This live demo of Android XR on Google’s smart glasses reveal just what it can do for you
Google’s Android XR platform finally got a real-world spotlight. At the TED2025 conference, Google gave a live on-stage demo of Android XR running on prototype smart glasses, offering a rare look at what its new mixed reality operating system can actually do in action. This wasn’t a polished teaser video or a vague promo clip. It was a real-time showcase that made the concept feel a whole lot closer to reality.
Until now, the only glimpse we had of Android XR came in a video shared by Google late last year, where we saw some potential use cases in action. But live demos are a different story. They show how the tech performs when it’s not in a controlled editing room. And this time, it worked surprisingly well.
The demo was led by Shahram Izadi and featured Google's Nishtha Bhatia wearing the glasses on stage. Izadi pointed out that the lenses support prescription vision and can connect directly to your phone. He even used them to read his speaker notes during the presentation, which is a small but practical feature that highlights the glasses' day-to-day usefulness.
Things got interesting when Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, was brought into the mix. It started by generating a haiku on the spot, but the real wow moment came when Nishtha asked it to recall a book title she had just briefly seen behind her. Gemini identified it immediately. It also found a hotel key card, translated a sign from English to Farsi, and switched languages on the fly when Nishtha started speaking Hindi. No settings needed. Gemini responded right away in Hindi too.
If all of this makes it into a finished product, it could mean serious competition for Apple's Vision Pro. And since Samsung is expected to release a consumer version of these glasses, Google’s XR future might not be as far away as it once seemed.
What stands out the most here is how practical and context-aware Gemini appears to be. If Android XR continues in this direction, we might finally see a wearable that feels more like a useful tool than a tech experiment. Personally, I'm way more into the smart glasses concept than the headset, but either way, this is all very impressive.
The demo was led by Shahram Izadi and featured Google's Nishtha Bhatia wearing the glasses on stage. Izadi pointed out that the lenses support prescription vision and can connect directly to your phone. He even used them to read his speaker notes during the presentation, which is a small but practical feature that highlights the glasses' day-to-day usefulness.
Ted Talk on Android XR devices headed by Shahram Izadi. | Screenshots credit —Ted.com
Things got interesting when Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, was brought into the mix. It started by generating a haiku on the spot, but the real wow moment came when Nishtha asked it to recall a book title she had just briefly seen behind her. Gemini identified it immediately. It also found a hotel key card, translated a sign from English to Farsi, and switched languages on the fly when Nishtha started speaking Hindi. No settings needed. Gemini responded right away in Hindi too.
There was also a visual recognition feature that identified a vinyl record and played a related song. Then the demo showed turn-by-turn navigation with a 3D map layered right into the display. It wrapped up with some XR headset demos using Samsung's Project Moohan, showing off immersive Maps and in-game tips for Stardew Valley.
If all of this makes it into a finished product, it could mean serious competition for Apple's Vision Pro. And since Samsung is expected to release a consumer version of these glasses, Google’s XR future might not be as far away as it once seemed.
What stands out the most here is how practical and context-aware Gemini appears to be. If Android XR continues in this direction, we might finally see a wearable that feels more like a useful tool than a tech experiment. Personally, I'm way more into the smart glasses concept than the headset, but either way, this is all very impressive.
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