On November 18, Rokid, a domestic AR glasses company, released its new generation of AR glasses in collaboration with Tyrannosaurus Rex – Rokid Glasses.
Image source: JBD
Rokid Glasses boasts a stylish design and weighs only 49g, making it suitable for all-day wear. A key feature of Rokid Glasses is its integration with Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen multimodal model, supporting functions such as making and receiving calls, AI question-and-answer search, AI object recognition, AI photo-based question answering, AI multilingual translation, AI navigation, AI transcribing, and AI health reminders.
To support the smooth operation of various AI functions and the timely transmission of information, Rokid Glasses is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR platform processor. This platform is specifically designed and optimized for power consumption to address heat dissipation limitations, making it suitable for lightweight smart glasses.
For near-eye display systems, Rokid Glasses utilizes JBD's Hummingbird Mini II monochromatic light engine, which measures only 0.15 cubic centimeters and weighs a mere 0.3 grams. Despite its ultra-compact size, the Hummingbird Mini II monochromatic light engine achieves 8 lumens of brightness with a typical power consumption of 60mW, enabling Rokid Glasses to deliver high-brightness near-eye display performance all day long.
Rokid Glasses will be priced at 2499 yuan and will be available for sale in the second quarter of 2025.
Hummingbird Mini II Monochrome Light Engine (Image source: JBD)
This year, eight new Micro LED AR glasses have been launched . The development of Micro LED in the near-eye display industry is accelerating, especially in the AR glasses field, where Micro LED is expected to surpass Micro OLED's dominant position in the near future.
According to TrendForce's "2024 Near-Eye Display Market Trends and Technology Analysis Report," Micro LED light sources are considered an important micro-display technology reserve because they can meet the requirements of AR devices for high brightness, small size, and low power consumption.
TrendForce predicts that Micro LED will account for 18% of the market share in AR devices in 2024, and will rise to 44% by 2030.
In terms of product application, the demand for Micro LED technology from AR glasses manufacturers has been steadily increasing over the past few years. According to incomplete statistics, 14 AR glasses products using Micro LED microdisplay technology were launched in 2023, a record high. As of now, in 2024, the number of new AR glasses equipped with Micro LED has reached 8.
Compared to last year, although the number of new Micro LED AR glasses products has decreased this year, the involvement of industry leaders and the application of AI technology have given these products more buzz. These factors may be key to the future development of Micro LED near-eye display technology.
Meta and Apple's entry into the AR glasses market is expected to boost the popularity of Micro LED technology.
In September, the well-known US tech giant Meta unveiled Orion, a prototype full-color AR glasses device using Micro LED technology, weighing only 98 grams. TrendForce analysis indicates that Orion's optical design utilizes diffractive waveguides made of silicon carbide, combined with JBD's three-element full-color LEDoS technology, enabling a field of view (FOV) of up to 70 degrees.
Image source: Meta
Following the release of Meta Orion, rumors have surfaced regarding Apple's AR glasses production plans. Reportedly, Apple has not abandoned Micro LED technology, and AR glasses equipped with Micro LED are expected to enter mass production in 2026.
The moves by Meta and Apple in AR glasses will likely increase the hype surrounding Micro LED microdisplay technology in the short term. Looking ahead, if these two leading technology companies continue to advance their Micro LED AR glasses strategies, they are likely to set a benchmark for AR glasses products in the industry, driving more manufacturers to follow suit and expand their AR glasses market, thus increasing the demand for and application of Micro LED microdisplay technology.
TrendForce predicts that Meta's consumer version of its AR glasses is expected to launch after 2027. With brand manufacturers pushing for this, application development will follow rapidly, and mass-produced devices with more mature designs and costs closer to consumers' affordability are expected to be launched between 2026 and 2027.
Micro LED becomes key to the combination of AR and AI . Whether it's the newly released Rokid Glasses, Meta's previously released Orion, Meizu's StarV Air2, or Yiwen Technology's G1, all the new products released this year are equipped with rich AI intelligent technologies, giving AR glasses more functions such as translation, object recognition, speech-to-text, summary writing, and intelligent prompting.
Image source: Rokid
AI technology is gradually becoming a key selling point for AR glasses. The application of AR glasses in complex, all-weather scenarios allows AI technology to have a more suitable scope for development and more reasonable usage needs. The addition of Micro LED display technology, with its high brightness and high transparency, allows AI-generated information to be delivered to consumers clearly and promptly. The combination of AI and Micro LED will greatly increase the practicality of AR glasses, driving the AR glasses industry towards intelligence and high-definition capabilities.
TrendForce points out that AR devices, with their lightweight and miniaturized design, are considered ideal platforms for AI. Micro LED light sources, with their characteristics meeting the high brightness, small size, and low power consumption requirements of AR devices, are thus considered an important technological reserve for AR devices. If a full-color Micro LED solution can be achieved through vertical stacking or color conversion, it is expected to become the best technology solution for future AR glasses.
