Is the AI glasses market about to explode? Meta wants to dominate the consumer-grade AI glasses market.
At the recently held Connect Developers Conference, Meta launched three AI smart glasses targeting different user groups and announced the opening of its developer platform. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "Glasses are the only devices that can enable AI to'see what users see and hear what users hear'. They can provide assistance without interrupting the real - world experience, which is something that smartphones or VR headsets can't replace." Previously, he also predicted that "in the future, people who don't wear smart glasses may be at a significant cognitive disadvantage."
AI Glasses with a Display
The three smart glasses launched by Meta this time form a differentiated product lineup to meet the needs of different user groups.
As the core product of this press conference, the Meta Ray - Ban Display is Meta's first consumer - grade device equipped with a high - resolution display, priced at $799 (approximately 5,684 RMB). Its main design feature is a semi - transparent head - up display (HUD) embedded in the right lens. With a brightness of 5000 nits, it can clearly display information even in strong outdoor light, and the screen is invisible from the outside, combining practicality and discretion.
To enable contactless control, Meta also launched the Meta Neural Band EMG wristband for this pair of glasses. Based on surface electromyography signal recognition technology, this wristband can capture subtle movements of the wrist and fingers, supporting pinch - to - switch, swipe - to - turn - page, and "finger - tip handwriting" input. In terms of functionality, the Ray - Ban Display can be used independently without a smartphone. Users can view social platform messages, initiate video calls, and get navigation instructions on the lens. The AI - powered real - time translation function can display dialogue subtitles synchronously. Combined with Meta AI, users can receive schedule reminders and query nearby services. The glasses can last about 6 hours on a single charge, and with the charging case, the battery life can be extended to 30 hours, basically meeting the all - day usage needs.
For the mass consumer market, Meta launched the second - generation Ray - Ban Meta, priced at $379 (approximately 2,696 RMB). This product retains the classic Ray - Ban frame design (with multiple styles and a transparent limited - edition available). The core upgrades focus on battery life and imaging capabilities. The mixed - use battery life has been increased from 4 hours in the first generation to 8 hours, and the charging case can provide an additional 48 hours of power. It supports a 20 - minute fast charge to 50% of the battery. It is equipped with a 12 - megapixel lens, supports 3K resolution recording, and has a built - in 32GB storage. In terms of software, the new product adds a "conversation focus" function, which uses an AI algorithm to amplify the voice of the conversation partner and suppress environmental noise. This function will be extended to the previous - generation Ray - Ban Meta through OTA upgrades. In addition, the "Live AI" function allows users to continuously interact with Meta AI without a wake - up word, which can be used to query information related to daily life and work.
Meta also collaborated with the sports brand Oakley to launch the Oakley Meta Vanguard, priced at $499 (approximately 3,550 RMB). This product is designed with durability and sports adaptability as the core. It has an IP67 dust - and water - resistance rating, which can withstand short - term immersion in 1 - meter - deep water. It is equipped with replaceable Oakley PRIZM lenses, which can adjust the light transmittance according to sunlight intensity and sports scenarios, reducing the impact of glare. In terms of performance, the glasses are equipped with a central wide - angle lens, support 3K video recording and intelligent anti - shake, and support slow - motion and time - lapse photography modes. The volume of the open - type speaker has been increased compared to the previous generation, and combined with wind - noise suppression technology, the official claims that it can maintain the clarity of voice command recognition in strong wind. In terms of battery life, it can last up to 9 hours in mixed use, and with the charging case, the battery life can be extended to 36 hours. The new product supports linkage with sports platforms, allowing users to query real - time sports data through voice, and the glasses can automatically record segments when personal records are broken during sports. The LED indicator above the right eye will turn red when the heart rate deviates from the target range, assisting in sports monitoring.
Open Platform and AI Technology
In addition to the hardware launch, Meta also announced the opening of its smart glasses platform and launched the "Wearables Device Access Toolkit", allowing third - party developers to use the glasses' sensors (camera, microphone) and AI capabilities to develop applications. Previously, Meta's smart glasses only supported a few third - party services, and the ecosystem was relatively closed. Currently, some cooperation cases have been disclosed: Twitch is developing a "first - person real - time live streaming" function based on this platform; Disney plans to launch an AI guide application for its theme parks, which supports querying the waiting time for amusement facilities and performance schedules; the golf data service provider 18Birdies intends to integrate professional sports data functions. In addition, the new applications will support the previous - generation Ray - Ban Meta (limited to voice interaction functions).
In terms of AI technology, Meta further enhances the "active assistance" ability of the smart glasses. In addition to "Live AI", the glasses can also recognize the environment through computer vision, such as helping visually impaired users describe surrounding objects and read food labels.
AI Glasses Are Set to Boom
The Ray - Ban Display launched by Meta this time has certain AR display capabilities, but in essence, it still belongs to the category of "smart glasses with a display". It is an attempt by Meta to transition into the AR field - by accumulating user data and interaction experience in the consumer - grade market, it lays the foundation for the Orion AR headset prototype planned to be launched in 2027. The AR headset manufacturer HTC also launched its first smart glasses, the VIVE Eagle, in September. Compared with Meta's products, the focuses of the two are significantly different: the VIVE Eagle emphasizes a "lightweight AR experience", supports basic AR navigation and information overlay functions, and is suitable for B - side scenarios such as enterprise training and offline retail; Meta's smart glasses focus on "AI interaction + daily practical functions" and are more targeted at the daily usage needs of C - side users.
Although Meta's smart glasses and AR headset products have not entered the Chinese market yet, Chinese domestic brands have gained a first - mover advantage in some niche scenarios. The domestic smart glasses market is still in its infancy. Well - known brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO all have relevant products. For example, the second - generation Huawei smart glasses support linkage with the HarmonyOS ecosystem, have functions such as a voice assistant and health monitoring, and are priced at approximately 2,000 - 3,000 RMB, which is more in line with the price expectations of Chinese users. Compared with Meta's products, domestic brands have advantages in ecosystem integration (such as deep adaptation to domestic social and payment applications) and localized services (such as synchronization with domestic navigation and social platforms), and their prices are more competitive.
In addition, China has significant advantages in the core supply chain of smart glasses. According to a report from BofA Securities, more than 80% of the global smart glasses supply chain manufacturers are from China. For example, Goertek, Crystal Optech, and Sunny Optical have mass - production capabilities in product manufacturing and core optical components. This supply - chain advantage not only reduces the production costs of domestic brands but also accelerates the speed of technological iteration - the update cycle of smart glasses from mainstream domestic brands is about 12 - 18 months, faster than Meta's 24 - month update cycle.
Looking at future trends, Meta's "AI + smart glasses" strategic direction may inspire domestic brands, but Chinese domestic brands have obvious advantages in local ecosystem adaptation, price control, and supply - chain integration.
This article is from the WeChat official account "IT Times" (ID: vittimes). Author: Lin Fei, Editors: Lin Fei and Sun Yan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.