A few months after being previewed during CES 2025, Rokid is ready to release its futuristic AR smart glasses. While Meta and other companies are still focusing on AI assistants and cameras for their solutions, Rokid goes a step further by actually adding a display on the glasses.
Ahead of IFA 2025, the company invited BGR and other media outlets to have an early look at these glasses, which are hitting the market next month. The Rokid Glasses feature a 12MP POV camera, dual-eye monochrome display so you can read information while wearing them, and a built-in assistant for everyday queries. One of the highlights of these glasses is the real-time translation functionality, which is powered by ChatGPT.
More than that, what makes these glasses stand out is that not only do they look very regular, but you’d never guess they’re smart glasses until you put them on your face. That said, here’s everything you need to know about them.
Rokid shows smart glasses are today’s technology
I was able to try Rokid Glasses for a while. What impressed me the most was that these glasses look like regular ones, and whenever someone is looking at you with them, you’d think that the display’s reflection is actually an anti-reflective coat or something like that.
Those glasses work with three distinct commands: You can slide and tap the outer arm of the glasses to navigate the menu, you can click a proper button for taking photos or recording videos, and you can ask Rokid’s AI assistant to navigate the product.
What adds charm to these glasses is the retro 80s’ vibe of the UI. It feels like a text box from old Game Boy games, and the experience should be very straightforward. You can listen to music, use the live translation feature, or use a teleprompter. You can also do most of those tasks with Rokid’s app on your phone as well.
After reviewing so many tech products over the years, I was really surprised by how it felt to be using proper smart glasses, because I know it should be as simple as the way they promote it, but it’s so interesting to have this layer between you and the real world that I couldn’t focus on people around me, and I’d be looking at my table while reading the teleprompter or paying attention to the live translation feature.
Rokid Glasses are a reality, but you should wait
Long-story short, Rokid Glasses are a solid look at the future. However, during my tests, I thought it was a bit challenging to navigate through its menu, as the outer sensor wasn’t very precise. As it also relies on a good internet connection, the Live Translation feature did work, but it took a long time to translate what people were saying. Still, for an environment as loud as a German bar, I was impressed to hold a conversation going back and forth from Mandarin to English.
As explained by Rokid’s team, ideally the other person would also be wearing a pair of Rokid Glasses. While they wouldn’t sync up with each other, it would be as natural as speaking your own language with the other person, and the translation, in a good environment, would be real-time. Since this technology is powered by ChatGPT, you can already try on your phone how this Live Translation feature works.
Besides that, I also tried the teleprompter feature, and I felt like that would be very useful on a keynote or during a presentation. While you can set the teleprompter to roll at a specific speed, you could also use the not-so-much precise outer sensor to go back and forth. You can make it as natural as you’d be thinking on what you’re saying, even though you just want to scroll through the teleprompter.
Should you get Rokid Glasses?
or around $500, these glasses are part of a very successful Kickstarter campaign. Early birds will get this product with a proper charging case. Still, you can also use and charge your glasses as an Apple Vision Pro. The cable connects at the edge of its arm, so you can put it on a power bank and enjoy it.
While the Rokid team hasn’t been very specific on battery life, the company’s website says it can last up to six hours by listening to songs. The glasses have other limitations, such as recording videos for only a minute before you need to start recording again.
I was also not able to listen to songs while wearing it, and I had some issues talking to the Rokid assistant due to the poor internet connection and the venue being loud. Still, I was very impressed with what they were able to show me at this moment.
Even though it’s getting released next month, I don’t think this product is ready for the general public, but if you feel like trying tomorrow’s technology today, the company is offering this product for a fair price, and it actually works. Last but not least, if you also wear glasses, you can attach prescription lenses, so, who would’ve thought? These are also glasses after all.
