After Ray-Ban Stories By Facebook, Xiaomi Unveils Its Smart Glasses

By – Ashwathy Nair

Xiaomi has recently revealed its Smart Glasses, which will allow users to make calls, view messages and notifications, navigate, and even snap photos all while wearing them. Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun unveiled the ‘Xiaomi Smart Glasses’ on Twitter, and the company has released further details about the new gadget in an official blog post.

Xiaomi’s revelation comes just days after Facebook unveiled Ray-Ban Stories, a pair of smart spectacles developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban.

Xiaomi Smart Glasses: Specifications and Features

The Xiaomi Smart Eyewear weighs 51 grams and, while they appear to be conventional glasses, they use what Xiaomi terms “MicroLED optical waveguide imaging technology” to place the display in front of the user’s eyes. The glasses have a few characteristics such as a quad-core ARM CPU, battery, touchpad, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules, and Android operating system.

They also have a 5MP front-facing camera for taking images and translating text within photos. Next to the camera is an indicator light that illuminates when the camera is in operation, indicating that photos are being shot. Ray-Ban Stories on Facebook have the same white LED to signify that the user is recording. However, it should be emphasized that these do not make use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology.

The content is shown on MicroLED screens built into the frame by Xiaomi. MicroLED pixels, like OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), are individually lighted, allowing for brighter displays and deeper blacks, as well as a higher pixel density and longer lifespan with a simpler construction. This also allows for a smaller display, which is essential for smart eyewear. MicroLEDs, on the other hand, are more expensive, so it’ll be fascinating to see how Xiaomi prices them.

According to the company, they have a display chip that measures 2.4mm x 2.02mm and is “roughly the size of a grain of rice” when viewed through a microscope.

They “settled on an ultra-efficient monochrome display technology, which is capable of hitting a peak brightness of 2 million units,” according to the company, in order “to let adequate light travel via advanced optical structures before reaching the eye even in harsh direct sunlight.”

It goes on to say that the MicroLED display can correctly transfer light beams to the human eye thanks to optical waveguide technology that reflects backlight at 180 degrees. “Rather than using complicated multiple lens systems, mirrors, or half mirrors, as some other products do, everything is done within a single lens.” “Optical waveguide technology significantly reduces device size and weight, enabling smart glasses to match the form factor of traditional glasses,” according to the company.

Smart Glasses, according to Xiaomi, have a total of 497 components, including small sensors and connectivity modules, and can be more than just a smartphone’s second screen. “It can also individually complete functions such as navigation, capturing photos, teleprompter, and real-time text and photo translations,” the company claims. However, the glasses are designed to reduce interruptions at inconvenient times and display “important information timely when critical,” according to the company.

Users can interact with the Smart Glasses using the company’s own XiaoAi AI Assistant as the primary mode of engagement. The glasses will not display all of your phone’s notifications in front of your eyes. Instead, to avoid disturbing customers, they will only send the most necessary communications, such as smart home alarms, urgent information from business apps, and messages from important contacts, etc.

To make phone calls, the glasses have a built-in dual beamforming microphone and speaker. In addition, the glasses can display real-time maps and roadways to users.

Xiaomi Smart Glasses: Price and Release Date

Xiaomi hasn’t said how much they will cost or when they’ll be available. It’s unclear whether or not these products will be available in global markets, including India.