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Finally! These AI smart glasses are giving me a feature I’ve been desperate for the Meta Ray-Bans to get since launch
Meta beware! These new AI smart glasses are better than my Ray-Bans in nearly every way, but I know I’ll never own a pair.
- Xiaomi announced AI smart glasses
- They share a lot of similarities with Meta's Ray-Bans, even priced similarly
- Xiaomi's specs have some unique features, like electrochromic dimming
Chinese tech brand Xiaomi isn’t about to let Android XR, Meta, and others race ahead of it in the smart glasses world as it just announced its AI glasses – and while they’re awfully similiar to Meta’s specs, they offer a few upgrades including one I’ve been begging Meta to add since launch.
Word of warning, however, while they’re set to cost about as much as Meta’s specs, many of us reading this won’t be snagging a pair, as right now it looks like they’ll be exclusive to Xiaomi’s home turf: China.
At a glance, they look very similar to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses I use regularly. They offer a stylish frame in a handful of color options that’s thicker than normal but still fairly sleek.
They boast similar hardware, such as a 12MP camera which can apparently capture 2K video at 30FPS, built-in microphones for capturing what you’re saying, and open ear speakers for audio playback.
You can also use the glasses hands-free, getting its AI assistant to snap photos for you or answer your queries – and again, just like Meta’s specs, these Xiaomi glasses capture an image to use as context for your questions like “identify this flower.”
But right away, there are some key differences.
At the end of one arm, you can find a USB-C port allowing you to charge the AI glasses while wearing them – Meta’s specs only charge in their case.
They offer a bigger battery too, with Xiaomi promising “8.6 hours” or around eight hours, 36 minutes of use between charges.
You can also use the glasses for paying vendors if they offer the ability to pay via scanning a QR code. It might not be something you see often, but it’s a very common payment method in China.
Crucially, however, these glasses offer electrochromic dimming. This is the feature I think is coolest.
Enjoying the shades
For smart glasses to be a success, they need to be something you can wear all the time.
Imagine if your phone only worked in certain weather.
Tech-wise, you can use smart glasses in all the same conditions, but the lenses you have will decide how practical that is.
Clear lenses are perfect for cloudier days, while shaded lenses are a lot more suitable for bright sunny conditions, but a non-starter for darker weather or indoor use.
Since swapping my Meta Ray-Bans, which were always shaded, for a pair with transition lenses, I use them much more frequently because I can rely on them in a broader range of weather conditions.
Electrochromic dimming offers this same practicality, but instead of being determined by the weather, Xiaomi’s smart glasses can be darkened or brightened manually by sliding your finger along their arm.
In many ways, it’s about as useful as transition lenses, but for me, electrochromic dimming wins because you have more personal control over the shading, allowing you to alter your vision at will.
Though it is a close race, especially because the features look to cost about the same.
While the base Xiaomi glasses cost 1999¥ – similar to the $299 / £299 / AU$449 you’d pay for the base Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses – they don’t have electrochromic dimming. The cheapest pair with the feature are 2699¥, which is around the same price as the $379 / £379 / AU$539 transition lens equipped Meta Ray-Bans.
So for now I’ll be sticking with my transition lens smart glasses, but I’ll be watching this space as color changing lens tech becomes such an essential feature, it needs to be included with even the base model – though for now both key options are inescapably pricey.
