AI driven eyewear built around Qwen arrives in China
Alibaba has begun selling its first artificial intelligence glasses in China, a move that places the company squarely in the race to define the next wave of consumer devices. The Quark AI Glasses series launches with two families, the display equipped S1 and the lighter G1, both tightly integrated with Alibaba’s Qwen artificial intelligence and a new companion Qwen app. Prices start at 1,899 yuan for the G1 and 3,799 yuan for the S1, positioning Alibaba below premium smart glasses from global rivals while leaning on the company’s vast commerce, payments, and mapping services. The devices promise hands free help for everyday tasks, which Alibaba sees as a natural extension of how Chinese consumers already shop, pay and navigate with their phones.
The S1 overlays digital information in front of the wearer’s eyes and supports voice and touch controls. The G1 focuses on audio, vision capture, and AI assistance without a display, aiming for comfort during long daily use. Both connect deeply with Alipay for payments, Taobao for shopping, and Amap for directions, and they offer on the go translation and instant price recognition through the camera. The launch sets up a direct comparison with Meta’s latest Ray Ban Display glasses, Xiaomi’s smart eyewear, and products from Chinese innovators like Rokid and Xreal. Alibaba is betting that a blend of AI and its everyday services will appeal to mainstream users, not just early adopters of augmented reality.
Alibaba executives have framed the device as part of a wider shift toward ambient computing, where intelligent services surface as needed without a phone in hand. Wu Jia, a vice president at Alibaba, has described AI glasses as a major leap in human computer interaction. After introducing the device, Wu set expectations for the category’s role in daily life.
Wu Jia said: “AI glasses represent a significant advancement in human computer interaction, comparable in importance to mobile phones.”
What the Quark glasses do
The core pitch is simple. Speak or tap to invoke Qwen, then get help with tasks that usually require a phone. That includes translation, question answering, reminders, and navigation. For shoppers, the camera can identify a product and pull up pricing on Taobao. For work, the glasses can generate meeting notes and act as a live teleprompter. For daily errands, they can display turn by turn guidance in the wearer’s field of view on the S1. They can also capture photos and video hands free, with bone conduction audio for discreet calls and prompts.
Alibaba has woven its services into the experience to reduce friction. Alipay handles payments, Amap supplies maps and transit, Taobao powers price checks, and Fliggy can assist with travel bookings. Music apps from Tencent’s QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music are also supported. The assistant wakes with the phrase “Hello Qwen” or via touch, then uses voice, vision and context to respond. The result is a device that aims to be useful on a commute, in a supermarket aisle, at work, or while traveling.
How Qwen powers the experience
Qwen is Alibaba’s large language model, similar to other general purpose AI systems that generate text, interpret images, and follow complex instructions. Inside the glasses, Qwen handles real time translation, visual understanding for price and product recognition, and summaries like meeting notes. The new Qwen app connects the device to the broader Qwen platform so that requests can move between glasses and phone without extra steps. Alibaba says the Qwen app reached more than ten million downloads in its first week of public testing, a sign of strong interest in consumer AI services linked to the glasses. The company has also upgraded its Quark AI browser, knitting its consumer software into a single fabric with Qwen at the center.
Hardware and design
The S1 uses near eye displays so it can place information directly in the user’s view while keeping the world visible. Alibaba describes a translucent presentation that superimposes text and graphics without blocking the scene ahead. The displays use micro OLED panels, a technology known for high contrast and rich color in a compact package. Cameras, bone conduction microphones, and a six microphone array support capture and voice control. A dual chip setup pairs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 platform with a low power coprocessor, balancing performance and battery life. The system can run a lightweight real time operating system alongside Android to keep audio, sensors, and AI features responsive.
The S1 is designed for a full day of mixed use. Swappable batteries target up to 24 hour service depending on how heavily features are used. Alibaba highlights 3K still captures, AI improved 4K video output, and better low light performance for night scenes. The G1, which weighs about 40 grams, shares the main chipset, acoustics, and camera but omits the display. That tradeoff trims weight and cost for people who want hands free capture and voice centric assistance in a more classic frame.
S1 versus G1
The S1 is the choice for augmented overlays and immersive guidance. It can place navigation arrows in front of you, show a short script for a presentation, and return translations at a glance. The G1 keeps the AI powered features without a screen, relying on spoken output, haptic cues, and the phone display when visuals are needed. Both models support voice and touch input, but the S1’s display opens use cases that benefit from quick glances, such as street level navigation or short notes. The G1’s lighter design suits all day wear, workouts, or travel where comfort is a priority. Whether users prefer glanceable overlays or pure audio assistance will likely determine which model fits best.
Why Alibaba is making smart glasses now
Tech companies are rushing to define a new class of AI devices that feel less intrusive than a headset and more immediate than a phone. Meta leads virtual reality headsets. Apple sells the Vision Pro, and Samsung’s Galaxy XR is part of a new wave of mixed reality hardware. In smart glasses, Meta’s Ray Ban Display model set a price and design benchmark for screen equipped eyewear. Chinese brands are moving quickly too, with Xiaomi, Rokid and others building camera enabled glasses and lightweight displays. Analysts expect shipments of AI oriented glasses to pass ten million units in 2026, and China remains the world’s largest wearables market, with tens of millions of devices shipped each quarter. This momentum is fueled by lighter materials, better displays, more efficient chips, and AI models that can understand voice and images in real time.
Alibaba’s strategy adds a commerce twist. It wants to make Qwen the front door for services that Chinese users already rely on for shopping and payments. In China’s competitive e commerce sector, companies talk about winning the next major traffic entry point, the place where consumers start a transaction or a search. Glasses that can show a price, guide a checkout, or complete a payment without reaching for a phone support that goal. Alibaba is also investing heavily in AI across cloud and consumer products, and bringing Qwen into physical devices signals a broader shift from software alone to integrated hardware and services.
A play for the next traffic gateway
Industry watchers see Alibaba’s strengths as more about everyday tasks than entertainment. Li Chengdong, an electronics industry analyst, described the company’s approach as extending its core services into a new form factor. After assessing the integration with shopping, maps, and payments, he summarized the value proposition in direct terms.
Li Chengdong said: “Alibaba’s strengths in shopping, payments, and navigation mean its AI glasses function more as a life assistant.”
Software ecosystem and developers
Beyond Alibaba’s own apps, the company is opening the platform to partners. The glasses support a model context protocol that allows third party developers to build services that understand user context, such as location or the active task, without forcing the user to switch apps constantly. That could enable language learning tools that adapt to a neighborhood sign, fitness apps that guide a run, or productivity apps that display short prompts during a meeting. The goal is to make Qwen the logic layer that mediates between user intent and the right service, whether it is an Alibaba app or something external.
The Quark brand links the glasses to a larger software effort. Launched years ago as a mobile browser, Quark has grown into an AI powered information platform in China. With the Qwen app and the Quark browser both now upgraded, Alibaba is creating a consistent environment where the same assistant runs across desktop, phone, and glasses. That continuity matters when users move between screens during a day.
Price, availability, and channels
The S1 starts at 3,799 yuan, about 537 dollars at current rates. The G1 starts at 1,899 yuan, about 268 dollars. The glasses are available through major Chinese platforms Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin. Alibaba has also lined up retail partners, with S1 units already in hundreds of stores across dozens of cities, and G1 units open for pre order. The company has signaled plans for an international rollout beginning in 2026, with Asia and parts of Europe likely to come first.
Early reactions and unresolved challenges
Early buyers and testers in China have praised the lightweight design, smooth pairing with the Qwen app, and helpful features like translation and glanceable navigation on the S1. Some users point out that heavy use of camera, translation, and display features can drain batteries faster than a claim based on mixed usage suggests. Others raise privacy concerns that have followed every wave of camera glasses from Google Glass to Ray Ban models, especially in places where bystanders do not expect to be recorded. These debates often flare up as a new product finds its footing. They tend to push companies to add more visible indicators and more granular controls for the camera and microphone.
The privacy challenge
Smart glasses combine always ready cameras, microphones, and AI that can transcribe and summarize what they capture. That can be incredibly useful for note taking or translation, yet it also creates expectations about when recording is acceptable, how data is stored, and what controls users have in public spaces. Many jurisdictions expect visible lights, audible prompts, or other cues to signal recording. Clear permissions for contacts and workplaces help avoid surprises. For Alibaba, the test will be how well its software and hardware settings balance convenience with control in a way that fits social norms in each market.
Competitive comparison
Meta’s latest Ray Ban Display model, priced from about 799 dollars, offers a color display in one lens, social integrations, and a well known fashion brand. Alibaba’s S1 counters with dual micro OLED near eye displays and deep ties to a commerce and payments network that is widely used in China. Apple and Samsung target mixed reality with heavier headsets aimed at media or productivity, not all day eyewear. Xiaomi, Rokid, and Xreal sit in the middle with a range of designs. Alibaba’s bet is that a strong AI assistant tied to shopping and navigation can make glasses valuable to more people, while the display free G1 gives users a daily companion without changing the look of a classic frame.
What Snapdragon AR1 brings
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 is designed for augmented reality glasses. It focuses on efficient AI tasks like voice recognition, on device translation, and real time visual understanding, while keeping power draw low enough for all day wear. It supports multiple cameras and sensors and helps synchronize audio, video, and display output with minimal delay. In the Quark glasses, AR1 works with a smaller coprocessor so demanding tasks run when needed and routine sensing stays efficient. That balance is essential for a device that sits on your face for hours without a heavy battery pack.
What to Know
- Alibaba launched Quark AI Glasses in China in two families, the display equipped S1 and the lighter G1.
- Prices start at 3,799 yuan for S1 and 1,899 yuan for G1, undercutting some international rivals.
- The glasses are built around Alibaba’s Qwen AI and a new Qwen app for voice and touch control.
- S1 uses micro OLED near eye displays for overlays, while G1 omits a display for comfort and lower cost.
- Features include translation, price recognition linked to Taobao, navigation through Amap, meeting notes, and a live teleprompter.
- Hardware highlights include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1, bone conduction audio, a six microphone array, cameras, and swappable batteries rated for day long use.
- Sales are live on Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin, with S1 in retail stores across many Chinese cities; international rollout is planned for 2026.
- Alibaba’s entry challenges Meta, Xiaomi, and others, with a focus on everyday life assistance rooted in commerce, payments, and maps.
