Rokid AI Glasses Surpass $1M On Kickstarter In Biggest Challenge Yet To Meta Ray-Bans
In a clear signal to the ever-evolving smart glasses market, AR/AI brand Rokid followed the announcement of its new AI-driven smart glasses with a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1 million in just three days. We don't think it's a fluke either, with the Rokid Glasses combining some of the best features from competitors like Ray-Ban Meta and HTC Vive Eagle, Rokid's effort has every reason to succeed.
The Rokid glasses, which made their public debut at IFA 2025 in Berlin, integrate an AI core, AR capabilities, and a 12-megapixel first-person camera into a 49-gram frame ("world's lightest", the company claims). What sets the Rokid Glasses apart from rivals like Ray-Ban Metas is their integrated heads-up display, greater AI-powered capabilities, and larger battery capacity, among other things. While the glasses share a similar physical design to Meta’s flagship Wayfarer style and offer comparable features like photography and premium audio, they go a step further.
Key functionalities include real-time multi-language translation (89 of them, to be exact), real-time object recognition, and AI-powered problem-solving. The glasses also feature native ChatGPT support, Audio Memo for notes and reminders, and a camera that captures moments from the user's perspective in both horizontal and vertical orientations.
The preorder campaign's impressive success on Kickstarter points to strong consumer appetite for smart glasses that yearns for more capabilities in an affordable package. The initial $600 early-bird price point is competitive, and the campaign is (at the time of writing) still offering a 20% discount to early backers, bringing the price down to $480. The company, which has been producing smart devices since 2014, has committed to shipping the final product in November this year, but the campaign page also states that global politics and logistics could affect production and shipping times.
Rokid also plans to tailor the product to different markets, such as a wireless payment feature for the Chinese market and turn-by-turn navigation for the US and global markets. The glasses also support customizable lenses for those with vision needs and come with a rechargeable case that provides up to ten full charges (which equates to 10 full days of use, according to the manufacturer).
