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Alibaba Group has launched its first self developed smart eyewear, the Quark AI Glasses series, blending advanced AI capabilities with everyday usability to redefine wearable technology. The lineup, comprising the flagship dual display S1 model and the lightweight G1 variant, is deeply integrated with Alibaba’s proprietary Qwen large language model and the newly released Qwen App.
What’s New In Quark Glasses
Priced starting at ¥1,899 260 USD for the G1 and ¥3,799 520 USD for the S1, the glasses went on sale November 26 via Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, and 604 partner optical stores across 82 Chinese cities, tapping into the booming wearables market where China alone shipped nearly 50 million units in Q2 2025, a 9.6 percent year over year increase per IDC data.
The Quark AI Glasses mark Alibaba’s strategic push to embed its Qwen AI ecosystem into consumer hardware, positioning the company as a challenger in the smart glasses space dominated by Meta’s Ray Ban collaboration and Snap’s Spectacles.
Unveiled at the World AI Conference in Shanghai earlier this year, the series emphasizes multimodal AI assistance, handling voice, vision, and text inputs seamlessly. Users activate Qwen via Hello Qwen commands or touch controls, unlocking features like real time price scanning, image text based Q and A, on the go translation, near eye navigation, AI generated meeting notes, smart reminders, live teleprompters, and context aware recommendations for nearby spots or schedules.
Qwen AI Quark Glasses: Here’s A Peak At the Core
At the heart of the S1 model are dual micro OLED displays for augmented reality overlays, powered by dual chips for efficient processing, bone conduction audio for discreet calls, and a swappable dual battery system delivering up to 24 hours of use.
It supports 0.6 second instant photo capture, 3K video recording with AI enhanced 4K output, and low light performance via Quark’s Super Raw technology. The G1, weighing just 40 grams, omits the displays but retains premium audio, imaging, and AI features for lifestyle use. Both models connect seamlessly to Alibaba’s ecosystem, including Alipay for payments, Amap for maps, Taobao for shopping, Fliggy for travel, and streaming services like QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music.
“AI glasses are a uniquely powerful wearable as they consist of everything we envision for an AI assistant,” said Wu Jia, Vice President of Alibaba Group. “Looking ahead, AI glasses open the door to a revolutionary way of connecting and interacting with computers in the AI era. With Quark AI Glasses deeply integrated with Qwen, users can access Qwen anytime, anywhere, enabling the AI to connect seamlessly with the real world and deliver value at an unprecedented scale,” he added.
What’s Next for Alibaba in AI Glasses Field
The launch coincides with the Qwen App’s explosive debut, surpassing 10 million downloads in its first week and integrating deeply with the revamped Quark AI browser. Alibaba’s strategy reflects a broader consumer AI pivot. Qwen, now in its third iteration, powers the glasses’ multimodal features, from visual search to voice driven productivity. The platform supports the MCP protocol for third party developers, fostering an app ecosystem that could extend the glasses’ utility beyond Alibaba’s walled garden.
In China, local brands like Huawei and Xiaomi lead with shipments of 50 million units in Q2 2025 alone. Alibaba’s entry challenges Meta’s Orion prototypes unreleased and Ray Bans AR focused but less AI native, offering a more affordable, ecosystem tied alternative at under 500 USD.
“Alibaba’s strengths are shopping, payments and navigation, so its AI glasses function more like a life assistant,” Li Chengdong, a Beijing-based electronics industry analyst said.
Early user feedback on Weibo and Douyin praises the glasses’ lightweight design and seamless Qwen integration for tasks like real time translation during travel or AR navigation in crowded cities.
However, some critics note battery life limitations under heavy AI use and privacy concerns with always on audio visual processing, echoing broader debates around data collection in Chinese AI hardware.
For now, the Quark series is China exclusive, but Alibaba hinted at international expansion in 2026, pending regulatory approvals. As AI wearables evolve from novelties to necessities, Alibaba’s integration of Qwen positions it as a formidable player in the race to make AI truly ambient.
While smart glasses might still be considered a niche product, tech market researcher IDC is predicting a steady rise in their popularity. They estimate that global sales will jump from 9.4 million units this year to almost 20 million by 2029. Interestingly, about 17% of online adults in the U.S. say they’ve given smart glasses a try, according to Forrester, which is a significant increase from just 4% in 2024.
