Smart glasses have become all the rage. The media mentions them daily, social networks are full of videos testing them, and manufacturers are competing to capture a market that seems positioned to take off. But there's one detail that's becoming impossible to ignore: there are more and more Chinese smart glasses, and many of them are surpassing Western ones in both quality and price.
For years, Meta has been the benchmark in the West. Its glasses, with well-integrated functions and powerful marketing, have become the most visible model. The problem is that they aren't sold in China, and dozens of local brands have filled that void. Not only giants like Xiaomi or Alibaba, but also new companies that until recently were unknown and are launching very serious products.
A striking example is Rokid, probably one of the names gaining the most traction in specialized media. Its glasses are lightweight, discreet, and capable of projecting information onto both lenses in monochrome. They offer highly sought-after features: simultaneous translation, Google Maps integration, a built-in camera, contextual information modes, and mobile compatibility for data processing.
You can view the website at: https://global.rokid.com/pages/rokid-glasses
The surprise? All this in a design that weighs around 50 grams, an essential weight so the user doesn't feel like they're wearing an augmented reality headset.
And they're not alone. Dozens of Chinese brands are replicating this philosophy and competing fiercely with each other:
. Similar appearance to regular glasses
. Very light weight
. Practical features for everyday use
. Aggressive prices
Meanwhile, in the West, we continue to see models that, in many cases, are larger, more expensive, or have more limited features. The curious thing is that a good portion of Western glasses are already manufactured in Asia, so China has perfect control of the supply chain. Which is a huge advantage.
This industrial dominance is allowing Chinese companies to react with enormous speed, something that already happened with smartphones. First, they swept the domestic market and then made the leap globally. Now they're doing the same with smart glasses, but getting ahead of Western companies.
The data supports this trend: global sales of smart glasses doubled by 2025, and much of that growth came from Asia. The momentum is so strong that Chinese manufacturers are already positioning themselves directly in Europe and the US, with such compelling offers that many users are starting to question whether it makes sense to pay more for a Western model.
However, it's not all perfect. The main problem remains privacy. With cameras included, it's difficult to know when they're recording and when they're not. This creates discomfort in public spaces, especially for those who don't want to be under an invisible lens. It's a debate that will intensify as the glasses become more popular.
And then there's the perennial question that some enthusiasts exaggerate: will they replace smartphones?
The answer is clear: no, at least not for a long time. The glasses depend on the smartphone to process most of their functions, the screen is still necessary in many situations, and the app ecosystem is far from comparable.
What is clear is that smart glasses are becoming a useful new gadget, especially for traveling, working, or enjoying contextual information without looking at your phone. And if the trend continues as it has been, Chinese manufacturers are on track to lead this market, just as they lead in mobile phones, batteries, drones, and much of the global consumer electronics market.
The immediate future will not be about glasses that replace mobile phones, but about glasses that complement them. And in that arena, China already has a head start.
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