GuShiio.com ① There is constant speculation in the market about the introduction of AI glasses by big factories, and AI glasses have become a hot track;
② Analysis believes that with the support of AI, AR glasses shipments in 2030 are expected to exceed 30 million;
③ Reporters learned from various interviews that AI+AR glasses currently have problems in software and hardware to be solved.
Cailian News, February 28 (Reporter Wang Biwei)On the evening of February 27, Xiaomi’s new product launch conference arrived as scheduled. However, Xiaomi AI glasses, which were frequently rumored to be available before the press conference, did not appear at this press conference.
“I really didn’t expect Xiaomi to release AI glasses in February. Since Xiaomi started investing in research and development in July last year, it will not be expected to see this product until at least June this year.” He Wancheng, founder of Weishen WellsennXR, told a reporter from Financial News Agency.
The market has mistakenly predicted the release time of Xiaomi’s AI glasses, but Xiaomi’s entry into the track has long been an industry consensus. In addition to Xiaomi, major manufacturers such as Baidu and Huawei have also heard stories about AI glasses. AI glasses have become a new track recognized by major manufacturers as worth betting on.
Many interviewees told reporters that the current AI glasses are more similar to the transition products of AI+AR glasses.”Most AI glasses currently on the market do not have display functions, but the combination of AI glasses and AR glasses is an inevitable trend in the future.” He Yi, marketing director of Shiya Technology, told reporters.
Regarding the future of this category, Qiu Yubin, senior research deputy general manager of TrendForce Jibang Technology, told the Financial News Agency reporter that AR glasses shipments are expected to exceed 30 million in 2030.
Industrial chain intensive entry
“My own speech is on my glasses, and the page is turned through the ring on my hand. This should be the first time AR glasses have appeared in a government report.” On February 18, at the Economic High-Quality Development Conference in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhu Mingming, founder of Hangzhou Lingban Technology Co., Ltd., completed an unscripted speech wearing a pair of Rokid AI+AR glasses developed by his company.
As the video of Zhu Mingming’s speech continued to spread on social platforms, the AI+AR glasses track broke through again, attracting widespread attention from investors. Related concept stocks have also been sought after in the secondary market. For example, Lingbian Technology’s partner Lansi Technology (300433.SZ), as of the close on February 27, its share price has increased by more than 30% during the year, and its market value has increased by nearly 50 billion yuan.
The release of Rokid glasses not only made the public aware of the changes AI+AR glasses may bring to life, but also “ignited” the enthusiasm of many market research institutions and industrial chain companies for this track.
On the eve of the Xiaomi new product launch conference held on February 27, the most widely circulated news in the market was not the upcoming release of SU7 ultra, but that Xiaomi might bring AI smart glasses related products at the conference.
As for the actual release of Xiaomi AI glasses, He Wancheng believes that it may wait until after June this year. “Xiaomi started developing this product in July last year. The research and development cycle of smart glasses generally takes a year for large manufacturers, and this is the first generation.”
“The release of Xiaomi’s AI glasses will further promote the identification of the category of AI glasses in the domestic market, and will greatly promote popularization and awareness.” Shi Qing, general manager of Yijing virtual reality, a subsidiary of Yidao Information (001314.SZ), told reporters.
Regarding the future development direction of this category, a domestic head XR product supplier believes that portable glasses will be the best hardware carrier for multi-modal large models. In the future, AI glasses may be divided into two categories: one is immersive devices similar to VisionPro, and the other is devices that are lighter and close to daily optical glasses.
“With the advancement of technology, especially the combination of display technology and AI models, the experience of AI glasses will get better and better. We believe that in the future, AI glasses will find clear application scenarios in multiple fields, and the market will show a trend of blooming flowers.” The person said.
According to the Wellsenn report, global AI glasses sales are expected to reach 5.5 million units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 135%. According to IDC forecasts, the global AI glasses market is expected to exceed US$300 billion by 2030, and the industry has a broad future space.
According to information compiled by Shi Fanke, chief analyst of the light industry manufacturing industry of Zheshang Securities Research Institute, in a research report published on February 24, 2025, from 2025 to 2026, in addition to Xiaomi, there will be at least 11 brands. AI glasses products are available.
Among them, China Mobile’s AI glasses products are expected to be launched in March 2025;Rokid’s new products are expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2025; Huawei’s smart glasses are expected to be launched in May 2025; China Telecom’s AI glasses products are expected to be unveiled in May 2025; Baidu’s Xiaodu glasses are expected to be launched in the first half of 2025; China Unicom’s related products are expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2025; ByteDance’s AI glasses products are expected to be launched in August 2025; New MetaAI glasses products are expected to be launched in September 2025; Samsung AI glasses products are expected to be launched in September 2025; Meizu AI glasses products are expected to be launched in September 2025; Apple is expected to release the first generation of AI glasses in 2026.
As for who is expected to win this “war”, the above-mentioned XR supplier person told the Financial News Agency reporter that Xiaomi, Huawei and other major manufacturers have technological, channel advantages, and ecological support, and are expected to become mainstream products in the future.
“The market space for AI and informatization of glasses is huge. Because it involves aesthetics and personalization, there will be many SKUs, and the market will definitely usher in a phased growth of ‘hundred flowers blooming’.” Shi Qing further expressed to a reporter from the Financial Union.
It is worth noting that although there is an increasing discussion about AI and AR glasses in the market, the actual difference between the two is very vague.
When talking about this issue, many interviewees told the Financial News Agency reporter that display function is currently the key to distinguishing AI glasses from AR glasses, but as large models become basic technology, equipping AI technology will become the basic function of electronic products.
“The core of AR glasses is augmented reality, which requires superposition of digital information in the real world. AI capabilities can be applied on any hardware, but ideal terminal devices require display functions, because 70% of human information comes from vision. Currently, AI glasses on the market Most do not have display functions, but the combination of AI glasses and AR glasses is an inevitable trend in the future.” He Yi, marketing director of Shiya Technology, told a reporter from Financial Union.
AI glasses still have problems to be solved
However, behind this craze of the upcoming “Hundred Mirrors War”, AI+AR glasses still face many challenges and difficulties at this stage. Bottlenecks at the technical, market and policy levels are intertwined, determining the future direction of this track.
First of all, AI+AR glasses are a new form of smart devices, and their functions and usage scenarios are still unfamiliar to most consumers. Some industry insiders told the Financial Union reporter that many users are not sure what AI glasses can do and how to integrate into daily life, which makes manufacturers have to invest a lot of resources in market education and promotion. From simple voice assistant functions to complex AR interactive experiences, establishing user habits requires time and patience.
The general manager of the above-mentioned XR equipment manufacturer admitted to reporters: “The popularization of user education is a long process, and it may be difficult to achieve explosive growth in the short term.” For example, Rokid demonstrated the application potential of AI+AR glasses through a public speech by founder Zhu Mingming. However, how this single breakthrough can be transformed into extensive market awareness is still an urgent problem for the industry.
During visiting industry insiders, the reporter noticed that although the development of AI technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, seamlessly integrating AI capabilities with glasses hardware to create a smooth and intelligent user experience is still the current development of AI+AR glasses. A big bottleneck.
“AR glasses have a small display range and have higher requirements for display content. How to better remind users of the ability of AI assistants is a difficult problem. Therefore, further optimization is needed in terms of software interaction.” The above-mentioned head XR product supplier analyzed to reporters.
In addition to needs to be clarified and software upgrades still need to be promoted, hardware experience is also a stumbling block to the industry’s large-scale expansion. As a smart device worn on the head, AI+AR glasses are directly related to the comfort and acceptance of users.
A reporter from the Financial News Agency noticed that weight and wearing feel are the core pain points in the user experience of AI+AR glasses products. The above-mentioned supplier sources said that the weight reduction means that AI+AR glasses require a comprehensive upgrade in terms of batteries, processors, display modules and other components.
Secondly, the balance between heat dissipation and battery life is equally difficult. The addition of high-performance processors and AI chips has caused a surge in power consumption, making heat dissipation design a major challenge. At the same time, AI+AR glasses require a long time to run AI algorithms and AR displays, but battery life is often stretched. The limited battery capacity conflicts with users ‘needs for long-term use, making power consumption optimization an unavoidable hurdle in hardware design.
In addition, as the core of AR glasses, display technology directly affects the quality of the AR experience.
“An ideal XR device needs to have these characteristics: The first is to be able to achieve high PPI and be clear enough. The second is the wide color gamut. If full brightness and full viewing angle can be achieved, it can be used in various temperature environments, obviously it can bring more possibilities to smart hardware. The third is high brightness. Whether it is the see through scheme or the Non see through scheme, if its brightness is higher, its application scenarios will be wider. The fourth is low power consumption. How long our device can be used is limited by the temperature and life of the screen.” He Yi said.
