Alibaba has started selling its first smart glasses based on Qwen AI models in China. The glasses will go on sale internationally next year. Bloomberg reports.
The new Quark S1 glasses, China’s answer to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, feature built-in translucent screens that let you add information to what the user sees. The device is also equipped with cameras, bone-conduction microphones, and replaceable batteries, designed for 24 hours of operation.
The Quark AI glasses come in two versions — the S1, which starts at 3,799 yuan ($536), and the G1, which starts at 1,899 yuan. Their main difference is the display: the G1 does not have micro-OLED displays.
Both models are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 platform, a chip designed specifically for augmented reality glasses that includes neural processing units (NPUs) for AI tasks.
The S1 is available now on Alibaba’s Tmall, JD.com, ByteDance Ltd.’s Douyin, and more than 600 stores in 82 cities in China. International sales will begin next year, with some versions available through AliExpress, among others.
The company said features include on-the-fly translation, AI-powered meeting notes, and the ability to ask questions to virtual assistants.
Users can take a picture of any item with the lens camera, and the device will immediately display its price on Taobao, Alibaba’s main marketplace in China.