Xiaomi Smart Glasses revealed: MicroLED display brings true AR into focus

Xiaomi Smart Glasses
(Image credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi unveiled a new pair of smart glasses called Xiaomi Smart Glasses, a smart wearable device concept with a built-in MicroLED display.

Looking like a slightly chunkier version of the Edith glasses Peter Parker dons in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the concept smart device one-ups the recently announced Ray-Ban Stories (created in partnership with Facebook) with a screen for different AR implementations.

Xiaomi Smart Glasses specs

The Xiaomi Smart Glasses are an independent Android device, which means they don’t require a constant phone connection to work. At 1.8 ounces (51 grams), these come in slightly heavier than Facebook’s Ray-Ban Stories specs, and while we can’t say for sure about size without specific measurements, Xiaomi Smart Glasses appear to be bigger.

This could be due to the tech packed in them — including a quad-core ARM processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, a 5MP camera, and that MicroLED screen, which at 2.4mm x 2.02mm is “roughly the size of a grain of rice,” according to Xiaomi.

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

Why is Xiaomi opting to use a monochrome MicroLED system? The company's explanation for the decision over the more traditional OLED is that this technology offers a “higher pixel density and longer lifespan while having a simpler structure.” This means the screen can be smaller in size while still being easier to integrate.

Xiaomi Smart Glasses: The future

The smart glasses market is still in its infancy. The smartwatch took a few years to find a marketable reason to exist alongside smartphones, including health and fitness, and smart glasses need to find a way to become an essential expansion to your digital life.

Xiaomi Smart Glasses

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

This is why I have my fingers crossed in the hope that this Xiaomi concept becomes available and will come down the pipeline soon. However, a company spokesperson told The Verge there’s “no plan to put these on sale.” 

As you should with any promotional material like this, take it with a pinch of salt. That said, with the amount of detail given about Xiaomi’s concept wearable, there may be a reason to be optimistic that the company could have something in development in the next year or so.

Jason England
Content Editor

Jason brought a decade of tech and gaming journalism experience to his role as a writer at Laptop Mag, and he is now the Managing Editor of Computing at Tom's Guide. He takes a particular interest in writing articles and creating videos about laptops, headphones and games. He has previously written for Kotaku, Stuff and BBC Science Focus. In his spare time, you'll find Jason looking for good dogs to pet or thinking about eating pizza if he isn't already.