Source: All-weather Technology
Author: Huang Yu

Standing on the shoulders of Meta.

In September 2023, $Meta Platforms (META.US)$ jointly launched the second-generation AI glasses Ray-Ban Meta with Ray-Ban, igniting the AI glasses market, with sales already exceeding 2 million units, making it the first AI glasses to surpass sales expectations.

After recognizing the immense potential of the AI glasses market, the popularity of AI glasses has continued to rise since the second half of last year, with numerous players entering this field, all benchmarking against Meta, aiming to create the second blockbuster AI glasses.

As a leading company in the domestic AR sector, Thunderbird Innovation does not hide its ambition to surpass Meta. On January 7, during the CES event, dubbed the "Spring Festival Gala of the tech circle," Thunderbird Innovation held a launch event themed "Meta, Beyond," officially unveiling the Thunderbird V3 AI shooting glasses.

Li Hongwei, founder and CEO of Thunderbird Innovation, candidly stated that 2025 is destined to be the year of the century-long battle for AI glasses, and all of this was ignited by the second-generation AI glasses Ray-Ban Meta, which swept the entire market upon its launch.

Li Hongwei did not hide his admiration for competitors. He stated that as a software-originated company, Meta has the same attention to detail in the design of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta as Apple, and Meta is undoubtedly the best choice for smart glasses under 3,000 yuan in 2024.

Thunderbird Innovation's goal is very clear; it aims to make the Thunderbird V3 comprehensively surpass Meta in experience across four areas: headphones, cameras, AI, and glasses, all at the same price point. "Truly stand on the shoulders of Meta to design a product that surpasses Meta."

Reportedly, Thunderbird Innovation began product development as early as May 2022, initially designing two products, V1 and V2, which were prototype machines based on cameras. However, after Meta's stunning launch in September 2023, Thunderbird Innovation decided to combine previous experience, start over, and develop a third prototype.

The Thunderbird V3 AI shooting glasses that ultimately came to market is equipped with several innovative technologies, including the Falcon Imaging System, the Tongyi Qianwen exclusive customized large model, the first-generation Snapdragon AR1 flagship chip, and custom speakers.

It is worth mentioning that Thunderbird V3 is also the first AI glasses equipped with a customized large model in the country. On the first working day of 2025, Alibaba Cloud announced an exclusive strategic cooperation with Thunderbird Innovation, where Alibaba Cloud's Tongyi series large models will provide exclusive customized comprehensive AI technology and product support for Thunderbird Innovation's AI glasses, with Thunderbird V3 being the first product to emerge from this collaboration.

In addition, to attract more consumers, Thunderbird Innovation has been very sincere in pricing. Currently, the cheapest version of Meta available in the domestic market is about 2899 yuan, while the final price of Thunderbird V3 is set at 1799 yuan.

Thunderbird V3 will undoubtedly fire the first shot in the century-long battle for AI glasses in 2025.

The "Hundred Glasses Battle" is about to break out. Since 2024, many domestic manufacturers have announced the launch of AI glasses one after another.

Currently, players entering the AI glasses track in the domestic market can mainly be divided into three categories: first, AR glasses manufacturers such as Thunderbird Innovation, Li Weike Technology, Rokid, and others; second, mobile phone manufacturers such as Huawei, $XIAOMI-W (01810.HK)$ , Star Era Meizu, OPPO, and others; third, major Internet companies such as $Baidu (BIDU.US)$, ByteDance, and others.

Many AI glasses products have rapidly emerged at home and abroad. For example, internationally, there are Ray-Ban Meta, Solos AirGo Vision, and Frame AI smart glasses; domestically, there are Thunderbird V3, Li Weike Meta Lens Chat, Jiehuan AI audio glasses, and Star Records Meizu StarV Air2.

As Li Hongwei said, "The glasses sector has never been as lively as it is this year." From Ventures to giants, from Internet Plus-Related to mobile enterprises, almost overnight, all Technology companies have started entering the glasses market.

AI large models will trigger a revolution in terminals, and among many terminal devices, AI glasses are seen as one of the best carriers for AI large models.

The potential of the AI glasses market is huge. Research Reports from Institutions show that the current development stage of the AI smart glasses sector can be compared to that of smartwatches in 2014, indicating a promising future for growth.

China International Capital Corporation's Research Reports indicate that after several rounds of product iterations, a successful paradigm for AI glasses may have emerged, with an expected shipment of about 2 million units in 2024, a penetration rate of 0.1%, and a market size of approximately 3.65 billion yuan. Looking ahead, AI glasses are likely to create the next mobile terminal.

According to WellsennXR's predictions, starting in 2025, AI smart glasses will rapidly penetrate the market against the backdrop of stable growth in traditional glasses sales. By 2029, the annual sales of AI smart glasses are expected to reach 55 million units.

The trend of AI glasses is becoming stronger, and 2025 may mark an important time point for the growth of AI glasses products. However, the "battle of a hundred glasses" will also lead to intense competition in the industry, and in order to stand out in this AI glasses arms race, all major manufacturers must be well-prepared.

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Editor/rice