Is this all there is for the Xiaomi AI glasses?
Nowadays, there aren't many things that can "invite" Lei Jun himself to appear at Xiaomi's press conferences.
At the Xiaomi Smart Mobility, Home and Wearables Ecosystem Launch Event on the evening of June 26th, before talking about cars, the first AI glasses launched by Xiaomi that Lei Jun took out became quite a special one.
Positioned as a "personal intelligent device for the next era", this product can not only be used as headphones, but also can take photos and videos. It is also known as a "portable AI entrance", connecting to Xiaoai Classmate and supporting continuous conversations.
On the night of the press conference, many "Mi fans" rushed into Xiaomi Home stores to pick up the few available in - stock products. The sales volume on JD.com exceeded 10,000 units within 12 hours of its launch, ranking first on the "Hot - selling Smart Glasses List". Among them, the electrochromic version was sold out within 3 minutes of its launch.
Photo/Screenshot of the e - commerce page
Is this Xiaomi AI glasses priced at 1,999 yuan really that attractive? When most consumers are still quite unfamiliar with smart glasses, can Xiaomi open up the market on its own?
The first AI glasses for young people?
"If there were stocks in our store, I could have sold at least two pairs in the morning," said a salesperson at a Xiaomi Home store in Xicheng District, Beijing, rather regretfully.
The day after the press conference, Interesting Report called several Xiaomi Home stores in districts such as Xicheng, Haidian, and Chaoyang in Beijing. Most stores said that the product was very popular, and there were only a small number of in - stock products in the stores.
There was a prototype on display at a store in Chaoyang District, and curious consumers tried the product from time to time. The salesperson was not very proficient when asked about some of the product's selling points. However, according to the salesperson, the glasses were "much more popular" than Xiaomi's new foldable phone, the MIX Flip 2. The store had sold 6 pairs within 24 hours after the press conference.
In terms of appearance, the Xiaomi AI glasses look like ordinary black - framed glasses. In addition to black, the standard version also comes in two colors: tortoise - shell brown and parrot green. The semi - transparent design also gives it a more technological feel.
A prototype of the AI glasses on display at a Xiaomi Home store in Beijing. Photo/Taken by Liang Tingting
However, perhaps because some peers had previously given speeches on stage wearing smart glasses with built - in teleprompters, Lei Jun did not wear his own brand's glasses on the stage of the press conference this time, because the Xiaomi AI glasses do not have a display function.
The product supports optometry and lens matching for myopic people, just like ordinary glasses. At the same time, there are two upgraded versions: a single - color electrochromic version and a color electrochromic version that cannot be self - equipped with lenses but can be used as sunglasses. The prices are 2,699 yuan and 2,999 yuan respectively.
The product comes with a built - in camera, which can realize the so - called "first - person camera" function. According to the official introduction, the Xiaomi AI glasses can take photos and record videos from the wearer's perspective. Just press a button to capture the wonderful moments in life.
Meanwhile, the most AI - related part is that it is connected to the "Super Xiaoai", which can answer questions in real - time, perform content recognition in conjunction with taking photos, and can "take over" the smart devices at home and realize remote control through voice.
At the press conference, Lei Jun directly presented a comparison chart. Xiaomi almost undisguisedly benchmarked against the Ray - Ban Meta launched by Meta. He said that the Xiaomi AI glasses are more suitable for Asians to wear, have a longer battery life, and have advantages such as full - ecosystem control. The latter leads the global AI glasses product sales by a large margin, with a global shipment volume of over 1.8 million units in 2024 alone.
Photo/Screenshot from the Xiaomi press conference video
Wang Zixin, an analyst at RUNTO, said that the Ray - Ban Meta has set a paradigm for AI - enabled shooting glasses. On the premise of having a certain fashion attribute, it combines functions such as lenses, AI, and voice interaction. It is understandable for Xiaomi to benchmark against it. In terms of the existing parameters and functions, Xiaomi has presented a "decent" and reliable product. Except for the shooting - related technologies, the overall technological maturity is relatively high, and the interaction ability realized through voice is also quite conventional.
Weishen Information, a vertical research institution, once estimated the cost based on the bill of materials of the Xiaomi AI glasses. The comprehensive hardware cost of the basic version is about $180.5, and the after - tax comprehensive cost, excluding mold - opening fees, defective products, and shipping losses, is close to 1,300 yuan.
Wang Zixin also believes that the price of 1,999 yuan for the standard version is within a reasonable range, which basically matches Xiaomi's cost - effective image in the public's mind.
"Don't buy it unless necessary"?
But whether the Xiaomi AI glasses are really that good is probably a matter of opinion.
Chen Yu (a pseudonym), who had previously spent four - digit money on a pair of smart audio glasses from a large company, said the first thing after hearing about the Xiaomi AI smart glasses was: "Don't buy it unless necessary."
The most obvious defect is the weight. "I thought they would be ultra - light when I bought them," Chen Yu said. He placed an order for the glasses with a β - titanium alloy frame. When he got them back, he found that although this product, which can be used as both headphones and glasses, liberates the ears, it transfers the pressure to the nose bridge. The whole thing is much heavier than the glasses he originally wore, and it almost ended up gathering dust after less than a month.
The Xiaomi AI glasses weigh 40 grams, which is a few grams heavier than Chen Yu's audio glasses. If you add prescription lenses, it will be even heavier. After experiencing the glasses, Interesting Report also found that there would be obvious discomfort on the nose bridge and ears after wearing them for more than an hour.
As for the specific functions, the official demonstration video shows that when your hands are occupied during sports or at home, such as climbing, playing tennis, cycling, or playing with pets or children, you can record a video for up to 10 minutes.
A video clip taken by a user while cycling wearing Xiaomi AI glasses. Photo/Provided by the interviewee
In actual operation, you can start shooting or recording by pressing a button or calling Xiaoai Classmate. At the same time, the indicator light on the glasses will light up. Once it is blocked, a prompt will appear to turn off the function, preventing it from being used as a tool for secret filming.
However, just like many videos only look good, people with experience in wearing glasses know that once you sweat during exercise, the glasses are likely to slide down the nose bridge. Moreover, these glasses are obviously much heavier than the ultra - light frames used in daily life.
Liu Tieying, a researcher at QbitAI, commented that the weight and battery life of AI glasses are still typical problems that prevent the products from reaching the general public. However, limited by the hardware, it is temporarily impossible to make the product lighter while having a longer battery life. Due to the weight problem, discomfort during long - term wearing is almost inevitable, and the calculation chips and sensors of AI glasses themselves consume power faster.
Zhu Mingming, the founder of domestic smart glasses company Rokid, has mentioned in many interviews that smart glasses are still trapped in the "impossible triangle" of display ability, battery life, and wearability. Solving this "impossible" problem is the development direction of the entire industry in the next few years.
From this perspective, Xiaomi's efforts, such as using low - power dual - chips, providing an 8.6 - hour battery life, and even offering the option of playing while charging by plugging in the charging cable, are quite remarkable.
Although it doesn't have a display function like the Rokid Glasses, which allows Lei Jun to give a speech without a script, the recording - to - text and multilingual simultaneous interpretation functions of the Xiaomi AI glasses are quite practical in work scenarios. The open - type headphones also don't have obvious sound leakage in non - quiet environments.
As for functions similar to those of the Ray - Ban Meta, such as making calls and sending messages through the glasses, currently only Xiaomi phones can support them. Otherwise, you can only get a response from Xiaoai Classmate saying "Sorry, I'm still learning."
As for Xiaoai Classmate itself, most users are already quite familiar with the basic voice interaction. When paired with the glasses, it can realize real - time shooting and recognition. There is a typical usage scenario provided in the Xiaomi Glasses App: taking a photo of food to recognize and record the calories. As one interviewee put it: "It's useful, but not very much."
Photo/Provided by the interviewee
The only "consoling" thing is that the function of "Xiaoai Classmate, scan the code to pay" shown in the official video has not been officially implemented yet. In comparison, functions like WeChat palm - scanning payment and Alipay face - scanning payment seem much more subtle.
Photo/Weibo @Xiaomi
Liu Tieying pointed out that currently, the consumers of AI glasses mainly consist of technology enthusiasts and users with shooting needs. The former are concerned about technological trends and are willing to experience the latest technological products. The latter mainly include full - time self - media users with strong shooting needs and ordinary users who are used to recording their daily lives.
He mentioned that just like the popularity of the Ray - Ban Meta, which is due to the complementary relationship between its first - person perspective shooting ability and AI interaction function, for the second type of people, this is also a kind of "rigid demand", and the Xiaomi AI glasses provide a similar experience.
However, at present, the number of such people is not large. On the morning after the press conference, JD.com announced sales of "over 10,000 units", but the sales did not increase to "over 20,000 units" three days after the product was launched.
Zhang Shule, an industry commentator, also said rather "harshly" that in the end, Xiaomi's product is more like a "toy" with the function of social currency. Except for its relatively high portability, it seems "useless" whether used as headphones, a sports camera, or a voice assistant. There is no clear usage scenario for the vast majority of users. "People who are interested will buy it, but that's it."
So, does Xiaomi really need to develop such a seemingly immature product?
Why did Lei Jun "enter the arena"?
The mass production of AI glasses is still in progress, and the general public doesn't feel it very clearly. However, there has long been a so - called "battle of a hundred glasses" in the industry. XR companies, Internet companies, mobile phone companies, and various hardware companies have all entered the fray.
According to the online retail data monitoring by RUNTO, from January to May this year, the retail sales volume of smart glasses (including AR) was about 300,000 pairs, and the data is continuously rising. The annual sales volume is expected to exceed one million, with an estimated year - on - year growth of over 130%.
Just as Xiaomi "showed off" its outstanding first - quarter performance at the beginning of the press conference, Zhang Shule believes that entering the smart glasses market is also an opportunity for Xiaomi to demonstrate its comprehensive capabilities. "Moreover, as a large mobile phone and Internet company, it must occupy a place in this new market to have a chance in the future."
More importantly, the industry seems to need more "Xiaomis".
You know, although the "battle of a hundred glasses" sounds grand, from the perspective of consumers, domestic AI glasses still seem to be "all bark and no bite". There are many players entering the market, but there are almost no consumer - grade products with extremely high discussion.
Sales volume share of major brands in the online market for AR glasses and AI shooting glasses in China in the first quarter of 2025. Photo/RUNTO
Liu Tieying said that currently, there are not many AI glasses that are truly mass - produced and sold in China. It is at most the preliminary stage of the "battle of a hundred glasses". Some representative players have emerged in different categories, such as Huawei and Liweike in the field of AI audio glasses, Thunderbird Innovation in the field of AI shooting glasses, and Xingji Meizu and Yingmu Technology in the field of AI + AR glasses. However, the category itself is in its infancy, and the market has not been fully developed. Although the players entered the market early and have accumulated a certain degree of user recognition, they have not truly established a first - mover advantage.
"To make the general public become consumers of AI glasses, more mature products are needed for education and guidance," Liu Tieying said expectantly. From an industry perspective, at this stage, the problem that major manufacturers are generally thinking about may not be competition with each other, but rather how to heat up the entire domestic market. With Xiaomi's brand influence, it