AI wearables chase payments, pets, and the perfect use case

AI glasses have arrived. They still need a reason to exist.

Over the past year, the biggest names in tech – Apple, Meta, and Alibaba among them – have shipped products or signaled plans to enter the market. Startups are chasing the opportunity too: Even Realities raised US$150 million last month at a US$1 billion valuation, and Rokid also has a foothold.

Image credit: Ulla

Last year, 8.7 million units of AI glasses shipped worldwide, a more than 320% increase compared to 2024, according to market research firm Omdia. Meta leads the pack, holding over 85% market share, followed by Rokid and Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi.

Adoption so far has been dominated by tech enthusiasts drawn in by the AI features and willing to compromise on comfort, notes Eric Shen, senior analyst at research firm Third Bridge.

Early glass wearers are putting up with several constraints, including battery life and unreliable performance. Privacy concerns – specifically cameras that look like ordinary glasses, with no way for bystanders to know they’re being recorded – and skepticism that people without vision impairment will want to wear glasses are also fueling doubts about the size of the market.

“Someday, glasses can replace smartphones,” Zoro Shao, Rokid’s vice president and general manager of overseas business, tells Tech in Asia. “That day, everyone will need smart glasses. I believe in that vision.”

Yes, but what can they do?

Navigation, camera and video capture, and AI assistants that answer questions about whatever the user is looking at are standard features across every brand. Travel is emerging as one use case: The glasses can serve as an interpreter and a guide, reading train timetables in a foreign land, giving the lowdown on the landmarks, or flagging what’s in the carton on a supermarket shelf.

In Japan, Rokid’s fastest-growing market, translation is its most popular feature. It’s a hit among business travelers going abroad, according to Shao.

One use case for AI-enabled glasses is their ability to recognize objects in the real world and respond to queries about them / Photo credit: Rokid

How well they work is another matter – accuracy differs widely depending on the AI model behind the glasses. One YouTuber, Non-Tech Tech Guy, put nine pairs of glasses to the test in a German supermarket, asking each to spot the organic whole milk. Only two – Rokid and Ray-Ban Meta – got it right.

Shao says glasses need three “killer” applications before they can replace the phone: messaging through WeChat or WhatsApp, ecommerce, and work applications. None of the three yet exists in a finished form.

Payment is likely to be another important space. In China, Rokid glass wearers can pay for a cup of Luckin Coffee with a tap on the frame.

Ears, not eyes

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