Alibaba has officially entered the smart glasses market with the launch of its first AI-powered wearable — Quark AI Glasses. The device was showcased at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, marking the company’s bold step into augmented reality (AR) hardware. Although pricing and availability details are yet to be confirmed, Alibaba stated that the product is fully developed and will go on sale in China later this year.
The Quark AI glasses are integrated deeply into Alibaba’s expanding AI ecosystem. They’re designed to offer a wide array of smart features, including:
Real-time language translation
Hands-free payments via Alipay
Visual price comparisons on Taobao
Turn-by-turn navigation using Amap
Hands-free calling, music playback, and live meeting transcription
All of these can be accessed directly through the lenses, offering a seamless and futuristic user experience.
Under the hood, the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 chip, specifically built for AR wearables. Additionally, a secondary low-power processor manages lighter tasks. Alibaba has employed a dual OS architecture — Android handles complex apps and interactions, while a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) manages immediate or background operations efficiently.
Alibaba's foray into smart glasses comes at a time when global and local competitors are stepping up. Brands like Meta (with Ray-Ban smart glasses) and Chinese firms Xreal and Rokid have already entered the segment. Rather than being a follower, Alibaba is leaning into its strengths — AI capabilities, software infrastructure, and its vast ecosystem of apps and services like Alipay, Taobao, and Amap.
Alibaba has paid special attention to comfort and wearability. According to the company, the arms of the Quark AI glasses are 40% slimmer than the industry average, offering better ergonomics. The frame is lightweight, yet it accommodates all essential tech components without looking bulky — a key factor for everyday use.
The glasses are named after Quark, Alibaba’s in-house AI assistant. Originally launched as a search and cloud storage tool, Quark has evolved into a powerful assistant comparable to ChatGPT or Google Gemini. It now powers the glasses’ smart capabilities like live translation, object recognition, and intelligent recommendations.
This hardware launch is a part of Alibaba’s larger push into artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, the company committed $53 billion over three years to build out its AI infrastructure. Alibaba is also developing its own large language models under the Qwen brand, which powers many features in the Quark assistant.
In a strategic move, Alibaba partnered with AR glasses maker RayNeo to integrate its AI capabilities into their wearables. This signals Alibaba’s long-term ambitions in the AR and wearable AI space — potentially laying the groundwork for future collaborations and hardware-software integration.
As of now, Alibaba has not disclosed the global availability or pricing details for the Quark AI glasses. However, the product is fully built and expected to launch in China later in 2025. Global tech enthusiasts and investors alike are closely watching Alibaba’s next steps in the wearables market.