AI glasses diverge in 2026: what should you look for when buying smart glasses during Double 11?

In 2026, AI glasses diverge: what should you look at when buying smart glasses during Double 11? Zhong Lilei 14 hours ago First figure out why you wear them.

In 2026, the smart glasses market is getting busier and busier, but glasses of the same kind have different fates.

The latest IDC data shows that in the second quarter of this year, China's smart glasses market shipments fell 8% year on year, showing negative growth for the first time. This does not mean consumers have lost interest in smart glasses. In fact, during the same period, shipments of AI camera glasses grew 81.4% year on year, surpassing AI audio glasses in market share, and AR/XR (augmented reality/extended reality) glasses even maintained year-on-year growth of 123%.

By contrast, pure audio glasses lacking novelty really have little appeal for consumers.

Looking at this year, smart glasses are no longer simply a feature competition of adding cameras, speakers or displays. Some choose to make shooting and AI experiences better, some have begun to rethink the value of the screen in front of the eyes, and some manufacturers are trying to turn glasses into true spatial computing devices.

The differences between different routes are also becoming greater and greater. For consumers preparing to buy smart glasses during Double 11, this is both good news and a new problem. After all, today's smart glasses are no longer worth buying simply because they have more features.

RayNeo iO, image source: RayNeo

So which kind of glasses is more suitable for you, and which products are worth considering? With new products piling up, what is everyone competing on in 2026?

Domestic manufacturers can be said to have been making frequent moves this year.

First, AI camera glasses. Huawei launched its first AI glasses in April, relying on the HarmonyOS ecosystem and Xiaoyi assistant to achieve first-person shooting, AI visual Q&A, mobile payment and other functions. RayNeo V4 was released in May, not only greatly upgrading imaging, battery life and protection capabilities, but also debuting a square sensor in the industry, supporting both horizontal and vertical shooting.

The Qianwen N1 series, just launched this month, combines glasses with the Qianwen Personal Agent, emphasizing proactive perception and service capabilities. The N1 Pro also adds eye-tracking interaction, iris payment and vital-sign monitoring functions. In addition, Meta also launched the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, mainly improving wearing comfort, battery life and audio pickup performance.

RayNeo launched the iO glasses weighing only 34 grams, using a binocular monochrome Micro-LED display, but actively giving up the camera and speaker in exchange for more extreme weight control and wearing experience, while focusing on meeting needs such as translation, teleprompting, proactive AI and all-weather recording.

Image source: RayNeo

Another point worth mentioning is that full-color display is also brewing a new round of upgrades and may be the focus of competition in the coming year. On one side is subtraction, using lighter glasses to provide just the right information; on the other side is continued exploration of combining full-color display, cameras and AI. AI glasses with displays clearly have not yet formed a unified product answer.

As for AR display glasses, this year's changes are equally obvious. RayNeo launched the GT series, strengthening image quality, field of view and sound effects, trying to make the viewing experience of a portable giant screen good. XREAL is advancing Aura based on Android XR, exploring a more complete spatial computing experience through 70° optical see-through display, an external computing unit and Gemini.

Pure audio glasses, by contrast, have no new products worth expanding on, except for the Ray-Ban Meta Audio newly launched by Meta in September this year. The entire category still faces the problems of product homogenization and lack of motivation to upgrade.

Overall, in 2026 smart glasses are not just increasing in number of new products; more importantly, different products have begun to make clear trade-offs. Some focus on shooting and AI, some pursue lightweight information display, and others bet on immersive entertainment and spatial computing. When buying smart glasses during Double 11, how exactly should you choose?

After all, no matter how smart glasses develop, they cannot avoid actual experience. Although they are all called smart glasses, the usage scenarios and purchasing standards between different forms may differ even more than those between phones, tablets and computers.

First, AI glasses with displays. Taking RayNeo iO as an example, its most important value is not moving the phone screen in front of your eyes, but providing translation, teleprompting, message reminders and AI-organized information at any time without affecting normal vision. For users who often attend meetings, travel on business, or want to reduce how often they check their phones, this type of product is more attractive.

Image source: RayNeo

When purchasing, the first thing to consider is wearing experience, including weight, prescription lens fitting and lens transmittance. After all, a pair of glasses that requires frequent removal for rest can hardly truly deliver the value of a portable AI assistant. The second is display effect, especially whether it can be seen clearly outdoors, whether subtitles are easy to read, and the accuracy and response speed of functions such as translation and teleprompting.

AI camera glasses are another matter. Products like RayNeo V4 have no display screen, but can record first-person images through the camera and can also use AI to recognize objects and environments in front of the eyes. For users who like traveling, cycling and recording life, and even work groups who need to record scenes at any time, this type of product is clearly more suitable.

Image source: Leikeji

However, when buying camera glasses, you should not only look at pixels, but pay more attention to actual image quality, stabilization, audio pickup and continuous shooting time, especially performance in low light and sports scenes. RayNeo V4 uses a square sensor and can support both horizontal and vertical shooting, which is a very practical improvement. In addition, the glasses' battery life, charging convenience, and prompts to bystanders during shooting are also worth considering.

Finally, there are AR glasses for watching video. Although they also have screens, the RayNeo GT series and the iO have completely different use cases. The former is more like a portable large screen: after connecting to a phone, computer or handheld gaming console, it can be used to watch movies, play games, and even do temporary work.

Image source: Leikeji

Therefore, when choosing this type of product, the first thing to pay attention to is display performance, including field of view, clarity, color, brightness and edge performance. But wearing comfort must not be ignored either, especially the pressure on the bridge of the nose during long viewing sessions, the position of the image, and whether it fits your interpupillary distance. In addition, device compatibility should be confirmed in advance, so you do not buy the glasses only to find that they cannot connect directly to your phone or handheld console.

Ultimately, AI glasses with displays focus on information access, camera glasses focus on recording and perception, and AR glasses for watching video focus on visual entertainment. Each of the three product types has its own advantages and its own limitations.

For consumers planning to buy smart glasses during this year's Double 11, I suggest first figuring out your most frequently used scenarios, and then choosing the corresponding product form. Rather than blindly pursuing the newest products and the most features, it is more important to buy a pair of glasses you are truly willing to wear often and use often. Double 11 smart glasses recommendations: these models are worth focusing on

Having said all that, when it comes to this year's Double 11, which smart glasses are actually worth buying?

If you want to buy AI glasses with a display, I would give priority to the RayNeo iO launched in August.

This is an AI glasses with a display that I am relatively optimistic about this year. It does not blindly pursue a full set of features; instead, it actively gives up the camera and speaker, keeps the weight at 34 grams, and has a design closer to ordinary glasses. Combined with binocular Micro-LED waveguide display, it is better suited for long-term wear.

Especially for users who frequently attend meetings, travel on business, and need real-time translation and teleprompting, information appearing in front of the eyes at any time may be more valuable than adding an extra camera.

RayNeo iO also supports all-day smart notes and proactive AI reminders, can organize key information from meetings and conversations, and helps users review and manage daily affairs. It has no camera, which both reduces weight and lessens concerns about shooting privacy. In addition, up to 18 hours of continuous recording and two days of regular battery life also make it more competitive in practicality.

More importantly, RayNeo iO has put considerable effort into optics and wearing experience. It adopts the self-developed Blue Lake waveguide solution, balancing display brightness and lens transmittance, and supports prescription lenses from 0 to 1000 degrees. With interaction methods such as a smart dial and head movements, there is no need to frequently take out a phone in daily use.

In terms of price, RayNeo iO is officially priced at 2,499 yuan. After Double 11 discounts are stacked, the standard national subsidy price is 1,911.74 yuan, and the actual price on e-commerce platforms can be a little lower.

Image source: Leikeji

Of course, if you want one pair of glasses to satisfy needs such as shooting, listening to music, translation and information display as much as possible, the Leqi AI Glasses are also worth considering. They use a binocular monochrome Micro-LED display and also have a camera, speaker and microphone, supporting functions such as shooting, navigation, teleprompting and payment.

Leqi's advantage is that its features are more comprehensive, but the 49-gram body also means a greater wearing burden. At present, the national subsidy price on e-commerce platforms is 2,515.13 yuan. In addition, note that the second-generation product will be released on October 27, so before buying on Double 11, you might want to first check the upgrades and pricing of the new product.

Image source: Leikeji

But if you want glasses that balance photography, music listening, wearing comfort and AI visual interaction, RayNeo V4 is very suitable. Its square sensor can support both horizontal and vertical content creation, and it has upgraded stabilization, battery life and protection.

In short, RayNeo V4 is better suited to travel recording, sports shooting and everyday casual shooting needs. In terms of price, the 32GB/64GB versions of RayNeo V4 are regularly priced at 1,999/2,199 yuan. With Double 11 major promotion prices, official discounts and national subsidies stacked, the actual price can reach 1,529.24/1,682.24 yuan.

With additional platform discounts stacked on top, it can go a little lower; for example, on my side the e-commerce platform price can reach 1,427.23 yuan.

Image source: Leikeji

Huawei AI Glasses are more suitable for users in the HarmonyOS ecosystem. They adopt a lightweight design and, in addition to imaging and AI visual Q&A, can also work with the Xiaoyi assistant to achieve device collaboration, information broadcasts and quick payment. For consumers who already own Huawei phones, watches and other devices, the ecosystem experience is a plus.

In terms of price, the national subsidy price of Huawei AI Glasses on e-commerce platforms can also reach 1,748.88 yuan.

Image source: Leikeji

Qianwen N1 Pro is also an AI camera glasses model that has attracted relatively much attention recently, especially because it adds eye-movement interaction, iris verification and vital-sign monitoring, making it more suitable for users willing to try new interactions and new features. Of course, relatively speaking, the price of Qianwen N1 Pro is also higher; at present, the e-commerce platform price is 2,600.23 yuan.

Image source: Leikeji

Finally, if the main purpose is watching movies and playing games, the RayNeo GT series is very worth paying attention to. Among them, GT focuses more on price and lightweight experience, while GT Max pursues a better portable giant-screen experience with a 59° large field of view, Dolby Vision and spatial audio, and the entire series supports 3DoF spatial anchoring.

For users pursuing viewing and entertainment experiences on phones, PCs and handheld consoles, the RayNeo GT series is indeed very attractive. In terms of price, during Double 11 the national subsidy price for the RayNeo GT standalone unit is only 1,578.69 yuan, and the national subsidy price for RayNeo GT Max is 1,988.24 yuan; e-commerce platforms can even offer a discount to 1,850.79 yuan.

In addition, RayNeo has also newly launched a GT Max bilibili co-branded edition and, by the way, launched a super discount campaign: "If BLG does not win the championship, RayNeo gives a full refund." The discount is so large that it is effectively free, and it is worth rushing for. Final thoughts

Of course, Double 11 has only just begun, and various brands will continue to launch different promotional activities. The actual final price needs to be considered comprehensively together with national subsidies, platform discounts and prescription lens costs.

But no matter how big the discount is, buying smart glasses should not be based only on specs and price. A pair of glasses that truly suits you must first be something you are willing to wear; only then does it matter how many things it can do.

Source: Leikeji

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