The embarrassing truth behind the "Battle of a Hundred Lenses": Is AI just a showpiece, while photography the real pressing need?
The "Battle of a Hundred Smart Glasses" is intensifying. On June 26th, Xiaomi launched its first AI glasses. Just a week earlier, on June 20th, Meta introduced its new - generation smart glasses, the Oakley Meta glasses, a collaborative product with Oakley. When World Cup champion Kylian Mbappé appeared in the advertisement wearing these AI glasses, Meta is aiming to take over the market share of action cameras this time. However, it has been constantly criticized by netizens.
Behind the controversy lies the numerous contradictions in the AI glasses market: Currently, the capabilities of edge - side models are limited, and the bottleneck of AR technology has not been broken through. Yet, tech giants like Meta, Google, and Xiaomi have flocked to the "Battle of a Hundred Smart Glasses". So, what is the essence of this AI glasses war? What are Meta's advantages? For current AI glasses, what are the essential features and what are just added values? Is it a preview of a technological revolution or a capital - driven bubble? Is it a real necessity or just a marketing label?
In this article, we'll discuss this war that concerns the next - generation interaction hub. The answer might just be hidden in the real needs of users after they take off their glasses.
01 Meta Glasses Upgraded Product: Taking Over the Market of Action Cameras?
Recently, Meta launched the Oakley Meta glasses, an AI - enabled eyewear in collaboration with Oakley. It also hired World Cup champion Kylian Mbappé and three - time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes as brand ambassadors with its financial power.
In terms of functionality, the biggest upgrade of the Oakley Meta is its built - in camera and battery. The official states that these glasses support 3K high - definition video recording, and the battery life has doubled compared to the previous Ray - Ban model, reaching up to 8 hours. Additionally, the glasses are waterproof. Compared to the general - purpose Ray - Ban glasses, the Oakley Meta is clearly designed for outdoor sports.
This is also Meta's another collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray - Ban and Oakley, an Italian eyewear brand. To pay homage to the classic, Meta even released a limited - edition version with 24K gold - coated lenses, priced at $499. The standard version will be released later, priced at $399.
However, although the official promotes this as a product line designed for sports enthusiasts, many netizens who are interested in sports glasses are not very convinced. For example, a tech blogger said, "It doesn't look suitable for outdoor use at all."
Steven Sullivan
Tech Blogger:
Right now, they don't look anything like what anyone expected.
The expected center - mounted camera design didn't appear. So, some people think it's still too early for glasses to replace action cameras, and the Oakley Meta is just a rebranded version of the Ray - Ban. However, some are very looking forward to the release of the new glasses, and even Mark Zuckerberg has personally worn this fashionable accessory.
What we're more concerned about is that the AI glasses product form has become the most practical and promising direction in the AI hardware market. But has it really been accepted by the market?
02 Lessons from AI Hardware: Are Glasses the Easiest Product to Implement?
Compared with XR headsets and AI handheld devices, glasses have the advantages of "natural wearing and high usage frequency", which is also an important reason why they are closer to the mainstream market.
Previously, we've seen various attempts. For example, the wearable Humane AI Pin received a lukewarm response after its release and had poor sales, and finally had to sell its IP to HP. The handheld device Rabbit R1, known as the "AI - in - the - box", was even described as "hard to evaluate" by well - known tech reviewer Marques Brownlee. In contrast, the market reaction to Meta's Ray - Ban glasses has been quite good. Since its launch in 2023, the global sales of the second - generation Ray - Ban glasses have exceeded 2 million pairs.
From large tech companies to startups, everyone wants a share of the AI glasses market. In the Chinese market, the so - called "Battle of a Hundred Smart Glasses" has been raging since the beginning of 2025. In the United States, a month ago, Google launched Android XR at its I/O Global Developers Conference, focusing on solving daily life problems through interaction with AI, such as navigation and voice - querying external information. The Oakley Meta also combines hardware and software, allowing users to access Meta AI.
We from the "Silicon Valley 101" podcast interviewed Xu Chi, the founder and CEO of XREAL. He believes that AI has truly made smart glasses a viable entry point for AI agents.
Xu Chi
Founder and CEO of XREAL:
I think Meta's most outstanding performance from the first - generation to the second - generation glasses lies in the optimization of all details. Previously, both Meta and Snap had launched similar glasses products. So, why didn't those glasses cause such a big stir at that time, but now, after integrating the AI concept, people find that they can actually become smarter? Just like the AI glasses you experienced on Google recently, it's the first time that people feel these agents can really bring some help, convenience, and efficiency improvements to life.
03 Three Major Technical Challenges of AI Glasses: Latency, Brightness, and Battery Life
During the upgrade process of AI glasses, manufacturers are exploring different functional modules. The first step that most glasses have achieved is voice interaction, that is, the communication between users and AI assistants. Products from large companies have basically solved the voice latency problem, allowing users to receive AI responses without waiting for three or four seconds. This is a crucial step for AI hardware to be accepted by the public.
The second step focuses on the glasses' display. When Google showcased its new glasses, it emphasized the "mobile - phone - like functions". For example, users can view the text responses from Gemini on the glasses' display and even use the map navigation on the glasses while walking.
However, we know that it's difficult to see the mobile phone screen clearly under direct sunlight, not to mention glasses. Currently, most products can only ensure display brightness in dark environments and are almost invisible in strong light, which is a technical bottleneck that many manufacturers haven't solved.
Finally, battery life is also a major issue. The biggest complaint from users about the Meta Ray - Ban glasses is the fast power consumption. Although the Oakley Meta has improved the battery life, 8 hours of battery life is still a bit short for continuous and high - intensity outdoor sports. For current AI glasses, achieving both lightweight and comfortable wearing while ensuring sufficient battery life for all - day use is still a difficult problem to solve in the short term.
Xu Chi
Founder and CEO of XREAL:
So, the real problem we're facing now is: Although we can optimize the relevant experience in a short time, can we make it truly stand the test of time and continuously provide AI - enabled benefits to users in daily use?
04 Future: AI Glasses May Replace Mobile Phones as the New Interaction Hub
Ironically, although these products are called AI glasses, AI doesn't seem to be the most important function for consumers.
For most users, the most important functions when buying smart glasses are still listening to music, taking photos, and recording videos. Many people are willing to pay for these functions even without an AI voice assistant. In other words, AI is a bonus rather than a necessity. This demand characteristic provides manufacturers with more imagination in defining "AI glasses": Is it a new entry point for smart hardware or a wearable shooting and audio tool?
For this reason, more and more large companies are entering the market, regarding AI glasses as the breakthrough point for the next - generation platform. On June 26th, Xiaomi launched its first AI glasses, priced at 1999 yuan. During Google I/O, when communicating with industry insiders, there was such a prediction: Traditional mobile phone manufacturers are actively deploying AI smart glasses, and they have unique advantages.
Xu Chi
Founder and CEO of XREAL:
Because the core components are not very scattered but highly concentrated. Now, you can buy all the components that Meta uses. So, the key lies in the optimization of the chip system and sensors, which is exactly the specialty of mobile phone manufacturers. Therefore, we think that on the premise that there are no breakthroughs in AI and other display technologies, mobile phone manufacturers may naturally take over this market.
In summary, Meta's new - generation AI glasses don't bring many surprises in terms of AI functions. However, from the product R & D path and market feedback, AI glasses have shown great potential as consumer - end AI products. Maybe they can replace smartphones and become an important interactive hardware for future consumers. And this will become a battleground for major tech giants in the next few years.
From the initial cool concept to the current practical application, the future of AI may really start from these small pairs of glasses in front of us.