Honestly, I have to admit that I think smart glasses are really cool. While they don’t always work as promised, and they still have a lot to improve on, I believe in their potential. This morning, I had to shout at my Meta Ray-Bans to play Elton John, but they kept trying to play John Prine instead. Despite these quirks, I’m excited about what they could become.

Google also sees the potential of smart glasses, as evident from its I/O 2025 keynote. The company spent a significant amount of time outlining its vision for Android XR smart glasses platform and its partnership with Xreal to create supporting hardware. The possibilities are intriguing, especially with the prospect of optical passthrough that can display information like turn-by-turn navigation directly in front of your eyes.

If you watched the live demo, it might have seemed like we’re on the verge of having the futuristic smart glasses we’ve been waiting for. While that’s partially true, the reality is that perfecting smart glasses will be more challenging than tech companies let on. There are still significant constraints to overcome.

For instance, smart glasses need some form of passthrough to be truly effective. Technologically, we’re already capable of achieving this. Gizmodo’s Senior Editor, Consumer Tech, Ray Wong, had a brief hands-on experience with Project Aura at Google I/O, and he can confirm that the glasses do have an optical display that can show maps and other digital information. However, the issue lies not with the screen itself but with the implications of having such a screen.

I’m curious about how optical passthrough will affect battery life. The biggest challenge with functional smart glasses is size; it’s difficult to fit all the necessary components into frames that don’t feel heavy. You need a battery, computing power, drivers for speakers, and more. While these components are smaller nowadays, they still add up. If your glasses can do more than before, you’ll need a battery that can support those features, especially if you’re using optical passthrough, playing audio, and querying your onboard voice assistant simultaneously. A larger battery means more weight and a bulkier design, which isn’t ideal for everyday wear.

I was promised 5 minutes with the Google Android XR smart glasses, but they only gave me 3 minutes, and half of that was explaining what they were and how they worked, so I actually only had 90 seconds to use Gemini on a painting on a wall, two books on a bookshelf, and the… pic.twitter.com/Ly60boX91G

— Ray Wong (@raywongy) May 20, 2025

Another factor to consider is the price. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are already relatively expensive ($300+, depending on the model), and they don’t even have a screen. I don’t have the projected costs for Project Aura or Google’s prototype Android XR glasses, but I assume that optical displays will add to the cost. The supply chain and manufacturing infrastructure for these displays are still developing, given the relatively recent mainstream adoption of smart glasses.

I might sound pessimistic, but I believe that these challenges can be overcome. Historically, shrinking technology has never been easy, but companies like Google have the resources and expertise to make it happen. The question is whether they’re committed to seeing this through. Given the time Google dedicated to showcasing Project Aura, I hope they’re serious about making it a reality. I’m looking forward to a future where I can have a HUD-enabled map for biking around New York City.