Qualcomm Drops Hints That It’s Joining The Smart Glasses Race

Wearables have been in the limelight throughout 2024, so it's not surprising to see one more technology leader showing interest in the latest wearable tech. Think of the launch of Meta Orion, Meta’s fully immersive AR glasses in September.

At the recently concluded Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, attendees saw the semiconductor and chip leader drop hints that it would be joining the wearables race.

The futuristic-looking Qualcomm smart glasses are far from perfect but showcase its vision to seamlessly blend augmented reality and mixed reality into our everyday interactions.

So, what exactly does Qualcomm have in store for the world of smart glasses and how does the company envision the future of these advanced wearables? Let’s explore!
 

What Did Qualcomm Reveal At The Snapdragon Summit?

During the 2024 Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm presented its ambitious smart glasses—a project that aims to combine the power of augmented and mixed reality using smart glasses powered by Qualcomm’s processors. These advanced wearables aim to transform users interact with their surroundings.

The prototype smart glasses are designed to answer questions about anything in the user’s line of sight. It integrates AI to recognize objects and provide detailed responses, moving away from the traditional smartphone experience. The company’s vision includes leveraging large language models (LLMs) coupled with the smart glasses to enable users to command their surroundings through voice and gesture.

Qualcomm's senior vice president, Alex Katouzian, stated that smart glasses are expected to fundamentally change how we engage with the world. He said, "Apps will start to mean less and less... they should go away as your interface to the device." He emphasized that while traditional applications will still exist, the user experience will be more about interacting naturally with the environment rather than scrolling and switching apps.

This approach from Qualcomm relies heavily on Agentic AI, referring to AI systems that process user data from multiple sources, including wearables, to deliver a more holistic and responsive interaction. So, what does Qualcomm think of the smart glasses’ industry?
 

What Was Said By Qualcomm’s SVP?

While wearables like smartwatches have become common, their utility is inherently limited. Qualcomm’s SVP Katouzian believes the future lies in smart glasses, as they can provide a much richer level of interaction. He believes that devices like the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which run on Qualcomm’s AR1 Gen 1 chip, have exceeded customer expectations, with sales ten times the initial forecast.

Unlike previous attempts, such as Google Glass or Microsoft's HoloLens, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses aimed at broader consumer appeal by focusing on simple yet useful features. The smart glasses allowed users make calls, take photos, ask questions via voice assistant and more. Qualcomm is working towards a similar functionality with its smart glasses prototype, aiming at individual customers rather than enterprise adoption.

Katouzian also highlighted the developer interest in Qualcomm's vision, mentioning that over 6,000 developers are working with Snapdragon Spaces SDKs to create mixed reality solutions. This will enable vastly valuable feedback and data to improve Qualcomm's vision algorithms.

Katouzian further emphasized that features like eye-tracking, head-tracking and hand-tracking will be integral to interfacing with extended reality devices, offering new ways to interact that aren’t possible on smartphones or laptops.
 

What Did Qualcomm Demonstrate?

During a demo, the glasses, that resemble a mix between Snap Spectacles and futuristic aviator sunglasses, attempted to recognize a foosball table. Ultimately, the glasses identified it as a "soccer table" and provided rules for the sport.

While not entirely flawless, the prototype showed promise by correctly answering follow-up questions about famous soccer movies.

Despite some limitations, the demonstration also highlighted how Qualcomm envisions users interacting with the world through smart glasses. Asking questions, receiving contextual answers and helping users become more connected to their surroundings through augmented displays is the aim.

So, while not perfected, Qualcomm has shown interest in the smart glasses segment. What does it mean for the tech company in the near future?
 

What Lies Ahead For Qualcomm’s Smart Glasses?

Since Meta has found some success in making augmented reality more affordable with the Meta Quest 3S and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, both starting at around $300, Katouzian suggested that people are often willing to pay premium prices for brand-name sunglasses.

He says, if Qualcomm’s smart glasses can provide practical and useful features, they could justify even higher price points. Katouzian speculated that if smart glasses were priced at around $600, including features like prescription lenses, they could represent a viable upgrade from conventional eyewear.

However, the technology still has challenges to overcome and smart glasses are not yet capable of running AI on-device for long periods due to battery constraints. Do you think Qualcomm can help in making AI more accessible through smart glasses? Can Qualcomm’s ambitious vision for smart glasses transform how we interact with technology in the future?

Let us know in the comments below!