🥸 Apple is set to release its upcoming smart glasses in different styles and colors
👀 Reportedly tested styles include a Wayfarer rectangular design and a thinner rectangle similar to Tim Cook’s own glasses
🎨Color options Apple has tested include black, ocean blue and a dark brown
📅 Apple’s display-free smart glasses could release in 2027 with an announcement late in 2026 or early next year
Apple is working on having multiple styles for its upcoming smart glasses, as well as a unique camera design.
That’s according to reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman in Bloomberg, who notes that the Cupertino-based firm is working hard to outdo current rivals from Meta, plus the upcoming range of Android XR glasses from Google and partner firms such as Samsung in the style department.
He states that Apple is looking to “go it alone in terms of design”, in contrast to Meta, which has relied on Luxottica for its Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta glasses, while Samsung and Google have partnered with brands including Warby Parker.
Apple has reportedly cooked up four different styles “at least” and “plans to launch all of them”, according to Gurman, “in many color options”.
The frames are “made from a high-end material called acetate” as per his newsletter, which is reportedly “known to be more durable and luxurious than the standard plastic used by many brands.”
The four designs Apple is testing are:
A large rectangular frame reminiscent of the Ray-Ban Wayfarers
A slimmer rectangular design similar in style to Tim Cook’s glasses
A larger oval or circular frame
A smaller, “more refined” oval or circular option
As for finishes, Apple is exploring a range of color choices, such as black, “ocean blue” or a dark brown, according to Gurman. The goal for these glasses is to give them an instantly recognizable silhouette, in the same way Apple has done with the AirPods and Apple Watch.
One area where Apple is focusing a lot of its attention in terms of design is with the glasses’ camera system, which looks to incorporate vertically oriented oval lenses with surrounding lights, which is markedly different to the circular design seen in Meta’s rival glasses.
Apple’s upcoming display-free smart glasses are expected to be announced “at the end of 2026 or early the following year”, according to Gurman, with a 2027 release on the cards.
The glasses will be designed to handle everyday tasks, such as capturing video and photos, which can then be synced to a phone for editing, plus handling phone calls, dealing with notifications, playing music and interacting with a smart assistant
It comes as Apple is exploring new wearable product categories, including an AI-powered pendant and smart glasses, with the latter looking to see the light of day first.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.