There’s considerable confidence in smartglasses experiencing a breakout year in 2026, but what’s needed to really push the new technology into the mainstream?
In an interview, Rokid’s CEO Misa Zhu provided some insight into where manufacturers need to innovate, if smartglasses are ever going to become as ubiquitous as smartphones, and perhaps eventually, even overtake them in usefulness.
Industry experience
Rokid may not have the same name recognition as Meta or Google outside China, but it has been making smartglasses and augmented reality headsets for a decade, and was valued at $1billion in 2023.
On January 20, Rokid released its AI Glasses Style on Amazon for US buyers, and in Germany too, joining a wider launch in Asia at the beginning of the year, ready to take advantage of the growing interest around smartglasses.
Rokid’s Zhu was interviewed on stage during an Alibaba-run exhibition of AI-powered devices in Shenzhen, China, where, amongst other subjects, he discussed what smartglasses needed before they truly hit the mainstream.
Three core pillars
Zhu said smartglasses face a challenge he called the “impossible triangle,” where the right balance between display, battery life, and comfort had to be reached before smartglasses would come close to mainstream acceptance and use.
He doesn’t expect this to happen overnight, as he explained:
If this can be broken through in the next three to five years, the combination of the three will be the future. You can use the giant screen when you want, use AI assistance when you need, and use it as ordinary glasses when appropriate.
Smartphone replacement?
Smartglasses have been touted as a potential replacement for smartphones, but Zhu isn’t so sure this is the way it will play out, saying:
They may still be accessories in the next three years, but there will be changes after three to five years, and it’s very likely that they won’t be accessories after five years. Mobile phones may become terminals for computing, communication, and storage, and the interaction will mainly be on the glasses. Glasses are also a better carrier for “active AI”.
Furthermore, Zhu talked about smartglasses complementing rather than replacing phones, especially regarding the camera, and in situations where having a heads-up display is more convenient, such as GPS navigation, notifications, and asking an AI assistant a quick question.
Rokid’s first US smartglasses
Rokid’s first smartglasses to arrive in the US are the AI Glasses Style. The TR90 polymer titanium frame weighs 38.5 grams, making them very light, yet the 210mAh battery should return five hours of calls or six hours of music playback.
There’s a 12-megapixel camera in the frame which can take stills and 3K resolution video, plus a set of speakers and a microphone, and ChatGPT 5.2 for audio and visual search and commands. Microsoft Translator provides offline translation for more than 100 languages.
The AI Glasses Style cost $299 from Amazon, but can also be purchased from Rokid directly, where they can also be ordered with prescription lenses.
Google and Samsung are set to release smartglasses to take on Meta with its Ray-Ban Meta and Meta Ray-Ban Display models over the coming months. It’ll be interesting to see if any, or all, meet Zhu’s “impossible triangle” requirements.
