Is the smart glasses race already over?

2026 is set to be the year for the smart glasses race with so many new contenders from Google, Samsung and Acer (Asus?) now entering the field to challenge Meta with their Raybans and Oakley's. It is my honest opinion there's already a clear winner before the race has even begun and these glasses arrived in 2025. 

They're by no means perfect but have an excellent framework on which to build. The glasses in question are the Xreal One Pro (although other flavours are available). 

So what makes these glasses different? Well the big companies like Meta and Google seem to be insistent on pursuing AI in everything, including their smart glasses. This gives them the ability to perform live translations, identify real world objects around you, and for you to ask them anything. The problem with this approach is that I can do all that on my smart phone. The other problem with these devices is that they're battery powered, with a lifespan of only a few hours in between charges. 

How are XReal and Rayneo different? Instead of a wireless approach these glasses are wired. Whilst it might seem incumbent, I'll be honest it's barely noticeable. This eradicates the battery life problem, as the glasses are powered by whatever device they're plugged into. This can be absolutely anything with a USB-C socket, from smart phones, tablets, laptops, Nintendo Switch and even the Steam Deck. 

So what are they actually useful for? Well I'm currently writing this article on a train with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard hooked up to my Android phone in desktop mode. I see this as the future of working on the move. Yes I could use my laptop, but the joy of the Xreal One Pro glasses means I get to have a bigger screen.

The glasses come with 3 different levels of transparency so I can still be aware of my surroundings whilst working. They also offer a "focus" mode which is particularly useful when you really do need to focus, although I did also find this beneficial when playing the Steam Deck as it blacks out everything but the screen, allowing me