The smart glasses era is here — I got a first look

It's the second day of CES, and I'm waiting in line to see my tenth pair of smart glasses. I've encountered glorified sunglasses with questionable ChatGPT clones and identical designs at different booths. Many pairs have displays, ranging from washed-out visuals to overly complicated setups.

But when I tried the Rokid Glasses, my expectations shifted. The glasses projected a mini desktop in my view, with a swipe revealing a list of apps. As a Rokid staffer spoke in Chinese, I saw text translations float in front of me. After some dialogue, which amusingly involved lunch preferences, I was prompted to take a picture. An animation confirmed the capture, and the staffer showed me the image on her phone.

‘Holy crap,’ I thought. ‘So this is what the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses would be like with a display.’ And then — ‘If this is possible, why doesn’t it have one yet?’

The Three Types of Smart Glasses

Everyone seems to explore the ideal smart glasses combination of style and function. I've tried about 20 pairs in a week, all fitting into three categories.

The first type is the simple and stylish glasses. The more chic and comfortable they are, the fewer features they tend to offer, which often works well for users.

Nuance Audio, created by Meta's partner EssilorLuxxotica, are such glasses. They function as hearing aids, dampening ambient noise while amplifying conversations. They look like any stylish eyewear, hiding their tech effectively.

Chamelo glasses adopt a similar approach. They utilize electrochromic lenses to change tint or color at a touch, and some models have Bluetooth audio. This year's update included prescription support, broadening their appeal.

Neither pair attempts to overhaul existing concepts; they tackle specific needs simply and effectively.

The Face Screens

At the opposite end are Xreal and Vuzix, veterans of the CES scene. Xreal's booth featured demos with glasses that immerse users in virtual experiences, like driving a stationary BMW car.

The Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses, resembling oversized sunglasses, display digital content over the real world. Using them, I could interact with virtual football players and invent fantasy creatures.

XREAL's booth was jam-packed throughout the show. Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto

Vuzix's Ultralite Pro glasses, while bulkier, present a 3D display. These aren't everyday wearables, hinting at augmented reality's potential.

The Spyglasses

The middle ground of smart glasses integrates both form and function. Sharge's Loomos.AI mirrors Meta glasses but uses ChatGPT and shoots high-quality photos and videos.

The Rokid Glasses can do a lot of what the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses can do, but with a heads-up display. Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto

Among several contenders, Halliday, Even Realities G1, and Rokid stood out. These glasses offer discreet designs with hidden heads-up displays, some even capable of AI-driven functionalities like translation.

The Smart Glasses Era

Discussing with developers reveals a shared belief in smart glasses as the future, though pathways diverge. Chamelo CEO Reid Covington says their glasses optimize usability, while Nuance Audio's Davide D’Alena emphasizes style over maximalist function.

Industry veterans like Xreal's founder Chi Xu see a split between AR and AI glasses, anticipating eventual convergence. Xu points out that despite different approaches, recent advancements spark renewed interest and substantial investment.

For now, companies experiment with varied designs, chasing the perfect smart glasses concept. All agree on increasing public interest and the notion that seeing is believing when it comes to smart glasses potential.