decades. This cultural history matters because it’s why us normies also know how Wayfarers (and Ray-Ban’s various derivatives) look on our own faces, the faces of our friends, family, and regular people just walking down the street. They’re everywhere.

How do Samsung’s Android XR glasses look on?

Anyone wanting to try a pair of smart glasses could reasonably choose the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer and be fairly sure it would not only look decent but also make them feel like a fashionista without going overboard or intentionally looking like one. It’s an easy purchase online too, as you’ve probably already tried a pair once in your life, or could visit one of the many stores selling Ray-Ban sunglasses if not. Teaming up like this was a genius decision by Meta, and a wise business move for EssilorLuxottica, owner of the Ray-Ban name.

To take on the might of Meta and Ray-Ban, Samsung and Google’s partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster were essential. Tech brands aren’t known for making stylish wearables. See the early Galaxy smartwatches and Google Glass for evidence. Unfortunately, regardless of the frames we’re expecting, none will be as easy a purchase as the Wayfarer without considerable effort from the marketing teams, which doesn’t seem to be being made.

It immediately made me concerned about the designs, and here, nearly six months later, the concern has only grown. Did Samsung, Google, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster not want anyone photographed wearing the frames? Are they so face-sensitive that the brand’s messaging will be instantly ruined?

With the expected release date rapidly approaching, the only people we’ve seen wearing the Samsung and Google Android XR smart glasses are models. Models chosen specifically because the frames flatter their faces, and look cool wearing them. It doesn’t ground Samsung and Google’s smart glasses in reality at all. If the Wayfarers are the sunglasses of the people, Samsung’s efforts are so far reserved for models.

Shifting public perception

If you’re shopping for your first pair of smart glasses, which are you more likely to choose? The pair you’ve only seen on the faces of models, or the pair you’ve probably already tried on once before, with an iconic design that is apparently more photographed than the highly fashionable ‘slender ovals’ loved by Gentle Monster?

The situation becomes even more challenging if you’re splashing out on prescription lenses too. This can double the price of your smart glasses, and since you’ll likely wear them all the time, you need the design to be right. The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers will always be the safest choice.

Changing this will be a tough battle. Warby Parker’s 350 retail locations in the USA will help encourage purchases once the smart glasses are released, but Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are available in electronics retailers, carrier stores, Walmart, on Amazon, and in a wide variety of optician stores too. Shifting public perception and taste to get buyers out of their comfort zone won’t happen overnight.

Samsung and Google are wasting time

Faced with this, it’s shocking that Samsung and Google haven’t made more of an effort to get the first wave of smart glasses frames onto the faces of regular people. It doesn’t matter if the software isn’t finished. The style, fit, and weight are paramount to success, because if any of them are wrong, the easy-to-buy-and-wear Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers are right there, waiting to be snapped up.

If the ‘bones’ are good, then why not make people aware sooner rather than later? With supposedly only weeks to go before release, Samsung and Google are mistakenly avoiding crucial early hype. Models look great in clothes and fashion accessories that us mere mortals look silly in, and savvy buyers know it.

We need to see Warby Parker and Gentle Monster smart glasses on normal people very soon, because Ray-Ban has more than 50 years of photographs, movies, and real-world examples showing how the Wayfarer looks on practically every face shape. Its provenance Samsung and Google can’t buy, and it has already wasted months of valuable exposure time for no good reason.