Alibaba has started selling a new generation of smart glasses built around its Qwen AI assistant. The company showed the Qwen Glasses N1 and N1 Pro at an event in Hangzhou on 13 October 2026, Bloomberg reported.
Reported prices differ by outlet. Bloomberg said prices start at 2,999 yuan (about US$450) before discounts, with the Pro at 3,499 yuan. TechNode, citing the Chinese site IT Home, reported starting prices of 2,899 yuan for the N1 and 3,399 yuan for the N1 Pro.
What the glasses do
According to Bloomberg, both models have a 50-megapixel camera, and users talk to the Qwen assistant through bone-conduction microphones. The glasses also support shopping, payments and health tracking. Alibaba said they offer “25 hours of standby time or 9 hours of music playback” on one charge, Bloomberg reported.
TechNode reported that both models have batteries in the arms that can be swapped during use. It said the glasses record 4K video and offer translation, AI memos and automatic meeting notes.
The Pro adds eye tracking, iris scanning to confirm payments, and health monitoring of heart rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature, TechNode reported. Wu Jianjun, Alibaba’s general manager of Qwen AI hardware products, described the Pro’s eye-tracking functions, according to Bloomberg.
According to The Next Web, Alibaba first showed the glasses at its Apsara conference in September and opened pre-orders on 22 September.
The chip inside
Taiwanese chipmaker Himax said on 14 October that its WiseEye HX6538 processor is used in the N1 series. It runs an always-on visual sensing system that is separate from the main camera and wakes the rest of the glasses only when it detects people or relevant events. Himax says the chip uses “just 5 milliwatts (mW)” of power. That figure is Himax’s own claim.
Alibaba also began selling Qwen Clip, AI earbuds developed with Bose, priced at 1,299 yuan, Bloomberg reported.
Bloomberg noted that the glasses are no cheaper than Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, the market leader, and that, like Meta, Alibaba wants glasses to become a way into its AI tools.
What this means
- AI glasses are a new battleground. Alibaba is following Meta in using glasses as an entry point for its AI assistant.
- Check the price. Outlets report different starting prices, and discounts vary.
- Power is the hard part. Low-power chips like Himax’s aim to keep features running all day.
Sources
- Bloomberg, via The Star, “Alibaba unveils US$450 AI glasses in expanding push into gadgets”, 14 October 2026. https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/14/alibaba-unveils-us450-ai-glasses-in-expanding-push-into-gadgets
- TechNode, “Alibaba launches Qwen N1 AI glasses with swappable batteries, starting at RMB 2,899”, 14 October 2026. https://technode.com/2026/10/14/alibaba-launches-qwen-n1-ai-glasses-with-swappable-batteries-starting-at-rmb-2899/
- The Next Web, “Alibaba starts selling its Qwen N1 AI glasses in China from $450”, 13 October 2026. https://thenextweb.com/news/alibaba-qwen-glasses-n1-price-launch
- Himax Technologies, “Himax WiseEye Ultralow Power AI Adopted in Alibaba’s Latest Qwen Glasses”, GlobeNewswire, 14 October 2026. https://apnews.com/press-release/globenewswire-mobile/press-release-5c38e707e098c482cb5b0c1a73e74f55
