HTC Challenges Meta with AI-Powered Vive Eagle Smart Glasses

HTC is getting in on AI glasses, too

With Meta, Google, Samsung, and maybe even Apple working on AI-powered glasses, smart spectacles are quickly becoming the hottest gadget in tech. Now, even HTC is jumping in on the trend with a new pair of Vive Eagle smart glasses that come with built-in speakers, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and an AI voice assistant. The Vive Eagle glasses are currently only available for purchase in Taiwan, but they seem like a direct rival to Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. They come with AI-powered image translation, which lets wearers ask the Vive AI voice assistant to translate what they're seeing into 13 different languages. Other features include the ability to record reminders, ask for restaurant recommendations, and take notes (sound familiar?). HTC says its Vive Eagle glasses weigh just 49 grams, around the same as Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. The Vive Eagle glasses cost around $520 USD and come equipped with Zeiss sun lenses, with options for a red, brown, gray, or black frame. It's not clear when -- or if -- HTC plans on bringing these smart glasses to North America or Europe, but Meta might have some competition if it does.

HTC takes on Meta with the Vive Eagle smart glasses

HTC is once again attacking the wearable space with a pair of new smart glasses, the company announced. The Vive Eagle is a rival to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses with a fashion-foward lightweight design, open ear audio, voice-activated AI and an ultra-wide AI-powered camera. They look promising, if a bit expensive, but will only be available in Taiwan to start with. The Taiwanese firm clearly noticed that Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have been a surprise hit. It's easy to see why -- in our Engadget review, we found that they look great and perform admirably. The current model includes in-ear speakers, cameras, microphones and access to Meta's virtual assistant. HTC has used much the same formula for the Vive Eagle, though they have an uphill battle against Ray-Ban's brand brand in terms of consumer awareness and style. "Vive Eagle features a refined aesthetic that conceals its powerful technology in clean, minimalist lines," the company wrote. It managed to fit all the technology into a relatively lightweight frame that weighs just 49 grams, only a gram heavier than Meta's Ray-Bans. On the camera side, the Vive Eagle comes with a 12MP ultra-wide model with voice-activated AI, offering support for multiple platforms including OpenAI and Gemini. "With a simple voice command like 'Hey VIVE, take a photo,; users can capture what they see -- right from their glasses," the company wrote. Voice commands also let you do things like record reminders, take notes, and get restaurant recommendations. You can also get real-time translation in 13 languages: Arabic, Traditional Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Thai, Turkish. On the audio side, the Vive Eagle has an open-ear setup that "combines large acoustic drivers and virtual bass enhancement to deliver rich, spatial audio while minimizing sound leakage," HTC said. It promised that you'll be able to hear music or voice prompts without others overhearing, while still being aware of your surroundings. HTC promises up to 36 hours of standby time and 4.5 hours of continuous music playback thanks to the 235mAh battery, and you can get to a 50 percent charge (via magnetic fast charging) in just 10 minutes. It also features a "privacy-first" architecture with all video and other data stored exclusively on-device -- and that is protected via 256-bit AES encryption, according to HTC. The Vive Eagle will only available in Taiwan at first for NT$15,600, or about $520 -- quite a bit more than most of Meta's Ray-Ban models. HTC has yet to say if it will bring the Vive Eagle to other territories including the US -- but if it does and at that price, it'll be in tough against its rival.

One of the Most Prolific VR Headset Makers (Not Meta) Now Has Smart Glasses (Not Ray-Bans)

If you like the idea of smart glasses but hate using Meta's apps, HTC may have what you're looking for. XR, or extended reality, headsets are on the outs, but smart glasses are eating more and more of what was once VR’s slice of the face-mounted wearables pie. HTC, one of the few lingering pioneers of VR headsets with its Vive series, couldn’t stand up to Meta’s Quest for cheap consumer virtual reality, but it may be able to shoulder in some room with a new pair of smart glasses that goes tit for tat with Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley HSTN smart eyewear. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have proved popular enough that now many of the longtime staples of VR are coming out of the woodwork to offer their own version. HTC is now fashioning a pair of stylish frames called the Vive Eagle. They come in slick translucent plastic and sport the usual 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras and twin speakers on each arm. It's using a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset and comes with 32GB of onboard storage. In a video, HTC showed off a few of the unique features for the Vive Eagle, including AI noise suppression to keep ambient noise down when you’re on a call. Like the Ray-Ban Meta, the Vive Eagle also connects to an AI assistant. The device can use AI image and text recognition if you need it to spell any text you’re looking at. Vive is compatible with Google Gemini and ChatGPT for features like translation, though we don't have more details about what specific models users will have access to. HTC said users should also be able to ask the AI to set up calendar events. Like Meta’s glasses AI, the Vive Eagle has a “memory†feature that can recall people you’ve met or where you parked your car. Users would need to connect through the Vive Connect app to use any of these AI features. HTC hasn’t mentioned what apps Vive Eagle will be compatible with, and since the smart glasses are currently only available in Taiwan, it’s unclear what sort of compatibility we can expect if it ever makes its way to the U.S. If the AI wasn’t already a big copycat scheme, the smart glasses would be practically identical to the Ray-Bans in specs. HTC promised the Vive Eagle can do a full 4.5 hours of continuous music playback, and it should last more than 36 hours on standby on its 235mAh battery. Meta promises users should get up to four hours on the Ray-Bans with moderate usage. The larger Oakley Meta glasses promise a up to five hours of audio playback at 100% charge. HTC promises the Vive Eagle will charge from 0 to 50% in less than 10 minutes with fast charging through its glasses case. Considering the specs and capabilities, HTC’s biggest impediment will be price. It’s currently asking for 15,600 new Taiwan dollars, or around $535. The device could cost less if HTC ever brings the Vive Eagle to the U.S., and even then it will face stiff competition. Some China-based companies are going hard into AR glasses, including ones with full screens housed in utterly massive frames. Other Ray-Ban Meta competitors, like these glasses from Xiaomi feature much longer battery life, closer to 8 hours of continuous music playback. Meta has still yet to release a rumored $1,000 pair of AR glasses codenamed “Hypernova†featuring a small heads-up display. We’re still waiting to see what comes out of Android XR and Google’s partnership with glasses maker Xreal. HTC’s last big product, the Vive Focus Vision, was an expensive $1,000 headset for PC VR with a dated VR-focused chipset and Fresnel lenses, an older style of lenses found on the $300 Meta Quest 3S that are considered worse than pancake lenses found on the $500 Meta Quest 3. If HTC really wants to compete with other big smart glasses makers, it needs to show us a product we truly haven’t seen beforeâ€"preferably at a lower price.

Forget Ray-Ban Meta -- HTC just unveiled Vive Eagle smart glasses that look like a stylish AI breakthrough

Smart glasses aren't just a new trend anymore, they're very much here. And so far, AI glasses have been dominated by Meta -- I, for one, love the company's Ray-Ban smart specs. But HTC has just come from out of nowhere and launched a pair of its own that seriously challenge the sleek stylings and technological smarts of Zuck's glasses. Named the HTC Vive Eagle, these glasses are lighter, pack a much bigger battery, sport Zeiss lenses for great UV protection, and even support both the biggest AI models you can use right now. Specification-wise, these two pairs of specs are largely the same. But there are three critical differences to talk about that could give HTC a narrow lead here. First, battery life. With a far bigger capacity in that cell, you should get all-day longevity out of these for your key tasks. Second, they're slightly lighter on the face -- the tiniest bit, but every little reduction matters. Third, instead of only having Meta AI, users can pick between using Google Gemini or ChatGPT as the assistant. Don't get me wrong, Meta AI is good, but these two models have shot ahead in terms of multi-modal assistance, so putting it directly on camera glasses is really exciting. These specs even do real-time text-to-speech translation across 13 languages -- far beyond Meta's support for four languages! Ever since buying the transparent Ray-Ban Meta glasses, I've been a sucker for anything that is see-through or transparent. So to see HTC pick up on this in its aesthetic across all colors makes them look gorgeous -- techy-yet-refined. So how much are they? Well, we only know the price in Taiwan right now (more on that later), but that NT$15,600 cost converts to roughly $520, which is quite a step above the $299 asking price of the Ray-Ban Metas! However, the pre-order price of a pair of Eagles gets you two years of Vive AI Plus for free. We're not exactly sure what you get for that, aside from another monthly subscription, but the choice to sell them directly to Taiwan Mobile customers as part of their phone plans should offset the price a little. This is a tricky question to answer. Currently, they're only initially available in Taiwan. Pre-orders go live today, and they launch on September 1, but HTC has told me that the company doesn't have a window for an international release soon. That means we could be in for the long haul waiting for these to launch, which sucks! These glasses look so cool, and with access to ChatGPT or Google Gemini, they could very well be more intelligent too -- especially in multimodal use. Fingers crossed they land in the U.S. and U.K. sooner rather than later.

Why use Meta's Ray-Bans and their single AI, when this new Vive pair will give you three?

HTC has just announced a new Vive wearable, but it's not another VR headset - instead it's a pair of stylish AI glasses called Vive Eagle. And I'm feeling twinges of jealousy towards anyone that can get a pair. That's because these smart specs could put up a good fight against the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses I've come to love (as well as the new Oakley HSTN specs that take the RayBans and make them a smidge better). Hardware-wise, Vive goes beat for beat with the competition. It boasts a 12MP snapper as well as open-ear speakers, and a solid battery life of up to 36 hours of standby time and 4.5 hours of music playback while still boasting a sleek 49g design. Where I think it truly shines however is its AI. That's because while Vive's own assistant can help you with tasks it can also team up with your choice of ChatGPT or Google Gemini rather than locking you to one service - like how Meta's glasses are entirely dependent on Meta AI. As we've come to expect from AI companions, Vive also makes clear that "all user data is stored locally" on its glasses meaning it isn't used for model training. When using third-party AI services your data is also anonymised to provide improved privacy. Rounding off the AI upgrades, Vive's specs are better with languages. Meta's AI currently lets its smart specs translate between English, French, Spanish, Italian and German, Meanwhile Vive's assistant supports Arabic, Traditional Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Thai, and Turkish. And I can't ignore the Eagle's striking design. I'm boring enough to want to grab the translucent black pair, but the slightly see through berry red, blueish gray, and coffee brown all look beautiful and each perfectly highlight the specs' blend of fashion and technology. Though with a Wayfarer-like shape, these glasses perhaps don't create enough of their own personality from a silhouette perspective. Unfortunately they won't be easy to get your hands on. Firstly, the Vive Eagle specs are currently exclusive to Taiwan. Specifically you can find them at 2020EYEhaus premium eyewear locations and designated Taiwan Mobile OP Experience Stores. Secondly, they are pricier than some of their rivals, such as the Meta Ray-Bans and their new Oakleys collaboration. Viva's glasses are currently up for pre-order, and when they launch on September 1 they'll cost NT$15,600 (New Taiwan dollars). That comes to about $520 / £385 / AU$795 - which is higher than the most expensive Meta Ray-Bans at $379 / £379 / AU$539, and the $499 / £499 / AU$789 Oakley smart glasses with PRIZM lenses (ignoring the UK where the Oakleys are over £100 more). I'll need to try the Vive Eagle glasses out before passing judgement, but there is seemingly a lot to love here, and as the AI glasses competition heats up - with Meta Connect promising next-gen specs, and Android XR due next year - Vive's Eagle wearable is a welcome addition that I look forward to seeing more of.

HTC unveils Vive Eagle AI-enabled smart eyewear to take on Meta - SiliconANGLE

HTC unveils Vive Eagle AI-enabled smart eyewear to take on Meta HTC Corp., a global company with a focus on immersive technology, today announced the launch of a new line of wearable artificial intelligence-enabled eyewear, the Vive Eagle. The new smart glasses enable users to access AI features, including voice assistance for photography and videography, music playback and photo-based translation. These capabilities are integrated into everyday eyewear frames with built-in cameras, speakers and microphones. "Vive Eagle represents HTC's newest exploration in the realm of intelligent living and personal wearables," said Charles Huang, senior vice president of HTC. "By combining our pursuit of design excellence with expertise in immersive user experiences, this product is more than just a pair of glasses -- it's a way to live life with greater freedom." The Vive Eagle weighs under 49 grams, putting them on the heavy side of comfortable glasses. The frame houses all of its AI computing technology and voice interaction capabilities, including the battery, which enables up to 36 hours of standby time and around 4.5 hours of continuous music playback. Users can utilize magnetic fast charging to achieve up to 50% power in just 10 minutes. This feature allows users to quickly charge the glasses using a power bank or a phone. The Eagle is equipped with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and an AI voice assistant that can connect to various AI chatbots, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Wearers can speak aloud and trigger the AI assistant in the glasses with "Hey Vive, take a photo," to capture what they see -- allowing people to take pictures of anything they can see, including images of precious moments or photos of friends. People can use Vive Eagle's AI assistant to take notes, discover restaurant recommendations, deliver search results and provide commentary. The glasses also support real-time translation in 13 languages, allowing people to translate content captured by the camera into spoken audio without having to open an app or use a phone. Supported languages include English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. "We're seeing growing demand for tech products that offer both functionality and a strong lifestyle aesthetic," said James Chang, president of luxury eyewear retailer 2020EYEhaus. "Vive Eagle brings together beautiful design and practical features."

HTC Vive Eagle AI Smart Glasses With Zeiss Lens, AI Assistant Launched

It is available in Berry, Black, Coffee, and Grey colour options HTC Vive Eagle, the company's artificial intelligence (AI) smart glasses, were launched on Thursday. The wearable devices mark HTC's entry into the category of display-less smart glasses. It comes with an in-built AI assistant that can be powered by Google's Gemini or OpenAI's GPT, the latter of which is currently available in beta. The HTC Vive Eagle allows users to listen to music, ask questions to the AI assistant, capture photos and videos, and translate signboards and images, all via voice commands. HTC Vive Eagle AI Smart Glasses Price, Availability The HTC Vive Eagle price is set at NT$15,600 (roughly Rs. 45,500). It is currently only available in Taiwan, and individuals can try out the glasses and purchase them from 2020EYEhaus and select Taiwan Mobile stores, as per the website. The AI smart glasses are available in four colour options: Berry, Black, Coffee, and Grey. HTC Vive Eagle AI Smart Glasses Specifications and Features HTC's Vive Eagle is a Wayfarer-style AI smart glasses that weighs 48.8g with the lens and 42.8g without the lens. The wearable is equipped with a Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. The smart glasses feature a single 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that captures images in 3024 x 4032p resolution and records videos in 1512 x 2016p resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). It comes with the Zeiss UV400 protection lenses. Coming to the audio setup, the HTC Vive Eagle comes with a beamforming microphone array with a single directional microphone and three omnidirectional microphones. It also features 2 open-ear stereo speakers. On the left side, the smart glasses also feature an LED that lights up when capturing images and recording videos. The HTC Vive Eagle smart glasses are backed by a 235mAh battery. The company claims the glasses can offer more than 36 hours of standby time and continuous music playback of up to 4.5 hours. The wearable comes with a magnetic charging cable that is said to charge from 1-50 percent in 10 minutes, and 80 percent in 23 minutes. Additionally, the AI glasses support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity, and they are equipped with an IP54 rating for protection against dust and water. Notably, the AI glasses need to be paired with a smartphone, which should be either iOS 17.6 or newer, or Android 10 or newer.

HTC takes on Ray-Ban Meta with Vive Eagle smart glasses | Stuff

HTC is taking aim at the booming smart eyewear market, and Meta's Ray-Ban Meta line in particular, with the launch of its new Vive Eagle AI-powered glasses. Announced today in Taiwan, the lightweight wearable blends voice assistance, smart photography, and real-time translation in a fashion-first frame, marking a fresh push from the company best known for VR headsets. The VIVE Eagle is HTC's vision of "intelligent living," according to Charles Huang, the firm's Senior Vice President. Weighing just under 49g, the glasses hide their tech inside minimalist, everyday-friendly frames. Adjustable nose pads, ergonomic temples, and Zeiss sun lenses keep them practical, while the open-ear speaker design delivers private, spatial audio without blocking environmental sound - a key safety feature for outdoor use. At the heart of the Vive Eagle is Vive AI, HTC's voice assistant, which works with platforms like OpenAI's GPT and Google Gemini. The glasses feature a 12MP ultra-wide camera for hands-free, first-person photography and videography, triggered simply by saying "Hey Vive, take a photo." AI also powers real-time translation in 13 languages, turning text captured by the camera into spoken translations without touching a phone. HTC has also packed in note-taking, reminders, restaurant recommendations, and music playback. A 235mAh battery promises up to 36 hours of standby or around 4.5 hours of music playback, with fast charging that delivers 50-percent battery in 10 minutes. Pass-through charging means you can power the glasses from your phone or a power bank on the move. Privacy has been a big talking point for HTC. All user data is stored locally, never uploaded or used for AI training, and secured with AES-256 encryption. A visible LED indicates when the camera is recording, and capture stops automatically if the glasses are removed or the LED is blocked. The Vive Eagle launches first in Taiwan in partnership with Taiwan Mobile and premium eyewear retailer 2020EYEhaus. It's priced at NT$15,600 (approx. US$530 / £410) and comes in four colours - Berry, Coffee, Grey, and Black. You get a case and two years of Vive AI Plus included. Pre-orders are open from today until August 31, with sales starting September 1 through bundles and select retail stores.

HTC announces first AI-driven wearable eyewear

HTC has expanded its range of wearable gear, with the latest of the bunch being its first crack at AI-driven wearable eyewear. Known as the Vive Eagle, these glasses are designed to be lightweight, minimalist, and have the core aim of "redefining what eyewear can do." The Vive Eagle are said to clock in at as little as 49g in weight, and they have adjustable nose pads, Zeiss UV-protected sun lenses too. They offer open-ear audio that claims to offer spatial sound with minimal leakage, all while supporting this with no ear canal pressure. The AI element is combined with an ultra-wide 12MP camera and a voice assistant that supports OpenAI GPT and Google Gemini to aid in smart photography and videography, plus to encourage hands-free productivity through voice commands. There is real-time translation support that applies to 13 languages and which can convert camera-captured text into spoken audio, and this is all while having a battery that can last for 36 hours when on standby, six hours in use, and charge to 50% in 10 minutes. HTC has also designed the Vive Eagle to have strong privacy protection, with this including local-only data storage, AES-256 encryption, an LED capture indicator, and ISO certification. Pre-orders for the glasses are now open with plans to debut in Taiwan at least on September 1. The price will be NT$15,600, which equates to around €445, and the glasses come in a variety of colours, including Berry, Coffee, Grey, and Black.

HTC VIVE Eagle AI glasses with ZEISS lenses, open-ear audio announced

HTC Corporation today introduced VIVE Eagle, a lightweight wearable AI eyewear designed for everyday activities. HTC says the glasses allow "natural interaction" through vision and voice, enabling users to translate menus, capture moments, or take discreet calls without needing a phone or looking at a screen. Weighing under 49 grams, VIVE Eagle includes a minimal frame design with ZEISS sun lenses, adjustable nose pads, and ergonomically contoured temples. Its open-ear audio system uses large drivers and virtual bass to provide spatial sound without blocking ambient noise. The glasses are equipped with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and HTC's VIVE AI voice assistant, compatible with OpenAI GPT and Google Gemini. Users can use voice commands to take photos, record reminders, take notes, or receive dining recommendations. VIVE Eagle is powered by a 235mAh battery, providing up to 36 hours of standby and around 4.5 hours of continuous music playback. Magnetic fast charging restores roughly 50% power in 10 minutes, allowing quick top-ups from a phone or power bank. The glasses support real-time translation in 13 languages, including Arabic, Traditional Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Thai, and Turkish, with captured content converted into spoken audio without additional apps. HTC says privacy and security are central to the design. All user data is stored locally and is not used for AI model training. AES-256 encryption protects device data. A built-in LED lights during photo or video capture, and recording is automatically disabled if the glasses are removed or the LED is blocked. HTC notes that VIVE AI is pending ISO 27001 and 27701 certification. Pre-orders run from August 14-31 via the official VIVE store. Retail sales through select Taiwan Mobile plans start September 1, 2025. The initial launch is limited to Taiwan, with pre-orders and fittings available at 2020EYEhaus optical service locations and designated Taiwan Mobile OP Experience Stores. Speaking about the launch, Charles Huang, Senior Vice President of HTC, said,