Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses too expensive? Cheaper rivals could be coming soon

• Xiamoi might be entering the smart glasses market, according to a new report.
• The rumored glasses will look to undercut the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
• These should offer a similar feature set with cameras built-in.

The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are among the best smart glasses (and the best AI wearable in general) around. They have a sleek, stylish shape and solid Meta AI integration (with helpful tools like Look and Ask, which rely on the glasses’ camera). But they aren’t cheap, which is where these rumored Xiaomi smart glasses might come in.

Per a report from Chinese media outlet 36Kr, industry insiders have said that Xiaomi will launch AI glasses that will “fully benchmark against Meta Ray-Ban,” – suggesting they’ll pack all the same tools and features. This would include a version of the Xiaomi AI – which looks awfully similar to Apple Intelligence if you ask us – but also the cameras and built-in speakers.

There’s no precise word on how much they’ll cost when they launch, but Xiaomi is known for producing more affordable tech than its better-known rivals, so we expect its smart specs to start at less than Meta Ray-Ban’s $299 / £299 / AU$449 starting price.

Not a surprise, not a guarantee

Though, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out precisely how much the Xiaomi glasses cost, with industry insiders claiming they’ll arrive in Q2 2025. The Mi Fan Festival is usually held in April, which, as 36Kr notes, would align with this schedule, so perhaps the 2025 Fan Festival will be where we see these AI glasses in action.

Obviously, as with all rumors, we should take this leak with a pinch of salt. What’s more, even if these glasses turn out to…