The Rokid Glasses set to ship in November boast something smart spec aficionados have been clamoring for — a screen built-into the lens. Set to retail for $600 ($700 including the charging case) the AR-equipped specs will likely be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the new Ray-Ban Metas, expected to be the company’s first screen-equipped smart glasses. The word is they’ll be showcased at Meta Connect, September 17-18. The Rokid Glasses raised $900,000 within 48 hours of their global unveiling on Kickstarter, where those who pre-order receive a limited-time discount of 15 to 20 percent.

The Chinese tech company calls its new smart glasses the latest in “wearable AI computing” in a news release issued concurrent with the Kickstarter launch. The 1.72-ounce product is “the world’s lightest camera-equipped smart glasses that combine augmented reality visuals, audio, and AI-powered features in a single device,” according to Rokid.

“At a glance, they share a lot of similarities with Meta’s existing smart specs — we’re talking a 12MP camera, open-ear speakers, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 [Gen 1] chipset,” writes TechRadar, noting “you’ll also get an onboard AI assistant, which is ‘ChatGPT 5 empowered,’ if you have an Internet connection.”

The camera uses a 12MP Sony IMX681 sensor that supports video recording at up to 60fps in 1680p, according to Rokid.

The Rokid Glasses feature dual Micro LED waveguide displays that “output a monochrome green heads-up display for things like turn-by-turn directions, teleprompter, and real-time text and voice translation with 89 languages (five offline via Rokid’s own LLM),” Road to VR reports, calling this new device’s headline feature.

Rokid will have the glasses available for demo at its booth at the IFA conference and expo September 5-9 in Berlin, inviting attendees to “see beyond reality.”

Road to VR notes that Rokid is one of several smart glasses manufacturers “coming to market promising ostensibly similar heads-up displays,” mentioning in addition to Meta that “Google is promising future availability” with Android XR smart glasses that have the feature,” while “reports also point to Apple developing smart glasses, although rumors haven’t specified whether these also include displays.”

Samsung is another firm planning to launch its own AI smart glasses line (separate from its agreement with Google), including an AR-style with screen display, according to Tom’s Guide.