These camera-free smart glasses made me feel like Tony Stark
We’re one step closer to Tony Stark’s smart glasses, but still quite a few steps behind J.A.R.V.I.S. Xgimi, the Chinese company known for its all-in-one
We’re one step closer to Tony Stark’s smart glasses, but still quite a few steps behind J.A.R.V.I.S. Xgimi, the Chinese company known for its all-in-one smart projectors, is expanding its portfolio with a new line of screen-equipped smart glasses that first debuted at CES 2026. Unlike AR glasses from companies like Meta and Snap, Xgimi’s new privacy-focused MemoMind One skip cameras for a lighter and more discreet design that helps hide their AI-powered smart functionality. After testing them for a week, I’m completely sold on the idea of having a screen floating in front of my eyes constantly feeding me useful information that no one else can see, but the MemoMind One don’t entirely deliver on my Tony Stark fantasies just yet. There’s some unique functionality I can’t get from my smart watch or phone, but I’m going to need a little more to justify dropping a half-grand (or more) on another smart wearable. Xgimi is launching a Kickstarter for the glasses today, and the company plans to start shipping them in late July. There are three styles to choose from, and while full pricing will be $599, or $879 with prescription lenses, backing the Kickstarter discounts them to $399/$499. You can also customize the appearance of some of the styles with different colors, but that increases the price to $699/$879, which is discounted to $449/$499. I tested a beta version with beta software and a buggy mobile app that’s missing features. So while I can’t weigh in on what the final experience will be like, after a week I was impressed with some features and frustrated with others. Similar to the $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, the MemoMind One use a pair of micro-LED projectors and transparent (but noticeable) waveguide prisms in each lens to create a display only you can see. While the Ray-Ban Display goes full color, the MemoMind One’s screen is bright green.
It reminds me of the Apple II computers I used in grade school, but it doesn’t feel like I’m using dated technology because the experience of staring at a private screen hanging in midair still feels kinda futuristic. You can adjust the distance, position, and brightness of the display, and while the bright green color helps it pop and remain always visible indoors, it was hard to see outside on a sunny day if I wasn’t looking at something dark in the background to create more contrast. At around 47 grams, the MemoMind One are heavier than my reading glasses but still feel lightweight and comfortable, even with the oversized end pieces on each arm stuffed with batteries good for up to 16 hours of use, charging contacts, Harman Kardon speakers, and other electronics. Most people I wore them around had no idea they had any smart features — unless I was listening to something. As much as I want to use the MemoMind One as earbud alternatives, people around me could easily hear what was playing through their speakers even at the lowest volume, including phone calls that were far from private. Raising your head or pressing the glasses’ single button near the right hinge activates the MemoMind One’s home screen, which shows the time, battery level, date, and weather on the left with customizable info on the right. Through the app you can choose up to four different sections such as stocks, news headlines from predefined sources (you can’t add your own RSS feeds), upcoming calendar events synced from your phone, a to-do list, and notifications. I was most excited to use the MemoMind One as a discreet alternative to constantly glancing down at my Apple Watch to check notifications or quickly respond to text messages, but the glasses are definitely not a smart watch. Most of the notifications from your phone will pop up on the glasses’ display with a condensed version of the message so you get gist of what they’re about.
The BriefWire