Alibaba Quark AI Glasses go on sale: Price, specs

Alibaba’sIts AI-powered smart glasses went on sale Thursday, as the Chinese tech giant increases focus on consumer AI in an increasingly competitive market.

First announced in July, Quark AI Glasses come in two different models: the S1, which starts at 3,799 Chinese yuan ($536), and the G1, which starts at 1,899 yuan.

The technology giant integrated Qwen AI models, Alibaba’s version of ChatGPT, into the device, which also connects to the newly launched Qwen application. This means users can use voice control to enable the glasses to perform tasks.

The lenses of the glasses are effectively screens, and there is a camera built into the frame of the device. Alibaba said the main difference between the S1 and G1 is the display.

Some of the features include on-the-go translation, AI-generated meeting notes and the ability to ask questions to virtual assistants, the company said. Users take photos of an item using the camera on the lens, and then the device displays the price of that item on Taobao, Alibaba’s main shopping app in China.

Like other tech companies like Alibaba, US giant MetaThey believe smart glasses could be the next big consumer device after the smartphone.

In September, Meta introduced the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, the social media company’s first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display. Users can control the device with hand movements thanks to a special wristband.

Alibaba’s glasses will go on sale first in China, where it will compete with domestic rivals including consumer electronics maker Xiaomi and startup Xreal.

The smart glasses market is still small but growing rapidly. According to Omdia’s forecast, by 2026, shipments of AI glasses are expected to exceed 10 million units, doubling compared to 2025.

For Alibaba, glasses are its latest play in the consumer AI market that looks to build on its recent successes. The company’s ChatGPT-style Qwen app hit 10 million downloads in the first week of its public beta launch. Meanwhile, Alibaba’s cloud computing business, where it devotes most of its AI-related revenues, saw a growth acceleration in the last quarter.

The Hangzhou-headquartered company is one of the leaders in China’s AI space and is aggressively investing in AI and aggressively launching new models alongside rival giants such as Baidu and Tencent.