CES 2025: Spotlight on smart glasses, but what did Chinese companies bring to the table?

African Descent Afro Woman with Sunglasses Credit: 123rf.com

Despite tensions in Sino-American relations, Chinese companies remain highly engaged in the global tech scene, with over 1,300 exhibitors from China at CES 2025, setting a new record. TCL, with a booth covering 2,342 square meters, once again claimed the title of the largest Chinese exhibitor at the event. This reflects the importance Chinese manufacturers place on international platforms. In the world of smart glasses, Chinese companies introduced several game-changing innovations,highlighting the country’s growing presence in the wearable tech space.

Rokid: AR glasses with information overlayOne of the standout products at the show was Rokid Glasses, an AR eyewear designed to display a clear virtual interface directly onto the lenses without obstructing the wearer’s view. The glasses enable users to view information like subtitles, translations, or navigation directions overlaid on their real-world surroundings.

The Rokid Glasses are integrated with Tongyi Qianwen, an AI large model, which provides functions such as object recognition, text translation, and even real-time math problem solving. For example, the glasses can instantly calculate the calorie content of food or automatically translate spoken language during conversations.

Looking ahead, the glasses are set to support additional AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini, allowing users to choose the one that best suits their needs.

Thunderbird: AI glasses for 4K imagingThunderbird presented its Thunderbird V3 AI glasses, developed in partnership with TCL. The glasses are equipped with custom optical lenses and the Falcon Imaging System, enabling them to capture 4K photos and videos in multiple formats. Despite its advanced features, the Thunderbird V3 weighs just 39 grams and offers up to 30 hours of battery life with its included charging case.

The glasses also incorporate an AI large model developed in collaboration with Alibaba’s Tongyi, designed to shorten response times and improve recognition accuracy. Additional features include AI-driven summarization, music streaming, and QR code payment capabilities.

Halliday: AI Glasses with Standard LensesMoody, a Chinese contact lens brand, introduced Halliday, an AI-powered pair of glasses developed with Gyges Labs. Unlike most smart glasses, Halliday is compatible with standard optical lenses, meaning users don’t need custom prescriptions. This makes the glasses suitable for both nearsighted and farsighted individuals.

Using proprietary optical technology, Halliday weighs just 35 grams and offers 12 hours of battery life on a full charge. The glasses feature touch controls on the arms and can be paired with a smart ring for additional functions. In addition to standard smart glasses features like real-time translation and navigation, Halliday includes a Proactive AI Agent to assist with everyday tasks. Halliday is set to launch on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform at the end of January.

DPVR: Eye-Tracking VR HeadsetDPVR introduced the P2 Vision VR headset, which integrates eye-tracking technology. The headset builds on the existing P2 model but is lighter and more comfortable for extended use. The P2 Vision is designed for professional applications, such as training and healthcare, where precise user interaction with VR content is needed.

DreamSmart: AI Glasses for the Hearing ImpairedDreamSmart unveiled the StarV Air2, a pair of AI-powered glasses aimed at assisting individuals with hearing impairments. These glasses transcribe spoken language and display the subtitles on the lenses, helping with communication in both personal and professional settings.

In addition to real-time transcription, the StarV Air2 offers live translation during phone calls and can generate text records of conversations, making it a useful tool for the hearing impaired in everyday situations.

Shuang is a Shanghai-based tech reporter at Technode.com, covering AI, tech company, e-commerce and retail. Find her via e-mail: [email protected].
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