Alibaba on Thursday unveiled its new Quark AI smart glasses in China, marking the tech giant’s latest move to enter the AI-focused wearables market, a sector currently dominated worldwide by Meta.
The device, priced from 1,899 yuan ($268.25), runs on Alibaba’s Qwen AI model and accompanying app.
In contrast to bulkier headsets produced by companies like Meta, the Quark glasses resemble ordinary eyewear, featuring a simple black plastic frame.
Alibaba noted that the glasses will be tightly connected with its existing ecosystem, including Alipay and Taobao, enabling features such as real-time translation and instant price identification while on the go.
The company has been pushing aggressively into the consumer AI space after previously falling behind competitors.
Earlier in the month, Alibaba rolled out a major upgrade to its AI chatbot.
A broader competition among global tech giants is underway as companies search for new AI-driven devices that reshape entertainment, productivity, and computing experiences.
Meta, which owns Instagram, continues to dominate the VR headset market with nearly 80% market share. Apple offers its Vision Pro device, and Samsung entered the race with its Galaxy XR headset in October, incorporating Google’s AI capabilities.
Chinese firms are joining the trend as well—Xiaomi introduced AI-enabled glasses in June, while Baidu already markets a similar product.
