Samsung Posts Record Profit and Reaffirms AI Glasses Plans for 2026

Samsung Doubles Down on AI Wearables

Samsung Electronics has reaffirmed its commitment to AI-powered smart glasses during its first-quarter 2026 earnings call on 29 April, even as the company posted record-breaking financial results. An executive told analysts that Samsung plans to deliver immersive multimodal AI experiences through diverse form factors, including AI glasses, signalling a direct challenge to Meta's dominance in the smart eyewear space with its Ray-Ban line.

The Galaxy Glasses Take Shape

The upcoming Galaxy Glasses, codenamed Jinju, are expected to run Google's Android XR operating system. Reports suggest they will pack a 12-megapixel Sony camera sensor, bone-conduction speakers, a 155mAh battery, and Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 chipset. The first-generation model will not include a built-in display and will rely on a paired Galaxy smartphone for compute power, with Google's Gemini AI assistant serving as the primary interface.

Unlike the $1,799 Galaxy XR headset Samsung launched last year, pricing for the Galaxy Glasses is rumoured to fall between $379 and $499, putting them in direct competition with Meta's Ray-Ban lineup. A more advanced display-equipped model, codenamed Haean, may follow in 2027. Samsung and Google are expected to formally unveil the glasses at Google I/O in May, with a full launch at a summer Galaxy Unpacked event.

Galaxy Buds Able: A New Form Factor

Samsung is also developing earbuds called the Galaxy Buds Able, discovered in One UI firmware in April. The earbuds feature a clip-on, open-ear design unlike any current Galaxy Buds model and may use bone conduction technology, transmitting sound through vibrations against the cheekbone. The design would allow wearers to keep their ears open to ambient sound, well suited to activities such as running or cycling.

Record Earnings Fuel Ambitions

The product teasers came alongside blockbuster financial results. Samsung reported consolidated revenue of 133.9 trillion Korean won and operating profit of 57.2 trillion won, both all-time quarterly records. Operating profit surged more than 750% year-over-year, with the semiconductor division accounting for over 90% of total earnings. The chip business has benefited from tightening memory supply and soaring demand from AI data centre operators, including partnerships to supply HBM4 memory chips to Nvidia.