OpenAI CEO Sam Altman poured cold water on the increasingly competitive smart glasses market.
On September 1, local time, Otterman was asked on tech journalist Alex Heath's Sources Podcast whether he was optimistic about smart glasses. He said straightforwardly, "I don't like glasses. Talking to someone with a camera on their face and a light next to it makes me very uncomfortable."
This statement means that Zuckerberg does not have to worry about OpenAI competing in the smart glasses market for the time being. Ortman's concerns mainly stem from the vastly different feelings between the wearer and the person being photographed when a camera is worn on the face.
To the wearer, it is an always-on AI terminal that can take pictures, identify objects, translate, and record life; to the person standing opposite, it is a camera that may be turned on at any time, with no clear idea where the images ultimately end up.
Altman still sees room for imagination in wearables. During the same conversation, he revealed that the consumer hardware OpenAI is developing with Jony Ive could include devices that sit on a desk, fit in a pocket, or are worn on the body. The core direction is a "proactive computer"—one that continuously understands the user and their environment, and proactively offers assistance at the right moment.
Precisely because such devices need to continuously perceive their surroundings, privacy has become an issue Altman repeatedly stresses. He has proposed establishing legal protections for human-AI conversations akin to those between doctors and patients, or lawyers and clients. If OpenAI is to release ambient-sensing hardware in the future, it will also need to present a clear privacy-control framework.
From this perspective, Otterman remains optimistic about wearable devices, with the real challenge lying in the unresolved social boundaries of camera-equipped glasses, which hits on the most difficult issue to avoid in the entire industry.
Three Routes
Smart glasses are transitioning from geek toys to a mass market.
According to IDC data, global smart glasses shipments reached 3.566 million units in the first quarter of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 130.1%. Among them, audio and camera-equipped glasses shipped 2.248 million units, while AR and VR devices shipped 1.318 million units. In the Chinese market, shipments during the same period reached 610,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 23.5%; the proportion of camera-equipped glasses in audio products rose to 43.4%.
The growth in the domestic market is more intuitive. According to the broad statistical caliber of LuoTu Technology, which covers AR, photography, and audio products, in the first half of 2026, the total sales of smart glasses in China's entire channel reached 909,000 units, up 85.5% year-over-year; sales revenue was 1.88 billion yuan, up 98.7% year-over-year. Among them, AR glasses sales were 408,000 units, up 109.4% year-over-year; photography glasses sales were 313,000 units, up 158.2% year-over-year, becoming the fastest-growing category; audio glasses sales were 188,000 units, growing only 8%.
Sales are starting to pick up, but product forms are far from unified, with the market roughly forming three distinct paths.
The first is the Meta-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses that do not display information on the lenses, instead using cameras, microphones, and open-ear audio to achieve first-person shooting, visual Q&A, and voice interaction. By eliminating the display module, the product is lighter, has longer battery life, and its design is closer to that of ordinary glasses. Companies such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Baidu Xiaodu, Alibaba's Thousand Question G1, Ideal's Livis, and Flashforge's Loomos have all chosen this path.
This is also the route that users most easily understand and that is progressing fastest toward commercialization. EssilorLuxottica disclosed that AI glasses sales exceeded 7 million units in 2025, driven mainly by Ray-Ban Meta. But as cameras lower the barrier to capturing images, some venues have begun restricting smart glasses, and social platforms have seen harassment content involving people using the glasses to secretly photograph strangers.
Meta recently had to upgrade its technical defenses, with a recording indicator light that, if covered or removed, would shut down the camera function on the glasses. The company said that the affected devices account for less than 0.1% of cumulative sales, which still translates to thousands of products. The camera brought the most direct user value but also hit the trust boundary in public spaces first.
The second category is lightweight display-type AI+AR glasses. Rokid Glasses, Lei Niao X3 Pro, and iO, Qian Wen S1, Ying Mu INMO GO series, and Xing Ji Meizu StarV series all offer navigation, translation, teleprompting, scheduling, messaging, and meeting summaries on the lenses. This type of product is closer to the next-generation computing terminals depicted in science fiction, where users do not need to take out their mobile phones, and information can be directly displayed in their field of vision.
Its challenges are also the most concentrated, with optical waveguide display, brightness, power consumption, weight, heat dissipation, battery life, and myopia adaptation all intertwined. Adding functions often means thicker temples and increased weight, while glasses are extremely sensitive to weight. Many devices can be demonstrated continuously at launch events, but it's difficult for users to wear them on their faces from morning to night.
The third category is represented by manufacturers such as XREAL and VITURE, focusing on spatial display routes. These products concentrate on video viewing, gaming, and mobile office work, turning glasses into a portable large screen. Their usage value is relatively clear, but most products still require connection to a phone, computer, or independent computing unit, which is distinctly different from AI glasses that can be worn all day.
Three trends are converging: smart glasses without screens are starting to access more powerful multimodal models, display glasses are striving to reduce weight, and spatial computing products are attempting to move computing power and batteries to the pocket. The focus of competition is also shifting from piling up functions to balancing weight, battery life, display, and scenario value.
The ideal AI glasses have taken shape. Firstly, they should be a qualified pair of glasses, with a natural appearance and a weight similar to ordinary frames, capable of completing vision testing and myopia adaptation, and supporting all-day wear. Secondly, they should be an AI terminal that can understand continuous context, provide navigation, translation, prompting, and reminders when needed, without constantly disturbing the user.
Cameras should have the capability to be selectively enabled and constrained. Physical switches, non-bypassable data collection indicators, removable camera modules, local data processing, and clear deletion permissions may evolve from additional features to standard product configurations. Users within the frame need AI to be constantly vigilant, while those outside the frame need to know when they are being watched.
Chinese solution
China's smart glasses market has entered a period of intense competition, with internet companies, mobile phone manufacturers, automakers, AR startups, and traditional eyewear channels all entering the fray, each pair of frames representing a different company's vision for the next-generation terminal.
The market landscape is still changing rapidly. According to CINNO Research data, the top five domestic consumer-level AI/AR device manufacturers in the first quarter of 2026 are Leiyin Innovation, Rokid, XREAL, Qianwen, and Xiaomi, in that order. In the same period in 2025, the top five were Leiyin Innovation, XREAL, Xingji Mozu, VITURE, and Rokid. Over the past year, two positions have changed hands, and the rankings of the original manufacturers have also been rearranged.
Platform-based giants are vying for control of the ecosystem entrance. Alibaba's Thousand Questions covers both screenless photography and display forms with G1 and S1, and has integrated services such as AutoNavi navigation, Alipay, Taobao price comparison, and Fliggy into its glasses. Xiaomi's AI glasses focus on first-person photography, Super Xiao Ai, and Mi Home collaboration. Huawei has brought Xiaoyi, HarmonyOS device collaboration, payment, and live streaming capabilities into its glasses. Baidu's Xiaodu AI Glasses Pro emphasizes visual Q&A, object recognition, and content recording. Meanwhile, Li Xiang's Livis has made its glasses an extension of automotive AI, connecting vehicle control with travel scenarios.
These companies possess models, accounts, payment systems, and device ecosystems, and smart glasses can become a new entry point for their existing services. What they need to make up for is their capabilities in optics, fitting, wear comfort, and offline services.
The advantages of AR native companies mainly come from their accumulation in optics and overall machine development. Lei Niao has established a range of products including the V series camera glasses, the X series full-color AI+AR glasses, and the GT series entertainment displays. Rokid has entered the fields of navigation, translation, prompting, and payment with its Rokid Glasses featuring a display, while also expanding into daily wear with lightweight, screenless products. XREAL and VITURE continue to focus on spatial displays, while Yingmu INMO emphasizes real-time translation, prompting, and swappable batteries. StarV, a subsidiary of Meizu, is leveraging the Flyme ecosystem to explore synergies between smartphones and glasses.
Beyond the mainstream camp, Loomos emphasizes its around-the-clock recording and AI memory capabilities as its selling points. Companies such as Hui Ring, Li Weike, iFlytek, Lenovo, and China Telecom's Tianyi have also entered the market from different angles, including audio, translation, office, AR display, and operator services. This has resulted in a rare cross-industry competitive landscape in the domestic smart glasses market over the past decade.
The camera issues that have Ultraman concerned are also starting to change the product definitions of Chinese manufacturers.
On August 21, Lei Niao released the iO AI glasses. The product weighs 34 grams and features a monochrome dual-eye display, but does not include a camera or speaker. It provides meeting recording, content summarization, real-time translation, prompting, and schedule reminders through a microphone and AI. When the recording function is activated, the privacy status light bound to the hardware will light up simultaneously. The official price of the product is 2,499 yuan, with a starting price of 1,996 yuan for the first launch.
The lack of a camera means the iO cannot take first-person photos or visual queries, but it reduces weight, power consumption, and social pressure. It retains display and proactive AI, providing a completely different answer from the Ray-Ban Meta.
Lei Bird has not given up on the photography route, with the V4 photography glasses launched on the same day, priced at 1699 yuan after subsidies. The simultaneous launch of the two products reflects the manufacturer's judgment on the market: creators, travelers, and cyclists need first-person perspective images, while office, prompter, and translation users may not be willing to bear the extra weight and privacy costs of a camera. In the future, smart glasses may not converge into a standard configuration, and cameras will become an important dividing line for product differentiation.
Focus on Huaqiangbei
Shenzhen is becoming the most densely packed testing ground for these routes.
In May, the Dr. Glasses smart eyewear concept store at UpperHills in Shenzhen was already selling more than a dozen brands including Thunderbird, Qianwen and XREAL, with prices ranging from 500 yuan to 5,000 yuan. After subsidies, some products fell to around 1,000 yuan. The features users care about have also expanded from photography to teleprompting, recording, translation, meeting minutes and navigation. Whether the store can offer on-site eye exams and prescription lens fitting is now directly affecting sales.
Smart glasses have also transitioned from 3C retail stores to professional optician stores. A visit to a Shenzhen store revealed that some users who initially came to purchase regular glasses would try on AI glasses on the spot; some Hong Kong users would place an order after taking advantage of subsidies, store discounts, and tax refunds upon departure. The subsidies have lowered the threshold for first-time users, while the glasses fitting service addresses the "last mile" issue that has long been neglected by smart hardware manufacturers.
Huaqiangbei is showing a different kind of heat. According to statistics from the Huaqiangbei Street authorities, from January to July 2026, the sales of AI products in the business district increased by more than 55% year-over-year, with AI glasses sales more than doubling. A local AI glasses company's monthly shipments have grown from 1,000-2,000 units last year to 4,000-5,000 units, with 95% being exported. India, Russia, Spain, as well as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, are becoming important destinations for Shenzhen's AI glasses.
The sales surge is backed by Shenzhen's complete industrial chain, where various components such as cameras, microphones, optical waveguides, frames, chip solutions, and whole machine manufacturing, as well as cross-border channels, can be quickly matched in Huaqiangbei and its surrounding areas. This year, Shenzhen's artificial intelligence glasses exhibition, which attracted over 300 participating companies, covered an area of 7,500 square meters, reflecting the city's transformation from contract manufacturing and component supply to product definition, branding, and channel expansion.
This sales boom still requires differentiation. Within the 500 yuan to 5,000 yuan price range, there are audio glasses with relatively simple functions, as well as camera glasses and light guide display products. Subsidies have amplified domestic transactions, while foreign procurement has driven up shipments from Huaqiangbei. The doubling of sales indicates that category awareness is forming, but there is still a distance to go before high-end products achieve stable re-purchases and daily high-frequency wear.
The next stage of competition for smart glasses will shift from launch events to the faces of users. Whether the weight can be tolerated in the long term, the battery life can last a full day, AI functions can be used frequently, glasses fitting and after-sales support can keep up, and the public can accept cameras in public spaces will all determine how long today's popular products can sustain their sales.
Oppo's "dislike" is more like a product reminder, Zuckerberg has already proven the market value of camera glasses with 7 million units sold, while Chinese manufacturers provide more answers between shooting, display and spatial computing.
The camera determines how far AI can see, and the boundary determines how far the glasses can go.