Smart Glasses Race Heats Up as Chinese Companies Challenge Meta's Dominance with Affordable AI-Powered Models

Can smart glasses ever earn our trust?

Imagine being able to read a foreign language through artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses, watching it translated before your eyes. That is the experience Alibaba is offering with its new AI-powered eyewear, as Chinese tech groups race to make smart glasses practical and affordable after years of false starts. Priced at around $560 after discounts, Alibaba's Quark AI glasses undercut what Apple or Meta are expected to charge for their upcoming models. That price tag could prove decisive in determining whether smart glasses finally move beyond hype and into real world use. For more than a decade, the big obstacle facing smart glasses has been human discomfort. People do not want to be filmed as they go about their daily lives. Google Glass, for example, failed to gain traction because it made bystanders uneasy. The idea that someone nearby may be recording without our knowledge contributed to the public's rejection of early augmented reality devices. It remains the obstacle that the makers of smart glasses cannot escape. But companies that are investing heavily in the products such as Alibaba, Xiaomi, Huawei, Tencent and Baidu are now seeking to overcome consumer resistance by emphasising their utility. The key focus in recent developments has been on real time translation, voice assistance, navigation cues and sports metrics. While most current models still include cameras, the next generation may increasingly drop video functions as privacy concerns and consumer preferences push the market towards non-recording designs. For now, innovation in smart glasses remains inseparable from geopolitics. Western regulators and consumers remain concerned about Chinese data practices. Beijing's own cyber security and data security laws include state oversight of local information flows, which could make it difficult for Chinese wearables to operate freely in Europe or the US. Even without cameras, any device transmitting voice or location data risks triggering regulatory alarm bells. Still, that is unlikely to halt progress entirely. If the threat of constant filming fades and prices fall further, more consumers will be willing to accept limited trade offs for convenience. If stripped of active recording functions, smart glasses could move beyond being intrusive novelty gadgets and start becoming practical tools for everyone, from drivers and cyclists to tourists, translators and warehouse workers. Drivers and cyclists can see turn-by-turn directions and speed data without looking down at a phone. Tourists would be able to read street signs or menus with instant translations. Translators could rely on real-time subtitles during conversations, while warehouse workers could check inventory data and instructions, keeping their hands free for work. Beyond general consumer use, smart glasses are also finding applications in healthcare. They are being tested as discreet hearing aids, appealing to people with partial hearing loss who are reluctant to wear traditional devices. In hospitals, surgeons could use smart glasses to view real-time patient data, imaging scans or vital signs. Meta currently dominates the global smart glasses market with a 66 per cent share as of last year, followed by China's Huawei at around 6 per cent, according to IDC. However, Meta's smart glasses remain priced at the premium end of the market, with its latest models, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban starting at around $800. This is creating space for competitors to focus on price and practicality. The first signs of a shift from accessories for early adopters to everyday tools are emerging, drawing parallels with the growth of the wearables market. Smartwatches became mainstream only after proving their utility and reaching accessible price points. Over the past decade, Chinese brands have gone from almost no market share to global leaders. Huawei alone captured a record high 21 per cent of worldwide shipments in the second quarter of this year, overtaking Apple, according to IDC. China also became the world's largest market for wrist-worn devices last year. That was achieved by focusing on features such as fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring and notifications, instead of flashy branding. Even Apple followed a similar course, repositioning its watch from a fashion statement to a health and fitness companion. Smart glasses may well follow the same trajectory. Much of the backlash against them so far has come from the fear of being watched. But perhaps that reaction says more about how the technology has been framed than about its full potential.

Are smart glasses finally moving beyond the hype into real-world use?

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Imagine being able to read a foreign language through artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses, watching it translated before your eyes. That is the experience Alibaba is offering with its new AI-powered eyewear, as Chinese tech groups race to make smart glasses practical and affordable after years of false starts. Priced at around $US560 ($850) after discounts, Alibaba's Quark AI glasses undercut what Apple or Meta are expected to charge for their coming models. That price tag could prove decisive in determining whether smart glasses finally move beyond hype and into real-world use.