Alibaba Enters Smart Glasses Race With Quark AI Launch

Alibaba BABA is stepping into the world of wearable AI. The tech giant has started taking preorders for its new Quark AI Glasses, its first big swing at consumer-facing smart hardware. The glasses will officially start shipping in December, with the initial rollout focused on China through Alibaba's Tmall platform.

Priced at around $660, the Quark AI Glasses are built to plug right into Alibaba's massive digital ecosystem. They let users make hands-free payments through Alipay, get AR-powered navigation with Amap, compare prices on Taobao using real-time image recognition, and check travel details through Fliggy all by voice. The device runs on Qualcomm's AR1 and BES2800 dual chips and uses Alibaba's Qwen language model, giving users access to the new Quark AI assistant for instant translation, call transcription, music playback, and more.

Two versions are available a standard AI model and a premium AI+AR version both featuring a 12MP Sony camera with night mode, dual off-ear speakers, and multiple microphones for crisp, clear sound.

For Alibaba, this is more than just a gadget launch. It's a bet that smart glasses could become the next big consumer tech category. And if the China debut goes well, a global launch may not be far behind setting up a showdown with Meta's own AI glasses.