Imagine walking into a shop in China, glancing at a QR code, saying a quick command — and boom, you’ve paid.
That’s the pitch behind China’s new wave of AI-powered smart glasses, and companies are racing to grab both local and global markets.
“China’s advantages are self-evident,” Rokid CEO Misa Zhu said at a recent launch in Hangzhou.
With the entire ecosystem — from hardware to supply chains — based at home, he says Chinese firms have a natural upper hand.
And with Meta blocked in China, domestic brands face little competition.
It helps that daily life in China is already deeply digital. Even seniors whip out their phones for payments and transport.
AI Glasses Surge
No surprise then that smart-glasses sales are expected to surge 116% this year, according to IDC.
Rokid’s glasses can tap into multiple AI models. “We use OpenAI, and can also connect with Llama, Gemini, and Grok,” Zhu noted.
They’re also among the lightest on the market — a key selling point.
But hurdles remain. “No one has really made it a smooth experience yet,” said PCMag’s Will Greenwald, pointing to clunky interfaces and accessibility issues.
Privacy concerns loom large too, especially with devices capable of near-constant recording.
Still, Zhu is certain where this is heading: “Today, our AI glasses are phone peripherals. But soon, the phone will be the accessory.”
