There’s a lot of excitement around AI glasses, and while Meta had the early advantage in this category, Chinese brands are going on the offensive. Rokid in particular is doing interesting things with its latest products — the Rokid AI Glasses Style are a straightforward rival to the Meta Ray-Ban, and the best part is that they don’t cost as much.
The AI Glasses Style debuted for $299, and they’re now down to $279. I know that it’s just a $20 discount, but the glasses under the Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 by $100, and that’s no small feat considering you get a camera and all kinds of useful AI features on the AI Glasses Style as well.
I used the Rokid AI Glasses Style for over a month now, and the glasses are generally great. While Rokid says they’re 38.5g, that isn’t the case — I measured the glasses, and they weigh 45g. Still, they’re a smidgen lighter than Meta’s glasses, and you can tell the difference.
I’ll admit that the design is generic to an extent, you don’t get the customizability that Meta offers with the Ray-Bans, and I don’t like the glossy finish — it proved to be a dust magnet, and I was constantly cleaning the glasses after every use. Thankfully, there’s a microfiber cloth bundled in the box, and you’ll be using it regularly.
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In spite of those quibbles, the AI Glasses Style do a good job with the basics, and I didn’t see any issues with fit or comfort even with extended use. On that note, the battery life is better than the Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 as well, and that’s a definite plus point. Oh, and Rokid lets you select lenses, and there are prescription options, including progressive correction.
They’re also easy to set up and use, and Rokid’s mobile app includes a lot of features. The onboard sound is good too, and I like the image quality of the 12MP built-in cameras; they take decent photos and videos.
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Where the AI Glasses Style truly shine is the AI assistant integration. You can interact with Gemini, use real-time translation, and use AI-assisted object recognition and transcribing when attending meetings. These are all nifty use cases, and I like how Rokid is building out an AI ecosystem around its glasses. While some of the features proved to be flaky in the beginning, a recent update sorted out some of the problems, and AI scene recognition does a good job now.
Overall, the AI Glasses Style are a decent alternative to the Meta Ray-Ban if you need a pair of sunglasses with the ability to shoot good imagery and videos. I don’t like the glossy design or the fact that the case doesn’t have charging — you’ll need to use a dedicated cable that’s bundled in the box — but other than those issues, the AI-focused glasses have plenty to offer. If you’re just starting out and want an affordable alternative to the Meta Ray-Ban, the AI Glasses Style are a legitimate contender.
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