Meta vs Alibaba: The smart glasses battle just got real

Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses may have popularized the smart eyewear category—but they now face a formidable new rival from China. Tech giant Alibaba has officially entered the wearables arena with its first AI-enabled smart glasses, dubbed Quark.

Slated for a late 2025 release in China, the Quark glasses are powered by Qwen, Alibaba’s proprietary large language model, and the Quark AI assistant. Unlike many previous attempts at smart eyewear, Alibaba is positioning Quark as a fully integrated device that combines hardware, artificial intelligence, digital payments, navigation, and e-commerce capabilities.

With this launch, Alibaba joins a growing group of global players racing to turn smart glasses into the next major computing platform. The company’s move also signals a direct challenge to Meta, whose Ray-Ban Smart Glasses currently offer hands-free photo and video capture, voice-controlled music playback, and access to Meta’s AI assistant. Meta has already shipped over 1 million units of the product, thanks in part to its successful blend of fashion and function.

Alibaba’s challenge doesn’t stop with Meta. It’s also entering a crowded domestic market, going up against Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, which earlier this year launched its own AI-powered smart glasses targeting mass adoption with a more affordable price point.

Smart glasses have had a checkered history. Google Glass, launched in 2013, failed to gain consumer traction and was eventually discontinued. But recent advances in AI and hardware miniaturisation are breathing new life into the category. Today’s smart glasses are more discreet, wearable, and useful than ever.

And the market is finally responding. According to Counterpoint Research, global smart glasses shipments surged 210% in 2024, vastly outpacing smartphone growth of just 7% during the same period. Research firm MarketsandMarkets projects the smart glasses industry will grow from $878 million in 2024 to over $4.1 billion by 2030, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.4%.

Key growth drivers include the miniaturisation of AI components, rising demand for augmented reality applications, and increasing adoption in enterprise solutions across logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing.

For Alibaba, the Quark glasses are more than just a product—they represent a new user interface for its vast digital empire. With built-in access to Alibaba’s services, the glasses could serve as a gateway to everything from shopping and payments to navigation and communication—making them a powerful extension of its ecosystem.

As Alibaba, Meta, and Xiaomi compete to define the category, one thing is clear: smart glasses are no longer a futuristic gimmick. They’re shaping up to be the next battleground in consumer tech.