'If, because of that, we stop innovation, we don’t go anywhere': we got a first look at Samsung Intelligent Eyewear, the smart glasses entering a fraught market worried about privacy

'Intelligent Eyewear' is the fresh term Samsung is using to perhaps give its new wearable technology a fresh start in a market that's showing signs of smart glasses fatigue. With a focus on style and design, the company has unveiled a series of Warby Parker- and Gentle Monster-designed glasses that put fashion and Gemini at the center of the experience.

Samsung unveiled the long-promised collaboration between it, Google, and these premier eyewear brands alongside its new suite of Galaxy foldables at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on July 22. Its Intelligent Eyewear is finally challenging chief competitor Meta, whose own Ray-Ban and EssilorLuxottica smartglasses have become the dominant products in this space.

In a preview just before the big launch, I got an up-close look at the new smart frames, though Samsung was insistent that I not try them on or actually use them, which was disappointing.