The "Battle of a Hundred Mirrors" has begun. Who can win the competition for the next-generation AI entry point?

If you still think smart glasses are just geek toys, you might have missed a "turning point of the era."

In 2025, tech giants and emerging players like Xiaomi, Meta, and Rokid entered the market one after another. AI glasses have moved from the niche corner to the spotlight of consumer electronics.

Recently, Xiaomi launched its first AI glasses at its "Smart Mobility, Home, and Car Ecosystem" press conference, with a starting price of 1,999 yuan, sparking heated discussions in the market. According to official data from JD.com, the sales of Xiaomi AI glasses exceeded 10,000 units within 12 hours of its release, topping the sales list in the smart glasses category.

Image source: Xiaomi's official Weibo account

The offline market was equally bustling. When reporters from Jiedian Finance visited a "Xiaomi Home" store in Shanghai, they found that only a small number of standard - edition glasses were available for sale. The monochromatic and color electro - chromic versions priced at 2,699 yuan and 2,999 yuan were out of stock. A salesperson told Jiedian Finance, "Nine out of ten customers who enter the store come to check out the smart glasses. There are only a few standard - edition glasses in stock, and we haven't received any notice about restocking yet."

Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi, positioned the AI glasses as "the next - generation personal smart device and a portable AI gateway." In the industry's view, Xiaomi's aggressive entry into the market has ignited the once - niche smart glasses market and announced the arrival of the "Year of AI Glasses."

With the development of generative AI and wearable technology, more than 20 manufacturers, including Xiaomi, Meta, Rokid, Huawei, and Baidu, have launched new AI glasses products in the past six months. In May this year, over ten new products were released in a single month in the global market, marking the official start of the "Hundred Glasses War" in the industry.

• Who are the main players in the AI glasses market?

• How do investors, industry insiders, and consumers view the rapid rise of AI glasses?

• Is the supply chain and the software and hardware technology behind AI glasses ready?

01 The Fierce Competition in the AI Glasses Market

What are AI glasses? In a broad sense, they are smart terminals that integrate artificial intelligence technology with a glasses - style wearable form. They look like ordinary glasses but are equipped with electronic components such as cameras, microphones, and processors, and have functions such as voice assistants, human - machine interaction, image recognition, and data processing.

Currently, AI glasses on the market can be roughly divided into three categories: AI audio glasses, which focus on lightweight design and wireless earphone experience; AI shooting glasses, which feature first - person view photography and video recording combined with AI recognition capabilities; and AI display glasses (AR glasses), which cover functions such as recording, audio, and provide augmented reality visual feedback.

Jiedian Finance analyzed that these three types of products have different focuses. Audio glasses are the most lightweight, similar to daily glasses. Shooting glasses offer users a novel experience of "recording the world with their eyes." AR glasses represent a more complete future form, but they are often bulkier and more expensive at present.

Currently, the AI glasses market has both global tech giants and startups, resulting in a rich variety of product forms.

Image source: Meta Store official website

In the overseas market, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is one of the most active explorers. As early as 2021, it launched "Ray - Ban Stories" in collaboration with Ray - Ban, integrating camera and music playback functions. In 2023, it launched the second - generation "Ray - Ban Meta," adding AI interaction capabilities such as the voice assistant "Hey Meta." According to official data, the sales of this series of glasses reached 2 million units in 2024, and Meta plans to launch the third - generation product in 2025, aiming for sales of 5 million units.

In addition, according to analyst Guo Ming - chi of TF Securities, Apple is considering head - mounted devices as the next major development direction for consumer electronics. Currently, at least seven related projects are in development, including three Vision series products and four smart glasses products. They are expected to be released gradually in 2027, with an estimated shipment volume of 3 - 5 million units. The industry believes that if Apple can launch lightweight AR glasses in the future, it will greatly promote the industry. Its powerful ecosystem and brand influence may have a revolutionary impact similar to that of the iPhone on the smartphone market.

In the domestic market, many startups have also entered the fray. Domestic manufacturers such as Rokid, Thunderbird Innovation, and XREAL have launched multiple AI glasses products in the past two years. Established companies have also started to take action. Huawei has released smart glasses in cooperation with Gentle Monster.

Image source: Huawei's official website

Driven by multiple players, the AI glasses market has shown explosive growth in recent years. A report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that the global shipment of smart glasses reached 1.487 million units in the first quarter of 2025, a year - on - year increase of 82.3%. The growth in the Chinese market was even more rapid. In the first quarter of 2025, the domestic shipment of smart glasses reached 494,000 units, a year - on - year increase of 116.1%, accounting for about one - third of the global market share.

With the entry of popular brands like Xiaomi and subsidy - driven consumption, IDC predicts that the shipment of smart glasses in China will reach 2.907 million units in 2025, a year - on - year increase of 121.1%. Although the shipment volume of 2.9 million units is still in the early stage compared to smartphones, the industry generally believes that AI glasses are at a turning point from "0 to 1" to "1 to N."

02 A Next - Generation "Revolutionary" Product or a "Flash in the Pan"?

Facing the rapidly heating - up AI glasses market, the industry and the investment community generally have high expectations but also maintain a cautious and calm attitude.

"AI glasses may be the 'entry - level' product most likely to trigger the next round of computing platform revolution after smartphones," Guotou Securities said in a research report. The report believes that in the AI era, a large number of applications need new carriers. Smart glasses are considered the best hardware form for AI large - model implementation on mobile devices because they can naturally integrate voice and visual interaction without the need for hand - holding.

The enthusiasm of investors can be seen from the number of startups. As of April 2025, there were more than 440 registered companies related to AI glasses in China. It can be said that the capital market sees the potential of AI glasses to become the next big hit in consumer electronics.

The maturity of large models is also considered one of the key factors catalyzing the explosion of smart glasses. Wang Junjie, the vice - president of Rokid, said that the capabilities of generative AI large models have advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, but they need suitable terminal carriers to function, and AI glasses are one of the ideal carriers. He said bluntly, "I think we are still in the early stage, a stage with a very steep growth curve."

Despite the long - term potential of AI glasses being widely recognized, the industry is also acutely aware of the current deficiencies. "Whether it's Meta or Xiaomi, their AI glasses are still in the 'half - toy, half - tool' stage of development, with the tool attribute accounting for only about 30% - 40%," Sun Yanbiao, the chairman of Chaodian Think Tank, told the media. In other words, the practical value provided by smart glasses is relatively limited at present, and they are largely for novelty - seeking.

An industry analyst told Jiedian Finance that for AI glasses to move from concept to mass adoption, a series of problems need to be solved, including cost, battery life, ecosystem building, and user habit cultivation. Technically, many key indicators are still far from the ideal state. In the market, consumers' awareness and acceptance of this new product category also need time to develop.

Smart glasses have long remained a niche product, and many ordinary users lack understanding of their functions and uses. However, with the promotion of many manufacturers this year, consumer attention has risen rapidly. According to statistics from Tmall, the search volume for smart AR glasses increased by 78% year - on - year in a recent week, indicating that AI glasses are gradually breaking out of the geek circle and attracting the interest of a wider range of consumers.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

After the release of Xiaomi AI glasses, a large number of unboxing reviews appeared on social platforms such as Weibo, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu. Even some digital bloggers who don't usually wear glasses started to try them out. A user who had been eyeing smart glasses for a long time told Jiedian Finance that Xiaomi's entry had lowered the psychological threshold: "I've wanted to try AI glasses for a long time, and finally, a big brand has stepped in. The price of 1,999 yuan is reasonable, and the 8 - hour battery life seems reliable." It is this combination of "big - brand endorsement + affordable price" that has stimulated the purchasing impulse of many ordinary consumers.

However, there are also many complaints and doubts. Some consumers reported obvious deficiencies in the appearance and wearing experience of current AI glasses. "Compared with ordinary glasses, the frames of Xiaomi's glasses are very thick and seem unsuitable for long - term daily wear." In addition, battery life and heat generation are also major concerns. Although the official claims that Xiaomi glasses can last for 8 hours under typical use, some users found that the battery dropped to 40% after 3 hours of heavy use.

In terms of AI function experience, many consumers said that the intelligence of current glasses is more of an extension of mobile phone assistant functions and not very disruptive. A consumer who bought Xiaomi glasses told Jiedian Finance, "There is a delay in the real - time AI dialogue function. Moreover, if there are multiple Xiaomi devices at home, a single voice command often wakes up all devices at once, which is quite embarrassing." It can be seen that there is still room for improvement in the accuracy of voice interaction and device collaboration of AI glasses.

03 Are the Software and Hardware Ready?

For AI glasses to be widely adopted, the maturity of the underlying technology chain and supply chain is crucial. Currently, the hardware supply chain is quickly catching up, but there are still many shortcomings in software and hardware that need to be addressed.

According to public information, most of the core components of Xiaomi AI glasses are supplied by domestic manufacturers: the whole machine is manufactured by Goertek, the optical module is from Sunny Optical, the Bluetooth audio chip uses a solution from Airoha Technology, the storage is provided by Biwin, the battery is supplied by Desay Battery, and the processor chip uses a Qualcomm platform. In addition, there are also foreign and domestic manufacturers such as Sony providing image sensors and Knowles Electronics providing microphones.

__It can be said that the supporting capabilities of China's domestic electronics industry chain are sufficient to meet the demand for most components of smart glasses. This mature supply - chain foundation comes from years of accumulation in the smartphone and consumer electronics industries.__ Huatai Securities pointed out that the development of AI glasses depends on the iteration of large models and the support of a complete and efficient industrial chain, and many related links are already relatively mature in fields such as AI + home appliances and can be reused.

Jiedian Finance analyzed that for smart glasses to become a popular portable device, a balance must be struck between size, weight, battery life, and display quality. However, the industry compares these three aspects to an "impossible triangle" - increasing battery capacity leads to increased weight, enhancing display quality increases power consumption, and a lightweight and compact design often restricts performance.

Image source: Rokid's official website

It is worth noting that many AI glasses do not have real display functions, which actually avoids optical challenges and results in a lightweight design. These products focus more on information acquisition through "ears and eyes" rather than overlaying digital content in the field of vision.

The above - mentioned analyst told Jiedian Finance that the combination of AI and AR is the ultimate form. In the future, when optical and computing power technologies mature, AI glasses are expected to replace traditional screens such as mobile phones and computers and become the entry - level devices to the "metaverse."

Compared with the rapid iteration of hardware, the software and content ecosystem of AI glasses is still relatively weak. Many consumers don't know what to do with smart glasses after the initial novelty wears off.

The services provided by a pair of AI glasses depend on the connected ecosystem. The reason why Meta glasses lead in sales is largely due to their seamless integration into Meta's large - scale social matrix. Photos and videos taken can be uploaded to Instagram and Facebook with one click, providing users with a closed - loop experience of instant sharing. This gives users a seamless experience of taking and sharing photos and videos instantly.

In China, smart glasses manufacturers are also trying to enrich application scenarios. Rokid was the first to connect with Alipay, enabling users to complete payments through glasses without taking out their mobile phones. Xiaomi demonstrated using glasses to control smart home devices, such as turning on home appliances through first - person view voice commands. Some glasses have built - in applications such as navigation, sports recording, and real - time translation, targeting high - frequency scenarios such as daily travel and fitness.

However, overall, the existing applications are still far from being "killer apps." Many functions can already be achieved on mobile phones, and glasses have not created completely new usage scenarios.

Jiedian Finance believes that to upgrade smart glasses from "audio and shooting tools" to "personal life assistants," manufacturers need to accelerate ecosystem cooperation, pre - layout applications for glasses, and migrate or innovate existing mobile - device services to the glasses scenario. This includes attracting more third - party developers to create apps for glasses or opening APIs to make existing apps compatible with glasses. It is foreseeable that as the hardware matures, the software ecosystem will become the key battlefield for competition.

In addition, the current direct factor restricting the large - scale popularization of smart glasses is the lack of product experience. Problems such as weight, battery life, heat generation, clarity, and style need to be continuously addressed through technological improvement and design optimization.

For example, in terms of battery and heat dissipation, new materials, new processes, and software - hardware combination optimization are needed to make the device durable and non - overheating. In terms of optical display, if AR functions are to be introduced, it is necessary to ensure a comfortable and non - dizzy visual experience and clear visibility under various indoor and outdoor lighting conditions. These are all tough challenges.

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