I've used the best smart glasses and can help you choose your ideal pair

When you hear the term "best smart glasses," it's entirely likely that your definition is very different from someone else's. That's because "smart glasses" is an umbrella term that contains many different types of products, each of which conveniently rests on your nose.

So, which one is the right type for you? That entirely depends on what you want from the glasses on your face. I'll break them down into two main categories so you can quickly find what you want.

AI glasses, which are the kind you might immediately think of in 2026. These are the Ray-Ban Metas of the world, intended for everyday wear and often use AI, cameras, or both to enhance daily life. Whether that's taking hands-free, first-person pictures and video, or asking an AI assistant for directions to the nearest cafe, these glasses look like a normal pair of frames with a battery that'll need charging every few hours. Some even have a display in the lenses!

XR glasses, which stand for eXtended Reality, put a screen in front of your face, giving you a private display that also doubles as a neck saver on long trips. These are usually a little bigger than standard glasses and are intended to function as a wearable display, either for immersion or privacy. They're meant for sitting in a cafe, in an airplane seat, or anywhere else you might want to mount a giant monitor but otherwise can't.

Whatever you're looking for, we've got a great list of must-have smart glasses for you.

Written by

Written by

Nick Sutrich

Nick started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on X, Threads, Bluesky, or Instagram @Gwanatu.

Best AI glasses at a glance

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Best XR glasses at a glance

• Back to the top ^

What to expect in 2026

While the best smart glasses available today offer great experiences, there's always something new on the horizon. Full-fledged smartphone replacements like Meta Orion are still a few years out, but there are a few new pairs of smart glasses coming in 2026 that should rock the boat.

• The first Android XR-powered smart glasses are coming this fall, starting with Xreal Project Aura. These glasses boast a 70-degree FoV, which is right between existing XR glasses and a full-fledged VR headset like a Meta Quest 3. Plus, since they pack Android XR inside, the experience is nearly identical to a VR headset, including all your favorite Android apps right onboard, all from the comfort of a pair of glasses instead of a headset.
• Samsung and Google's new Intelligent Eyewear lineup is also coming this fall, sporting Gentle Monster and Warby Parker brands on them instead of the Samsung name. They'll directly compete with Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta smart glasses, so these are firmly in the "AI glasses" category rather than Xreal's XR glasses, as mentioned above.
• Apple is still said to be working on Apple Glasses, and the latest rumors are that Apple has moved a large chunk of its Vision Pro headset team over to the smart glasses division to compete with Meta. This means we're poised to see a three-way smart glasses competition between Apple, Meta, and Google. Now that's going to be awesome!
• Meta is working on even more smart glasses, plus shoring up those loopholes people were using to disable the privacy LED on Meta AI glasses. Expect more from Meta Connect at the end of September.

Best overall AI

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 picks up right where the first gen pair left off, improving the experience while still offering tons of styles to choose from. Meta says there are around 150 different combinations of lenses, colors, and frame styles to choose from, giving you plenty of customization for your everyday pair of glasses.

On top of that, these glasses pack in the same excellent battery and camera improvements from Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses. That means you can expect a roughly 60% improvement over Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (Gen 1), as shown in my Oakley Meta HSTN battery review.

While photo quality is surprisingly similar to Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1, it's video quality that got a huge upgrade. No, I don't mean the 3K resolution massively improves image quality — although it does net some improvement. Rather, these glasses feature a massive improvement in video stabilization. To me, it's the most impressive new addition!

Like the original pair, Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 ships with a charging case that'll keep your glasses' battery topped up for days at a time on a single charge. This works like an earbuds case and has a larger capacity than Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1's similar charging case. They also support all the great Meta AI features of RBM's, so you won't have to miss out on all the fun. Notice a trend? Yep, these are like super-charged RBM's, and that's a great thing.

Best premium AI

The next generation of smart glasses has officially arrived, and they look just like a thicker pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer frames. Since thick frames are a common style people wear for non-smart glasses, these look like a standard pair of Ray-Bans but have many hidden superpowers that other Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses don't. The biggest downside is that they're heavier than Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 glasses, so they won't be as comfortable as that pair after a few hours of wear.

The magic starts with the display embedded in the right lens. This private display is only visible by the person wearing the glasses and offers a full UI with smartwatch-like features that's designed to keep your eyes off your phone as much as possible. You can use this display to send and receive messages, take photos with a visual viewfinder (including zoom capabilities), perform Meta AI searches, and more.

The glasses also include a Meta Neural Band in the box, a cloth band that adorns your wrist like a fancy bracelet. This band understands how electrical impulses in wrist muscles work, allowing you to perform gestures and control the smart glasses' UI with just your fingers. That means you can "write" on a table to respond to messages, turn an invisible dial to change the volume, and more.

You can try them on with an in-person appointment at Best Buy or one of the other retailers that sell the glasses, and they'll cost you $799. Check out our Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses hands-on for full impressions and more details.

Best Meta alternative

Rokid AI Glasses are the closest you'll find to a 1:1 Meta AI Glasses replacement. The glasses look incredibly similar to a standard pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer-type shades, and even retail for around the same price as Meta's latest pair. They've even got a 12MP camera on one side and a privacy LED on the other, letting you take high-quality hands-free photos and videos right from the glasses.

Rokid's AI agent works locally for several commands, like taking a photo with your voice or controlling media playback, and the company even offers full Gemini and ChatGPT integration through the glasses. That means Rokid beat Google to the punch with Gemini-powered AI glasses, and I find Rokid's design to be more comfortable than Meta AI glasses because of the cushy nose pads.

Rokid also packed a ton of options into the app, from photo and video capture customizations to incredible features like helmet mode, virtual assistance for low-vision or blind users, and more. They're truly fantastic glasses and more than just "the Meta alternative," but this is the best Meta alternative around, regardless.

Not everything is perfect, though. Meta's app is easier to navigate, and I find that Meta AI is a little more competent than Rokid's local AI assistant. Rokid doesn't ship its glasses with a charging case, which I'd say is a must-have for this product. Plus, the speaker volume is sometimes too low for using them for hands-free calls in the car.

Best cameraless

MemoMind One is a pair of smart glasses that rethinks the concept entirely. Instead of being a hands-free camera with AI features tacked on, these glasses are built for AI first and opt to forgo the camera for more privacy. While you can interact with Memo AI using your voice and hear responses through the built-in speakers, you can also see responses (and your notifications) via the dual waveguide projection displays in the lenses.

XGIMI is best known for its excellent projectors, and that actually makes a lot of sense for the world of smart glasses. As the name implies, MemoMind One is XGIMI's first foray into the world of display-clad smart glasses, and I couldn't be more impressed with the execution. Two of my colleagues, Harish and Sanuj, both wrote about them already and agree.

Memo AI isn't made to interact with your phone the way Meta AI is. Rather, Memo AI is meant to be a sort of memory companion throughout the day. If you need to make a list, just press and hold the single button or ask Memo AI. Need to remember where you parked? How about that get-together you keep forgetting at 4pm on Thursdays? Maybe you just need to transcribe a meeting or an important conversation. It can even record entire phone calls and give you a summary with action items!

Plus, an optional subscription service enables Memo+, a cutting-edge AI tool that listens throughout the day and gives you feedback on your day as it progresses. This one freaks some people out, so I'm glad XGIMI kept this as an optional feature.

Best overall XR

If any one pair of XR glasses wins the "best display glasses" award, it's Xreal 1S. Despite lowering the price, Xreal kept the X1 chip inside and even gave it some upgrades over the original Xreal One release. That includes the same great 3DoF spatial tracking plus a new real-time 2D to 3D conversion feature that turns all of your favorite 2D content into 3D with the help of AI, all without requiring extra hardware or software.

Xreal's built-in spatial tracking is second to none, with rock-solid spatial anchoring that makes that virtual monitor feel like a real one. You can even put the glasses down, go make a snack, and come back to find the monitor is right where you left it. No weird resetting the position because of drift, reconfiguring the settings, or any of that nonsense. It just works, and that's what makes these so brilliant.

And if you want native 6DoF tracking like a VR headset, pick up an Xreal Eye camera, plug it into your glasses, and enjoy. No extra software needed. They also support prescription frames, if you need them.

Even the lenses were upgraded over Xreal One, allowing for easily readable text for on-the-go productivity. Plus, with a new taller aspect ratio and 1200p resolution, these deliver crisp visuals no matter what you plug them into.

It's also plug-and-play with systems like the Steam Deck, making them a great way to save your neck on long trips. If you want to connect to a Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, you'll need to grab an Xreal Neo adapter, which adds extra battery to your Switch and tricks it into thinking it's docked on a TV.

Nintendo makes this more difficult than other handheld systems, but Xreal's clever dock adapter lets you enjoy the docked experience on the go through your Xreal 1S glasses. If you just want a great pair of smart glasses with the best plug-and-play features, Xreal 1S is the go-to pair.

Best value XR

X by Xreal, also known as Xreal xbx a01+, redefines what value XR glasses should be. They're the world's first $299 XR glasses with built-in spatial tracking, and even include native 10-bit color support. Plus, flicker-sensitive individuals will find the 3840Hz PWM dimming rate impressively comfortable, rounding this out as the best overall pick in the segment.

But Xreal didn't just stop with display and feature excellence. It also created the lightest build in its class and made them modular, too! The default look is what you see on me in the photo above, and Xreal sells a bunch of different style frames that are hot-swappable without using any kind of tools.

Plus, these have a new kind of hinge that bends back 20 extra degrees, the standard 3-way vertical angle design, and interchangeable nose pads, so it's easy to find a comfort level that's right for you. I'd love for the speakers to be a bit louder, and 10-bit color isn't compatible with the smooth follow spatial tracking mode, but for this price, I can forgive that.

Best XR ecosystem

When I think about all the amazing products Viture makes, I get really excited. As a gadget geek, there's something special about a company that makes a whole ecosystem of products that work with each other, and Viture is the king of XR glasses ecosystems.

The Viture Beast glasses themselves are quite capable, sporting one of the brightest micro-OLED displays on the market. They also sport native 3DoF tracking, which means you plug them into your device of choice, a giant virtual monitor appears through the glasses' displays, and that monitor stays put as you move around, just as if it were a real monitor or TV.

But while the glasses are good enough on their own, it's Viture's vast ecosystem of products that really makes them shine. Take the Viture Pro Neckband, for example. It's like a small computer built into a necklace that plugs into Viture Pro glasses, giving you instant access to cloud services like GeForce Now and remote PlayStation 5 gameplay support, plus movies and anything else that you store on its built-in storage.

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners should pick up the Viture Mobile Dock, which packs a 10,000mAh battery inside and tricks your Switch into thinking it's docked to a TV. This gives you the full 1080p resolution of a docked Nintendo Switch, all on the giant virtual OLED inside Viture Pro, and even unlocks better performance on Switch 2 that's available when docked. This dock also doubles as a giant battery, which can be used for other portable consoles like the Steam Deck, or even just to charge your phone on the go.

Viture has a partnership with popular controller manufacturer 8BitDo and not only has a special branded Bluetooth controller, but also has a VITURE x 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Controller, as well. This controller plugs into your phone and allows you to get the instant feedback of a wired controller without all the neck pain that comes from looking down at your games for a long time, since you can plug your Viture Pro glasses right into the controller.

• Back to the top ^

How to choose

If you're stuck choosing between XR glasses and AI glasses, consider what you'll likely be using them for throughout the day. If you want a normal-looking pair of sunglasses or prescription glasses that doubles as a cool PoV camera, open-ear Bluetooth headphones, or a nifty way to ask AI questions without using your phone, AI glasses are the way to go. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 is your best bet here, or pick MemoMind One for a camera-free option.

If you find yourself traveling a lot, playing games on the go, trying to play games or watch something different from your housemates, or you like to work remotely and are tired of looking down at your laptop all the time, XR glasses are what you need. Xreal 1S is the best bet here, but if those are too expensive to start out with, Xreal's xbx a01+ is a much more affordable way to try the concept out.