Against the backdrop of growing popularity in AI products, major internet giants are accelerating their expansion into the smart hardware sector.
On February 27, reporters from China Securities Journal learned at the first opportunity that$Alibaba (BABA.US)$the personal AI assistant 'Qwen' under Alibaba has officially entered the AI hardware market and plans to launch a variety of AI hardware products in different forms globally within the year.
It is reported that Qwen will unveil its first AI glasses, also named Qwen, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 held in Barcelona, Spain, and pre-orders through both online and offline channels will commence on March 2. According to insiders from Alibaba, apart from AI glasses, Qwen also plans to release products such as AI rings and AI earphones throughout the year for the global market.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that shipments in the global smart glasses market will exceed 23.687 million units in 2026.
Extending capabilities to hardware
Looking back, on the opening day of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2025,$Alibaba (BABA.US)$the technical development progress of the first self-developed AI glasses 'Quark AI Glasses' was announced. Subsequently, in November last year, the Quark AI Glasses S1 and G1 series were officially released.
However, the latest information obtained by reporters from China Securities Journal shows that all newly listed AI glasses products from Alibaba will be marketed globally under the unified brand 'Qwen AI Glasses' (Qwen Glasses). The already launched Quark AI Glasses will maintain synchronized functional updates with Qwen AI Glasses and access Qwen AI services.
Behind this brand unification lies Alibaba's strategic layout to promote Qwen as a cross-terminal AI assistant. It is reported that the service capabilities of the Qwen APP, such as food delivery and ride-hailing, are planned to be integrated into terminal devices like Qwen AI Glasses. In terms of user accumulation, relevant data shows that during this year's Spring Festival period, users across the country placed nearly 200 million AI shopping orders cumulatively on Qwen.
Global market scale continues to expand
According to forecasts by the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart glasses are expected to exceed 23.687 million units by 2026, with China's smart glasses market reaching over 4.915 million units. The market is officially entering a new phase of scaled growth.
Driven by both globalization strategies and local production in China, Chinese smart glasses manufacturers are projected to account for 45% of the global market by 2026. IDC also predicts that by 2026, more than 30% of smart glasses will support AI at the endpoint, and over 75% will integrate voice assistants powered by large models, enabling support for complex tasks.
In terms of scenario exploration, apart from Alibaba, brands such as Rokid,$XIAOMI-W (01810.HK)$and Raybird showcased AI-enabled payment-capable smart glasses in collaboration with Alipay last mid-year. Audiences at the event were able to complete payments by wearing Rokid Glasses, issuing commands to a payment code, and confirming the transaction after recognition by the glasses, demonstrating the potential application of AI glasses in mobile payment scenarios.
Spring Festival sales data confirms demand enthusiasm
Recently, the "Key Technologies and Industrial Ecosystem Research Report on AI Glasses (2025)" released by the Telecommunication Terminal Laboratory of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) shows that the deep integration of large AI models with lightweight glasses products is accelerating the commercialization of consumer-grade products.
The report also highlights that optical modules, chips, and display units represent the three key value areas. Chinese AI glasses brands are rapidly enhancing their global influence, leveraging supply chain efficiency, cost control, and agile hardware-software iteration capabilities accumulated in the consumer electronics sector to quickly gain traction in international markets.
In mid-February this year, Huaqiangbei Street in Shenzhen collaborated with major markets and merchants to systematically analyze real sales data from the past two months, creating the "Huaqiangbei AI Eight Champions" list, which revealed the eight most popular tech New Year goods: drones, robots, AI glasses, AI toys, AI watches, AI translators, AI learning devices, and AI speakers.
Data shows that as of February 22, revenue across Huaqiangbei during the Spring Festival grew by 35% year-on-year. Over the past two months, overall sales of technology products increased by over 30% compared to regular days, with AI glasses witnessing a surge of 70% to 80%, making them one of the fastest-growing categories. Additionally, drone and robot sales grew by 30% to 50%.
China Galaxy Securities recently published a research report stating that AI glasses are gradually evolving into the core platform for next-generation human-computer interaction. The industry experienced a pivotal turning point in 2023, driven by breakthroughs in multiple core technologies. The incorporation of AI functionality reflects a highly efficient value proposition—achieving significant incremental user experience with minimal incremental cost—while naturally inheriting the vast existing user base of traditional glasses and sunglasses.
Editor/Melody
