In 2026, the smart glasses market is becoming increasingly vibrant, yet outcomes vary significantly among similar products.
According to the latest data from IDC, shipments in China's smart glasses market declined by 8% year-on-year in the second quarter of this year, marking the first instance of negative growth. This does not imply that consumers have lost interest in smart glasses. In fact, during the same period, shipments of AI camera glasses increased by 81.4% year-on-year, surpassing AI audio glasses in market share, while AR/XR (Augmented Reality/Extended Reality) glasses maintained a 123% year-on-year growth rate.
In contrast, pure audio glasses lacking innovation indeed hold little appeal for consumers.
This year, smart glasses are no longer merely a feature competition involving the simple addition of cameras, speakers, or displays. Some manufacturers choose to enhance photography and AI experiences, others are rethinking the value of the screen before their eyes, and some are attempting to transform glasses into true spatial computing devices.
Differences between various technological paths are also widening. For consumers preparing to purchase smart glasses during Double 11, this presents both an opportunity and a new challenge. After all, today’s smart glasses are no longer defined by the notion that more features equate to better value.
So, which type of glasses suits you best, and which products are worth considering?
New Product Surge: What Are Manufacturers Competing On in 2026?
Domestic manufacturers have been particularly active this year.
Starting with AI camera glasses, Huawei launched its first AI glasses in April, leveraging the HarmonyOS ecosystem and the Xiaoyi assistant to enable features such as first-person perspective shooting, AI visual Q&A, and mobile payments. Thunderbird V4 was released in May, significantly upgrading imaging, battery life, and protection capabilities, and introducing the industry’s first square sensor to accommodate both horizontal and vertical shooting.
The Qwen N1 series, just launched this month, integrates glasses with the Qwen Personal Agent, emphasizing proactive perception and service capabilities. The N1 Pro additionally incorporates eye-tracking interaction, iris payment, and vital sign monitoring. Meanwhile, Meta has introduced its third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, primarily improving wearing comfort, battery life, and audio capture performance.
From today’s perspective, AI camera glasses are evolving from first-person recording tools into portable AI assistants. Simultaneously, manufacturers are directing more attention to fundamental experiences such as image quality, wearing comfort, and battery life.
AI glasses with displays are exhibiting a different kind of divergence.
Thunderbird has launched the iO glasses, weighing only 34 grams, featuring binocular monochrome Micro-LED display but actively omitting the camera and speaker to achieve superior weight control and wearing experience. Functionally, it focuses on meeting needs for translation, teleprompter services, proactive AI, and all-day recording.
It is also worth noting that full-color displays are brewing a new round of upgrades, potentially becoming a key competitive focus in the coming year. One approach involves subtraction, using lighter glasses to provide precisely calibrated information; the other continues exploring the integration of full-color displays, cameras, and AI. AI glasses with displays have clearly not yet converged on a unified product solution.
Regarding AR display glasses, changes this year are equally pronounced. Thunderbird launched the GT series, enhancing image quality, field of view, and sound effects, aiming to deliver an immersive personal cinema viewing experience. XREAL is advancing Aura based on Android XR, exploring a more complete spatial computing experience through 70° optical see-through display, external compute units, and Gemini.
Pure audio glasses, conversely, lack notable new products worthy of extensive discussion. Apart from Meta’s newly launched Ray-Ban Meta Audio in September this year, the entire category still faces issues of product homogenization and a lack of motivation for upgrades.
Overall, 2026’s smart glasses landscape is characterized not just by an increasing number of new products, but more importantly by distinct trade-offs emerging among different offerings. Some focus on photography and AI, others pursue lightweight information display, and still others bet on immersive entertainment and spatial computing.
How Should Consumers Choose Smart Glasses During Double 11?
Ultimately, regardless of how smart glasses evolve, actual user experience remains paramount. Although all are termed "smart glasses," the usage scenarios and purchasing criteria across different form factors may differ more significantly than those between smartphones, tablets, and computers.
First, consider AI glasses with displays. Taking Thunderbird iO as an example, its core value lies not in transplanting a smartphone screen before your eyes, but in providing translation, teleprompter services, message notifications, and AI-curated information at any time without obstructing normal vision. For users who frequently attend meetings, travel for business, or wish to reduce phone-checking frequency, this type of product holds greater appeal.
When purchasing, prioritize wearing experience, including weight, prescription lens compatibility, and lens transmittance. After all, glasses requiring frequent removal for rest can hardly fulfill their potential as a portable AI assistant. Next comes display quality, specifically focusing on outdoor visibility, subtitle readability, and the accuracy and response speed of functions like translation and teleprompting.
AI camera glasses represent a different scenario. Products like Thunderbird V4 lack a display but use a camera to record first-person perspective footage and combine AI to identify objects and environments in front of the user. For users who enjoy traveling, cycling, documenting life, or professionals needing to record scenes on the fly, these products are evidently more suitable.
However, when buying camera glasses, do not look solely at pixel count; pay closer attention to actual image quality, stabilization, audio capture, and continuous shooting duration, especially performance in low-light and motion scenarios. Thunderbird V4’s adoption of a square sensor, accommodating both horizontal and vertical shooting, is a highly practical improvement. Additionally, battery life, charging convenience, and bystander notifications during recording are also factors worth considering.
Finally, there are AR glasses for movie watching. Despite also having screens, the usage scenarios for Thunderbird GT series and iO are entirely different. The former resembles a portable large screen; once connected to a smartphone, PC, or handheld gaming console, it can be used for watching movies, playing games, or even temporary office work.
Therefore, when selecting such products, prioritize display effects, including field of view, clarity, color, brightness, and edge performance. But do not neglect wearing comfort, particularly nose bridge pressure during long viewing sessions, image positioning, and pupil distance adaptation. Furthermore, verify device compatibility beforehand to avoid discovering after purchase that the glasses cannot directly connect to your smartphone or handheld console.
In essence, AI glasses with displays emphasize information acquisition, camera glasses emphasize recording and perception, and AR glasses for movies emphasize visual entertainment. Each of the three product types has its own advantages and limitations.
For consumers planning to buy smart glasses during this year’s Double 11, I recommend first clarifying your most common usage scenarios before choosing the corresponding product form factor. Compared to blindly pursuing the latest products or maximum features, buying a pair of glasses you genuinely want to wear and use regularly is far more important.
Double 11 Smart Glasses Recommendations: These Models Are Worth Serious Consideration
Having discussed extensively, which specific smart glasses are worth buying during this year’s Double 11?
If you intend to buy AI glasses with displays, I would prioritize recommending Thunderbird iO, launched in August.
This is one of the display-equipped AI glasses I am relatively optimistic about this year. It did not blindly pursue comprehensive functionality but actively omitted the camera and speaker, controlling weight to 34 grams. Its design closely resembles ordinary eyewear, combined with binocular Micro-LED lightwave guide display, making it more suitable for extended wear.
Especially for users who frequently attend meetings, travel, and require real-time translation and teleprompter services, the information appearing before their eyes at any moment may hold more value than adding an extra camera.
Thunderbird iO also supports all-day intelligent recording and proactive AI reminders, capable of organizing key information from meetings and conversations to help users review and manage daily affairs. The absence of a camera not only reduces weight but also alleviates privacy concerns regarding filming. Additionally, up to 18 hours of continuous recording and two days of regular battery life enhance its competitiveness in terms of practicality.
More importantly, Thunderbird iO has invested significant effort in optics and wearing experience, adopting a self-developed Blue Lake lightwave guide solution that balances display brightness with lens transmittance, supporting prescription lenses for myopia ranging from 0 to 1000 degrees. Coupled with interaction methods like smart knobs and head gestures, daily use does not require frequently taking out a smartphone.
In terms of pricing, Thunderbird iO has an official price of CNY 2,499. With Double 11 promotions stacked with national subsidies, the final price reaches CNY 1,911.74, and actual e-commerce platform prices may drop slightly further.
For consumers trying display-equipped AI glasses for the first time who care about wearing comfort, battery life, and practicality, it is a model very worth prioritizing this year.
Of course, if you hope a single pair of glasses can satisfy needs for photography, music listening, translation, and information display as much as possible, Rokid AI Glasses are also worth considering. They feature binocular monochrome Micro-LED display, along with camera, speaker, and microphone, supporting functions such as photography, navigation, teleprompter, and payment.
Rokid excels in offering more comprehensive features, but its 49-gram body implies a heavier wearing burden. Currently, the final price with national subsidies on e-commerce platforms is CNY 2,515.13. Note that the second-generation product will be released on October 27, so it is advisable to check the upgrades and pricing of the new model before purchasing during Double 11.
However, if you want glasses that balance photography, music listening, wearing comfort, and AI visual interaction, Thunderbird V4 is highly suitable. Its square sensor accommodates content creation in both horizontal and vertical orientations, while simultaneously upgrading stabilization, battery life, and protection capabilities.
In short, Thunderbird V4 is well-suited for travel documentation, sports photography, and casual daily shooting needs. Regarding price, the Thunderbird V4 32GB/64GB versions have everyday prices of CNY 1,999/CNY 2,199. With Double 11 promotional discounts, official offers, and national subsidies, the actual final price can reach CNY 1,529.24/CNY 1,682.24.
With additional platform-specific coupons, the price can drop further; for instance, on my e-commerce platform, the price reaches CNY 1,427.23.
Huawei AI Glasses are more suitable for HarmonyOS ecosystem users. Featuring a lightweight design, beyond imaging and AI visual Q&A, they integrate with the Xiaoyi assistant to enable device collaboration, information broadcasting, and quick payments. For consumers already owning Huawei smartphones, watches, and other devices, the ecosystem experience is a significant bonus.
In terms of pricing, the final price for Huawei AI Glasses with national subsidies on e-commerce platforms can reach CNY 1,748.88.
Qwen N1 Pro is another recently popular AI camera glasses model, notably incorporating eye-tracking interaction, iris verification, and vital sign monitoring, making it more suitable for users willing to try new interactions and features. Naturally, the Qwen N1 Pro is relatively expensive, with a current e-commerce platform final price of CNY 2,600.23.
Lastly, if your primary purpose is watching movies and playing games, the Thunderbird GT series is highly noteworthy. Among them, the GT emphasizes price and lightweight experience, while the GT Max pursues a better portable cinema experience with a 59° wide field of view, Dolby Vision, and spatial audio, with the entire series supporting3DoF spatial hovering.
For users seeking cinematic entertainment experiences on smartphones, PCs, and handheld consoles, the Thunderbird GT series is indeed attractive. In terms of pricing, during Double 11, the Thunderbird GT standalone unit’s final price with national subsidies is only CNY 1,578.69, and the Thunderbird GT Max’s final price with national subsidies is CNY 1,988.24, potentially dropping to CNY 1,850.79 with e-commerce platform discounts.
Additionally, Thunderbird has recently launched a bilibili co-branded version of the GT Max, accompanied by a super discount campaign titled "If BLG Doesn't Win the Championship, Thunderbird Refunds Full Amount," offering substantial savings worth seizing.
Final Thoughts
Of course, Double 11 has just begun, and various brands will continue launching different promotional activities. Actual final prices should be evaluated comprehensively considering national subsidies, platform discounts, and prescription lens costs.
But no matter how great the discounts, buying smart glasses should never rely solely on specifications and price. A pair of glasses truly suited to you must first be something you are willing to wear, and only then can we assess how many tasks it can perform.