Features of the New Apple glass now on Samsung’s smart glasses with a killer feature

Samsung’s Apple Glass rival is revealed in a new patent: Apple Glass is still shrouded in mystery, but yet another new smart glasses patent reveals how its competition will stack up. The latest pitch for a mixed-reality wearable hails from Samsung and seems to borrow the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3’s best-rumored feature: a navigational bezel.

In fact, based on a report from Patently Apple, the Samsung smart glasses could take several cues from the company’s smartwatches. A patent granted last week suggests the glasses’ interface will look similar to the Tizen OS found on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and may be steered by a touch bezel built into the frame.

This is merely a patent, so there’s no guarantee its content will materialize in Samsung’s debut smart glasses. But it does clue us into how the company might approach bringing an Apple Glass rival to market.

Reportedly, Apple is developing a new operating system for augmented reality known as Project Starboard. We have seen some impressive glassOS concept art that showcases the new system.

Samsung’s answer could be a pared-down version of Tizen OS that offers access to select apps—potentially including smart home, music, and messaging controls—and won’t distract from the physical world.

We have yet to learn about how Apple Glass will be navigated, besides speculation about gesture controls. Samsung’s proposal for an in-frame capacitive touch system could provide answers for future smart glasses.

Facebook, Google, and Huawei are currently planning smart glasses, and each company’s patents propose solutions for the complications of cramming advanced tech into tiny, frame-shaped shells.