Alibaba has entered the smart glasses market with the release of Quark AI Glasses, a direct competitor to Meta Ray-Ban Display which launched in the US earlier this year at $800.
The Latest Update
Chinese retail giant Alibaba has unveiled its first smart glasses, named Quark AI Glasses, powered by the company’s own Qwen AI technology.
Currently available in China, Quark AI Glasses are offered in two main versions through various online and offline retailers:
- Quark AI Glasses S1: starting at ¥3,799 (~$540 USD), featuring dual monochrome green displays
- Quark AI Glasses G1: starting at ¥1,899 (~$270 USD), with no displays but sharing core technology with the ‘S1’ model
The Quark AI Glasses S1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 chipset and a low-power co-processor driving dual monochrome green micro-OLED displays with up to 4,000 nits brightness, as reported by South China Morning Post.
Additional features include a five-microphone array with bone conduction, 3K video recording upscaleable to 4K, and low-light imaging enhancements akin to smartphone capabilities. The S1 model also offers hot-swappable batteries for extended usage.
Check out the English version of the Chinese announcement below:
Personal Thoughts
Comparing the specs, Quark AI Glasses S1 differs from Meta Ray-Ban Display as it utilizes dual monochrome green displays instead of a single full-color display. This limits the visual information available on the glasses.
Unlike Meta’s offering, Quark S1 lacks an input device like Neural Band, restricting interaction to voice and touch commands only. However, Quark S1’s integration with Qwen AI ecosystem and Alipay for quick QR payments in China provides a unique advantage over competitors.
While Alibaba’s Qwen AI is available globally, it’s unlikely that Quark AI Glasses S1/G1 will expand beyond Chinese markets or directly compete with Meta’s established presence.
