Even Realities’ G1 Glasses: A Display-First Approach to Smart Eyewear in the Expanding Chinese Market – A Review

Analysis | Even Realities, a Chinese manufacturer of smart-glasses, prioritizes displays in their unique approach, differing from Meta

The G1 glasses, priced at US$600, are high-end, screen-focused products in a market that is gradually being overwhelmed by low-cost options from China.

In contrast to the frames of Ray-Ban, the Even Realities G1 glasses utilize micro-LED projectors and a unique layer within the lenses to transmit data instead of using speakers. This is a feature I've long desired in a pair of stylish glasses that I'd be at ease wearing in public. While the physical components fulfill this expectation, the software might not yet be prepared for global acceptance of this futuristic concept.

When the company Even Realities proposed that I test their inaugural product, I was particularly intrigued to examine the advancements made in smart glasses featuring displays. I classify these as "visual" smart glasses since they mainly provide feedback via sight, differing from "auditory" smart glasses, such as the speaker-fitted Ray-Ban Meta frames, and "immersive" smart glasses like the recently launched Orion augmented reality glasses by Meta or the glasses produced by Xreal from China.

The key aspect for a product of this nature is that it must resemble ordinary glasses – essentially something that individuals would want to use daily – a point well recognized by Even Realities' co-founder and CEO, Will Wang.

"Wang expressed in his Shenzhen office back in July that in order to develop intelligent spectacles, they must begin with the existing eyewear market because people are already accustomed to wearing glasses. He emphasized that if the goal is for individuals to wear these smart glasses throughout the day, they first and foremost need to be a high-quality pair of spectacles."