Introduction to Smart Glasses — 2024 Tech Review
Smart glasses are among the rising stars of the tech sphere. As someone who has gained an increasing interest in the technology over the last year, I want to pay it forward and share what I’ve learned, hopefully dispelling some confusion for those who are just getting started in understanding what smart glasses are and what they can do.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
When I first started exploring smart glasses, I naturally turned to various reviews. Naively, I asked which one offered the best quality/price ratio. Although I came across many ‘top 5’ lists and similar rankings, extracting a meaningful understanding of the best glasses proved confusing. This was primarily because, as you may know, many reviews are sponsored, resulting in embellished and overly positive descriptions. Additionally, within a ‘top 5’ review, I encountered several glasses that were markedly different, lacking a clear mention of the specific applications each model was oriented toward.
Given the current buzz, it’s apparent that any glasses integrating technology want to jump on the smart glasses train. But are all smart glasses created equal? Certainly not. As I delved deeper into investigating and testing the glasses (CES 2024 provided the best testing field), it became evident that each type of glasses was oriented toward distinct needs and types of applications.
A Framework Emerged
I enjoy organizing ideas to create framework of thought, and I prefer my frameworks to be simple. I’d like to propose a 5 levels organization framework.
The main axis of the framework is the level of immersion (specifically, visual immersion). Along this axis, subtypes of smart glasses can be easily organized, and their pros and cons elegantly illustrate the type of application they target.
The framework ranges from microphone and Bluetooth-enabled glasses to VR/AR/MR headsets. I don’t consider VR/AR/MR headsets as smart glasses, but I believe the discussion would be incomplete without them. Therefore, they sit just above smart glasses in terms of their level of immersion and should be considered by anyone interested in purchasing smart glasses.
Level 0 — Smart glasses as a Phone Accessory & POV Camera
Are these glasses genuinely smart? Well, that might be a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but they are certainly the first generation of glasses that integrate technology beyond mere eyesight.
They’ve been around for a surprisingly long time. A joke I’ve often made is that I’ve had Meta’s Ray-Ban Stories in my drawer for years (referring to the initial spy glasses I purchased to test out their capabilities).
The generic Bluetooth glasses come equipped with a microphone and open-ear speakers, serving as a hands-free phone accessory for taking calls. It’s arguably more stylish than the traditional Bluetooth earpiece, though that’s a matter of personal taste.
The spy cameras, on the other hand, are used — well, by spies, I guess. On a more serious note, they can shoot videos and take pictures. Personally, I appreciate the point-of-view (POV) angle for capturing souvenirs. Of course, there’s the obvious concern of privacy that should be taken into account when using these devices.
Level 1 — Smart Glasses as a Gateway to AI & Fashion Statement
These glasses is where “smart” becomes a characteristic. These glasses don’t have a display, but they open the gate to voice-operated AI assistants.
In this category, we find two legit propositions: the Ray-Ban Stories and the Amazon Echo Frame.
The Ray-Ban Stories integrate a camera as well as an AI interface. I haven’t tried them myself, so I would investigate further before buying. Personally, I like the concept of capturing POV souvenirs but not enough to invest in a pair. It certainly is suitable for influencers who want to capitalize on the Stories brand. It remains to be seen how useful the AI can be.
The Amazon Echo Frame provides an AI interface to Alexa. Again, I haven’t tried them myself, so I would investigate further before making a purchase. Their value is intrinsically tied to how useful a voice-activated AI is to you.
Multiple styles are offered for both the Ray-Ban Stories and the Echo Frame. They serve as a fashion accessory.
EssilorLuxottica is also a contender, having announced the Nuance Audio, which is meant to work as an hearing aid. It is unclear if they will connect to an AI-Assistant, however.
Level 2 — Smart Glasses as a Heads-Up Display
The next level includes smart glasses that integrate a transparent display. The technology generally involved is called waveguide display, the concept of which is well illustrated below:
Being able to present visual information to the user greatly extends the range of possibilities, but these glasses still suffer from a few limitations that you should be aware of. On the other hand, several models can be worn as everyday glasses.
The main benefit, in my opinion, is that the lenses are clear, and if the screen is turned off, you don’t see it at all. This feature is significant when compared to the next categories of smart glasses. However, the screen size generally ranges from minuscule to small, as it seems that developing a large screen is either technologically difficult or expensive. As a partial solution to this limitation, the NCL RayNeo X2 even chose to integrate two separate screens so that content can be displayed over a wider range of the field of view.
The role for these glasses is to present contextual information in front of your field of view without interfering with your environment. Hence, you can think of it as a HUD, akin to what we find in video games but for personal life.
Given this, these glasses should be seen as a productivity tool rather than an entertainment platform, as seen in the next categories. The value you will find in these glasses is directly connected to the importance you assign to the information presented to you. The pricing of several of these glasses clearly indicates that they are meant for B2B rather than B2C.
Through apps, the content can be configured. If you play golf, launch your golf-related HUD; if you are driving (making sure it’s legal first), launch your navigation HUD, or receive email/text notifications without taking out your phone from your pocket. In my opinion, the best types of applications are for professionals in heavy industries (and similar). As a maintenance technician, you can have access to your CMMS, technical datasheets, or manuals, hands-free. I’ve seen several use-cases where maintenance technicians can get in touch with remote support and share their POV using the cameras.
Several smart glasses of this kind are built as stand-alone units. They integrate a computer and run an OS. This can be a pertinent feature if connecting them to a phone is not suitable or desirable.
I’ve tried several smart glasses of this kind, and my first recommendation is that you try them before buying. Without naming any brands, the screen embedded in some of them was so minuscule that it was laughable. Several are equipped with a monochrome display, which doesn’t necessarily make them useless (I had a great experience with the Vuzix Shield), but you want to be aware of it before buying. On some glasses, the display is only in one lens. The goal here is for the image to be less bothersome, but I can’t say I found it convenient, although I’m sure you can get used to it. With these glasses, it’s relatively easy to focus on the display or on the environment, so unless the displayed image is prominent, you can interact with the real world with minor interference.
On the fringe of this category, we also find head-mounted screens that attach to glasses. These present a small screen in the corner of your field of view.
They are apparently appreciated by surgeons and the like. One benefit is that the screen doesn’t interfere with your vision at all. It’s small but colored. My interpretation is that those are for specific applications and are valuable for those who need this form factor.
Level 3 — Smart Glasses as a Virtual Screen
This is the level that, in my opinion, has the most potential to penetrate the consumer market.
Full disclosure, I own a pair of Rokid Max. I’ve been using them and experimenting with them for a while now, and overall, I’m happy with the device. My review will refer to my experience with the Rokid Max.
These glasses use a prism to redirect the light coming from the top of the glasses, instead of a waveguide. This approach has the downside of making the front of the glass very thick, but it produces very large high-resolution screens (215’’ for the Rokid Max). Once you get over this element of style, these glasses are perfect for their purpose, which is to carry a large television in your pocket — or as I like to say, a personal movie theater.
These glasses generally don’t embed a computer but rather rely on a companion system to run applications — either a phone, dedicated system (Rokid Station or XReal Beam), console, or PC. This has both the advantage of making them relatively light and, more importantly, making them flexible as you can connect them to anything that has an HDMI or display port.
These glasses aim to create a satisfying level of immersion, although not as much as a VR headset can produce. They are targeted at two main applications: entertainment and productivity. When applied to entertainment, they offer a practical way to have access to a high-quality screen experience anywhere. For example, if you are commuting, you can take out your glasses, connect them to your phone, and watch Netflix on a giant screen. Similarly, you can deploy a workstation anywhere by connecting them to a mini-computer or a pocket computer such as the Nimo planet [https://www.nimoplanet.com/], as long as you carry some kind of keyboard/mouse. Personally, I connected my Rokid Max to a Raspberry Pi, and I carry a mini-keyboard.
In my opinion, this type of glasses, and level 4 that follows, are bound to become prevalent among consumers as I genuinely appreciate what they propose in terms of functionality. I use my Rokid Max on a regular basis to watch movies and as a productivity tool.
The pricing of this type of glasses is also a factor to consider, as they are even more accessible than level 2 devices, with pricing in the range of $399 USD. I question myself whether I would recommend buying one of these or a Quest 3. The fact is that those are different systems, meant for different types of entertainment. Quest 3 provides a deeply immersive experience, while Level 3 glasses are more for casual entertainment. The pricing might seem comparable, but remember that the Quest 3 requires that you buy games and applications to enjoy the full experience.
Finally, there is one thing that bothers me with the XReal, Rokid, and TCL glasses — their lenses are not clear. They all offer a dimming adjustment, but none of them make it possible to have clear lenses, which makes it very impractical to wear when not in use. It is my opinion that should one of them provide clear lenses, they would cut out a good portion of the Level 2 glasses market, as the screen is immensely bigger than the waveguide technology. Using my Raspberry Pi, I can develop HUD applications easily and adapt them to my needs in Python, but the lens shading prevents me from wearing the glasses continuously.
Besides the shaded lenses, the casing for the physical screen hides the top part of the visual field. When wearing them continuously, I needed to arc back my head to look at anything a bit above the horizon. It is a predicament, but not as significant as the shaded lenses.
Note: I did find a pair of glasses that seem to provide clear lenses, but it’s a wild guess at this point.
Level 4 — Smart Glasses as AR Station
When writing the draft of this article, I initially grouped the XReal Air 2 Ultra with the level 3 glasses. While reviewing the text, it became clear that this pair of glasses is one notch above the others. My experience with the XReal Air 2 Ultra is that they are by far the best smart glasses I have tried. They provide a large field of view, and because they use spatial computing, the virtual screen is anchored, meaning that it doesn’t move with your head but remains at a fixed location in space. This is not a groundbreaking feature, but I did notice that playing video games with a screen that moves with your head is annoying. Spatial computing just makes the experience smoother. The XReal Air 2 Ultra demo also revealed hand tracking, which is a great way to interact with virtual elements, as well as some AR capabilities.
I envision using the XReal Air 2 Ultra on a regular basis. Its success will depend extensively on the development of apps that leverage the features it provides, as it can do much more than simply watching Netflix. Rokid is also working on a response, but this hasn’t been publicly revealed yet. Until then, the XReal Air 2 Ultra stands alone on the level 4 stage.
NOTE: Their lenses are still too shaded to be worn continuously.
Level 5 — VR/AR/MR headsets
My goal here is not to produce an extensive review of the Quest 3 or the upcoming Apple Vision Pro, but rather to put them in context, as someone might be wondering why they should buy smart glasses instead of a headset. VR/AR/MR headsets’ performance is overall much better than any of the smart glasses presented above, regarding the level of immersion and the quality of the entertainment experience. However, they are bulky. Smart glasses are not necessarily competing directly against these platforms but are rather a different product for a different context.
The benefit of smart glasses is that they are small, can be carried anywhere, and deployed in a few seconds. Furthermore, you remain aware of your surroundings when using smart glasses, something that can be lost when enjoying a virtual reality experience.
Would I use a Quest 3 on the bus or in a restaurant? I doubt it. Would I use my Rokid Max under similar circumstances? Absolutely — I already do.
I also noticed that some people who aren’t necessarily attracted to the VR/AR/MR experience immediately found value in the Rokid Max. It is not everyone who is aiming for the intensity of VR/AR/MR experiences; some people just want to casually enjoy a TV show.
Conclusion
Through this journey of technology discovery, I’ve come to one conclusion: there is a market for all levels of smart glasses. It all depends on the specific needs of the application.
Given this, I believe that for my personal use, the XReal Air 2 Ultra is by far the best device on the market. I am in touch with the marketing department at Rokid, and they told me that something is coming up. I’m really looking forward to it as my experience with the XReal Air 2 Ultra was nothing short of stellar.
I am very happy with my Rokid Max and don’t plan on replacing them now, but I will closely follow what kind of applications get deployed on the XReal as I see them becoming a legitimate contender to the Quest 3 and the Apple Vision Pro, especially regarding virtual workstations and the lower end of AR entertainment. (I’m ignoring the pricing of the Apple Vision Pro in this comparison, but it is off the charts).
Regarding Level 2 devices, there are several options. I am not convinced that this type of device will still be in use in the next decade. They are useful, and I’m sure some professionals will keep on using them for specific applications, but unless they produce large screens and integrate all the functionalities associated with Level 3 glasses, I don’t see why someone would want to use them. What they lack is the possibility to watch movies, play video game or work as an AR station. There is just so much fun to have with at having text messages show up in front of you. In contrast, if level 3 glasses develop clear lenses (with electronic shading), they will kick level 2 out of the play field. My opinion shouldn’t be interpreted as a fallacy but rather as a challenge to this industry to find exciting use cases for the public.
Nevertheless, if you are interested in a level 2 glasses, TCL Rayneo X2 definitely comes on top in this category. They sport a colored screen and even integrate multiple screens to cover a large span of the field of view.
Finally, I don’t see much of a future for Level 1 devices. Their main feature is to provide access to AI assistant on the fly, but this feature will be adopted by all smart glasses, smart watches, smart phones and other gizmos (Humane Pin, Rabbit R1) on the very short term, so I don’t see it as a defining characteristic. On the short term, however, I think Ray Ban Stories can be interesting from a social media perspective. Out of all options, they are the less visible and are a fashion accessory for influencers.
Future Perspectives
Meta has been claiming that their next-generation smart glasses integrate more technology than anything before it. It remains to be seen what they will be.
My company, RE-AK Technologies, is working on developing BCI-powered applications around the smart glasses form factor. It will be interesting to see what emerges from this work, we’re launching in Fall 2024.
OpenBCI announced a neuro-powered PC, but the technical details haven’t been announced. The initial graphics suggested that they will be using waveguide technology, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they change their mind and opt for prism-based displays instead.
Should XReal, Rokid, or TCL develop the clear lens feature (with electronic shading), I would be very much interested in seeing if Level 3–4 glasses can be worn continuously and take over a good chunk of the Level 2 market. I would be interested.
Contact and Disclaimer
On this note, I hope you enjoyed this article. You can follow/connect with me on LinkedIn.
You can also join my Discord community, where I share details about my progress in the development of BCI-powered smart glasses and applications, as well as engage in various discussions related to BCI, smart glasses, business development, and more.
While this article didn’t directly discuss brain-computer interfaces, studying smart glasses is part of my journey, and I thought it would be interesting to share what I’ve learned. I’m sure I’ve made many mistakes in this article. You should compare it with other sources. My assessment regarding Level 2 devices as its limits, as I haven’t used them extensively, and my opinion represents a first impression perspective.
As with all my articles, I wrote the first version but got it reviewed by ChatGPT.
