Google just teamed up with Xreal to debut Project Aura, the first smart glasses running Android XR, marking its official entry into the AR wearables game.

But the real story might be what this means for the race against Meta, Apple, and Samsung—because Google isn’t just showing up late, it’s showing up with a plan.

Project Aura made its first public appearance at Google I/O, where developers got a peek at the Android-powered specs.

The glasses are lightweight, relatively affordable (rumored under $600), and backed by Qualcomm silicon running from a puck-style processor.

That puck does the heavy lifting while keeping the headset light—until eventually, your phone takes over the job.

Xreal’s co-founder Chi Xu says Google’s also working with Samsung on a separate headset to challenge Apple’s Vision Pro, while Aura is meant to go head-to-head with Meta’s upcoming AR glasses.

That puts Google’s Android XR platform in the middle of two hardware plays: high-end mixed reality with Samsung, and affordable smart glasses with Xreal.

This isn’t Google’s first run at wearables (hello, Glass), but Android XR is more than a do-over.

It’s part of a broader strategy to extend Android beyond phones—into cars, TVs, homes, robots, and now, your face.

Instead of going it alone, Google’s pulling the same move it used with Pixel partners—offering the software while letting brands like Xreal and Samsung handle the hardware.

It’s a bet on ecosystem over ego, and it just might work this time.

Meanwhile, Meta’s Ray-Ban collab has done well without a display, but its next-gen AR glasses—with a screen built in—are expected to land this year, somewhere between $1,000 and $1,400.

So yeah, the smart glasses war just got real. And cheap.