The 3 most advanced smart glasses we tried so far at CES - that truly impressed us

5 days ago 10
Xreal Asus ROG smart glasses at CES 2026
Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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As AI and wearable tech were amongst the two largest trends in the past year, it should come as no surprise that smart glasses have been a focal point of CES 2026. The glasses we are seeing push the boundary of past models with longer battery lives, more functionalities, increased comfort, and more. 

Also: CES 2026: The biggest news stories on TVs, smart glasses, robots and more live

The glasses serve various purposes, with some using XR to create a portable desktop setup, and others competing with Meta's Ray-Bans, which pack cameras and voice assistants into a lightweight form factor. Either way, while the conference has not yet officially kicked off, ZDNET's smart glasses experts have either covered the news or already gone hands-on with many of them. 

To help you determine which ones are worth the hype, we're collaborating on a roundup of the best smart glasses, with daily updates to come.

I tried on the new RayNeo Air 4 Pro ahead of CES week, and the world's first HDR10-enabled smart glasses left their mark. These glasses feature a dedicated image quality chip and 1,200-nit peak brightness, generating visuals with more brightness and pop than most pairs I've worn over the years.

Despite weighing just 76 grams, they don't compromise on performance, offering a 120Hz refresh rate and fairly immersive-sounding audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen. It's a major leap forward for tech enthusiasts seeking high-fidelity, cinematic visuals on the go -- hopefully at a price that many can accept. - Kerry Wan

Also: I wore the world's first HDR10 smart glasses, and they can easily replace my home TV

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I love the Rokid AI Glasses Style for their lightweight design and the addition of nose pads. Their functionality is similar to the Meta Ray-Ban Glasses, where you get a camera, open-ear speakers and mics in a pair of sunglasses. They are rated to last up to 12 hours but there's no charging case, so you'll need to carry a dongle wire everywhere.

I'm not fond of their pogo-pin-enabled proprietary charging mechanism but it's more forgiving at their retail price. They undercut the Meta glasses at $299, while also being more comfortable to wear for long durations. - Prakhar Khanna

Also: These smart glasses beat the Meta Ray-Bans for me with useful features and a cheaper price

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The XGIMI Memomind AI glasses are eerily similar to the Even Realities G1. They have one display on each lens, which can be used to view the dashboard, navigate, chat with their AI, and more. I loved the comfortable-to-wear design -- they feel like normal glasses. 

I was impressed by the responsive user interface and MicroLED brightness inside the lenses. At $599, they're $100 cheaper than their Even Realities rival and come in more styles. - Prakhar Khanna

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