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Smart Glasses Are Replacing Smartphones — And the Big Tech Race Has Already Begun

Updated: 4 days ago

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The Next Platform Shift Has Already Started

For the last 15 years, the smartphone has been the centre of the digital world. But the next platform isn’t in your pocket — it’s on your face. Smart glasses are evolving from a niche experiment into the next mainstream computing device, powered by AI, real-world video capture, and hands-free interfaces that don’t require pulling out a phone.


Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly said that smart glasses will replace smartphones “by the end of the decade” (source: The Verge interview, 2023). That wasn’t a metaphor — Meta has already invested more than $50 billion into AR, AI and wearable computing, including a $5B partnership with Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica to bring smart glasses to the mass market.


And Meta isn’t alone. Samsung, Google, Apple, OpenAI, Oppo, Xiaomi, TCL, and ByteDance are all building or testing glasses-based interfaces. The race has started — and it’s not about VR worlds anymore. It’s about AI-first, real-world wearable computing.


The End of Apps, The Beginning of AI Interfaces

Smartphones are built around apps. Smart glasses are built around AI that understands the world you’re looking at. Elon Musk said in 2024 that “AI will replace apps completely because you won’t need to click anything — you’ll just say what you want.” (source: X / Twitter Spaces interview)

That’s exactly the direction smart glasses are headed:

  • Instead of opening Google Maps → glasses overlay directions in your view

  • Instead of scanning food calories with an app → AI recognises it in real-time

  • Instead of typing emails → AI drafts one based on what you’ve just seen or heard

  • Instead of pulling out a camera → glasses automatically record Eye-POV video hands-free


Android Is Coming. Apple Is Coming. The Floodgate Moment Is Near.

Right now the market looks small — but that’s about to change fast:

  • Samsung + Google + Qualcomm are launching Android-powered smart glasses in late 2025

  • Apple is building a lightweight version of Vision Pro glasses (expected 2026)

  • Meta plans a full AR display version in 2026 with live holographic overlays

  • Xiaomi, Oppo, TCL and other Chinese OEMs already have 1M+ units shipped in Asia

When Android support arrives, smart glasses become just like smartphones were before the App Store — a new platform waiting for developers, creators and businesses.


Meta’s $5B Bet: Ray-Ban Wasn’t an Accident

Meta didn’t choose Ray-Ban for style alone. They chose it because Ray-Ban sells 20 million pairs of sunglasses a year. Meta wants smart glasses to feel normal — not like a sci-fi headset or a VR visor.

Instead of “tech goggles,” you get:

✅ real eyewear styles

✅ prescription options

✅ polarised(transaction) lenses

✅ instant video/music/calls without a phone in hand

And this matters — because the next billion-user device won’t be something that makes people look strange in public.


Why Smart Glasses Matter Right Now

Even if AR overlays aren’t fully here yet, the hands-free video era has already begun. Creators are turning real-world Eye-POV clips into income streams. Travelers, surfers, musicians, chefs, parents, sports coaches — anyone can now record life “through their eyes” without holding a phone.


That’s where Glassnik comes in — the first marketplace built entirely around Eye-POV storytelling. Record with your glasses, upload your Eye-POV journeys, and get paid for subscribers who want to experience the world through you.


Smart glasses aren’t just a gadget category. They are the camera, microphone, AI assistant, and computer you wear.


What Happens Next?

Just like smartphones in the late nineties/early two thousands:

  • Prices will drop

  • AI will get smarter

  • Battery life will double

  • Cameras will replace phones

  • Apps will become invisible

  • The “always-on AI assistant” becomes normal


In 3–5 years, it will feel strange to take out a phone to Google something. You’ll just ask the world directly through your glasses — and they’ll answer.


The shift has already started. Some people will only see it after the replacement happens — just like they laughed at the first iPhone.


But behind the scenes, every major tech company has already chosen the next platform.

It’s not VR. It’s not headsets. It’s not smartphones.It’s AI + smart glasses — and it’s happening now.

 
 
 

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