China’s Alibaba giant enters the smart glasses race with removable batteries

Chinese tech giant Alibaba entered the AI-powered smart glasses race on Thursday with the release of its Quark headsets in China. Notably, the batteries can be swapped out for all day usage unlike competitors.

Alibaba said the Quark AI glasses come in two variants, the S1 flagship and the “lifestyle-focused” G1, in multiple colors and lens types. Prices start at 3,799 yuan ($537) and 1,899 yuan ($268), respectively. The main difference are the lenses, Alibaba said, with the S1 using clear micro-OLED displays.

Both have bone conduction microphones, built-in cameras, and a “swappable dual-battery system” that “delivers up to 24 hours of battery life.” They’re powered by Alibaba’s AI model Qwen and a linked app, meaning they can be controlled via voice or touch.

Alibaba said the glasses will be integrated with its apps like Alipay and Taobao, as well as music streaming platforms like QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music. They’ll be able to provide services like on-the-go translation, instant price recognition, navigation support, and meeting transcription.

International models will be available next year, according to Bloomberg, but those markets haven’t been identified.

The glasses mark an effort to crack the market for AI-powered wearables tech companies bet could be the next big consumer gadget. Meta, with its Ray-Ban glasses, is the clear leader, but others like Apple, and whatever Sam Altman is developing with Jony Ive, are rushing to catch up.