Xiaomi’s new AI glasses are already giving Ray-Ban Metas a serious beatdown

What you need to know

• Xiaomi’s new smart glasses feature real-time translation and even pay-by-glance via Alipay.
• The 12MP camera onboard lets you shoot photos or POV videos hands-free, plus it can ID stuff and translate text on the fly.
• They start at $280, with fancier tint-shifting versions priced up to $420.

At its Human x Car x Home event in Beijing, Xiaomi pulled back the curtain on its AI-powered smart glasses alongside a new foldable phone, a next-gen smartwatch, and a lineup of smart home gear.

The smart glasses race is heating up with Xiaomi jumping into the mix. That’s more pressure on Meta, as the lineup of serious players in the AI eyewear game keeps growing.

Spec-for-spec, Xiaomi’s new AI glasses seem to leave Ray-Ban Meta in the dust. With its in-house Super XiaoAI assistant doing the heavy lifting, you get real-time translation on the fly and even the option to pay just by looking, thanks to a built-in camera that plays nice with Alipay (via Road to VR).

These glasses can scan a QR code, then double-check with the voice assistant to make sure you’re actually making the purchase, the company said in a Weibo post.

Xiaomi’s AI Glasses include a 12MP ultra-wide camera, letting you snap pictures or shoot first-person video hands-free using voice commands. These glasses are capable of identifying objects in real time and translating text, enhancing their functionality beyond simple point-and-shoot photography.

Battery beast

One big standout with these smart glasses is battery life. They claim up to 8.6 hours of use off a 263mAh cell with USB-C charging. That’s a big leap over Ray-Ban’s Meta pair, which top out at just 4 hours on a smaller 154mAh battery.

At just 40 grams, these smart glasses pull double duty as open-ear headphones. You get stereo sound and five built-in mics. Under the hood, a Qualcomm AR1 chip teams up with a Hengxuan 2700 co-processor to keep everything running.

Designed with Asian facial features in mind, these glasses sport temple arms that pivot 12° outward and tilt 5° forward. That tailored design pretty much hints this version won’t be heading for a global launch anytime soon.

With an IP54 rating, these glasses can handle sweat and splashes. For extra flair, you can swap in electrochromic lenses that adapt to light on the fly when you double-tap the temple, after which they shift shades in 0.2 seconds, as per Xiaomi's press release.

Xiaomi’s standard AI Glasses hit shelves at CNY 1,999 (around $280), landing right in the same ballpark as Meta’s Ray-Bans. If you want auto-tinting lenses, the monochrome electrochromic version goes for CNY 2,699 ($375), while the color version tops out at CNY 2,999 ($420). Style-wise, you’ve got three frame options to choose from: Classic Black, Parrot Green, and Translucent Tortoiseshell Brown.