- Xiaomi announced AI -Smarte Glasses
- They share a lot of similarities to Meta’s Ray-Bans, even priced in a similar way
- Xiaomi’s specifications have some unique features, such as electrocromic attenuation
The Chinese tech brand Xiaomi is not letting Android XR, Meta and others run in front of it in Smart Glasses World, as it just announced its AI glasses -and while they are very uniform to Meta’s specifications, they offer a few upgrades, including one I have begged Meta to add the launch.
Word of Warning, while set to cost as much as Meta’s specifications, many of us who read this will not snag a couple, as it looks like they will be exclusive to Xiaomi’s home ground: China.
In a moment they look very like Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses I use regularly. They offer a stylish frame in a handful of color settings that are thicker than usual but still quite slim.
They boast similar hardware, such as a 12MP camera, which apparently can capture 2K video on 30 fps, built-in microphones to capture what you say, and open ear speakers for audio playback.
You can also use the glasses hands-free, get your AI assistant to snap photos for you or answer your queries-and again, like Meta’s specifications, catching these Xiaomi glasses a picture to be used as context for your questions that “identify this flower.”
But immediately there are some important differences.
At the end of one arm you can find a USB-C port that allows you to charge the AI glasses while carrying the specifications of DEM meta only in their case.
They also offer a larger battery where Xiaomi promised “8.6 hours” or about eight hours, 36 minutes of use between charges.
You can also use the glasses to pay suppliers if they offer the opportunity to pay via scanning a QR code. It may not be something you often see, but it is a very common payment method in China.
However, of crucial importance, these glasses offer electromromic attenuation. This is the feature I think is coolest.
Enjoying shades
In order 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 specific weather.
Technically, you can use smart glasses under all the same conditions, but the lenses you have will decide how practical it is.
Clear lenses are perfect for cloudy days, while shady lenses are much more suitable for bright sunny conditions, but a non-starter for darker weather or indoor use.
When I swapped my meta-beam connections, which were always shady, for a pair of transitional lenses, I use them much more frequently because I can trust them in a wider range of weather conditions.
Electrochromic damping offers the same practical, but instead of being determined by the weather, Xiaomi’s smart glasses can be darkened or lit manually by pushing your finger along the arm.
In many ways, it is about as useful as transitional lenses, but for me, electrolromic attenuation is winning because you have more personal control over the shade so you can change your vision as you wish.
Although it is a close race, especially because the features appear to cost about the same.
While Basic Xiaomi glasses cost 1999 ¥ — SIGN FOR $ 299 / £ 299 / AU $ 449, you would pay for the base beam meta Smart glasses-they don’t have electromromic attenuation. The cheapest pair with the feature is 2699 ¥, which is around the same price as $ 379 / £ 379 / AU $ 539 Transition Lenses Equipped Meta Ray-Bans.
So so far I stay with my transitional lens smart glasses, but I want to see this space as color -changing lens technology becomes such an important feature it must be included in the base model even – although both key settings for now are inevitably expensive.
