Show me, Xiaomi: Chinese firm’s AI glasses offer features Meta’s Ray-Bans lack

Xiaomi has unveiled AI-powered smart glasses that feature electrochromic dimming technology, allowing users to manually adjust lens darkness by sliding their finger along the frame. While the glasses closely resemble Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses in design and core functionality, this manual dimming feature addresses a key limitation that has made smart glasses less practical for all-day wear across varying lighting conditions.

What you should know: The Xiaomi AI glasses offer several hardware upgrades over Meta’s current offerings while maintaining a similar price point.

• They feature a 12MP camera capable of 2K video recording at 30 frames per second, built-in microphones, and open-ear speakers for audio playback.
• A USB-C port located on one arm allows charging while wearing the glasses, unlike Meta’s specs which only charge in their case.
• Battery life extends to approximately 8.6 hours of use between charges, and the glasses support QR code payments common in China.

The big picture: Smart glasses need to be wearable in all conditions to achieve mainstream adoption, but lens limitations have created practical barriers.

• Clear lenses work well in cloudy conditions but offer no sun protection, while tinted lenses are impractical indoors or in low light.
• Transition lenses have provided a partial solution by automatically adjusting to light conditions, but electrochromic dimming offers user control over when and how much the lenses darken.

In plain English: Electrochromic dimming works like adjustable window tint—you slide your finger along the glasses frame to make the lenses darker or lighter on demand, rather than waiting for them to change automatically based on sunlight.

Pricing breakdown: The manual dimming feature comes at a premium similar to Meta’s transition lens option.

• Base Xiaomi glasses cost 1,999 yuan (equivalent to Meta’s $299 / £299 / AU$449 base price) but lack electrochromic dimming.
• The cheapest electrochromic-equipped model costs 2,699 yuan, matching Meta’s $379 / £379 / AU$539 transition lens variant.

The catch: These glasses appear destined for China-only availability, limiting their global impact despite addressing key user pain points that international competitors have yet to solve.