State of AR glasses, smart glasses & wearables in 2020

In the year 2020, we have seen quite a progress in the AR wearables. With many AR, MR, and smart glasses already out there, and many more to come shortly, we offer you an extensive overview of the current state and the near future of cool eyewear!

This is the first edition of our AR glasses roundup including every AR/MR wearable currently on the market and coming soon. We didn't include any VR headsets. The glasses are sorted by category, and wrapped up in a table at the end of this post, including availability. If we missed something, please send us a message, and we'll include them in the next update of our roundup!

AR Glasses

AntVR MIX

MIX: The Smallest AR Glasses with 96-degree FoV.

This one is a mystery: the AntVR website looks very much on business, but no information about their MIX glasses is found. When navigating to Buy now -site, the comment section hints that the company has gone silent. 

The company ran through a successful Kickstarter campaign and said to have tremendous success worldwide, and is now stepping into the world of AR. Does anyone know anything about this? 

Apple Glass

There is not much to say about the Apple Glasses yet, for there are only rumors. We know for sure that Apple has filed a patent of what seems to be a pair of glasses using augmented reality tech. 

Apple has been acquiring several AR companies in the resent, which suggests Apple is working on its own AR product. There have also been many Apple patents appearing recently, explaining how specially-designed lenses could cast images on a user's eye and how a touchscreen surface could be used as a controller.

With not much information, we'll stand by and wait for an update.

Dream Glass 4K

The DreamWorld's Dream Glass 4K glasses' 90-degree FOV and 2.5K resolution combine the virtual world with the real. The Dream Glass has smartphone compatibility, hand gesture recognition, and 3 degree-of-freedom head tracking. The Dream Glass launched an Indiegogo fundraising in mid-July 2020 and hit its goal in 8 minutes. 

Unlike other AR, MR, and smart glasses out there, the Dream Glass is more targeted to the consumer market. The price is a fraction of competitors like Magic Leap and Google Glass but promises to have better-quality features.

Now, after the more than successful fundraising, we're eager to hear more from them!

Garmin Varia Vision

View cycling stats without taking your eyes off the road with Garmin Varia Vision. 

The first in-sight cycling display from Garmin enhances your road awareness by putting the cycling information you want right where you want it. Stay focused while trying nailing your targets for a workout, find the next turn, or stay aware of cars approaching from behind.

View information such as your heart rate, power, and speed while keeping your eyes peeled for potential hazards in front of you. Varia Vision has detailed navigation prompts with street names, directional arrows, and distance to turn.

Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2

Stay focused, improve accuracy, and collaborate in real-time. This is what Google Glass Enterprise Edition promises. Glass provides hands-on workers and professionals with glanceable, voice-activated assistance designed to be worn all day. 

The Enterprise Edition device has been specially designed for enterprise, from doctors to automobile assemblers. If you're not happy with what Google has to offer, you can build your own Glasswear with Glass Explorer Edition.

Epson MOVERIO BT-300

Epson's Moverio BT-300 makes the AR experience real. With an OLED HD display, the glasses produce a high-contrast experience. 

Moverio BT-300 has been designed as an addition to drone technology. Weighing only 69 g, the Moverio BT-300 enables a whole new drone experience. The Epson AR glasses are great for photographers and enterprises, and with collaboration with different app developers, they are ready to take you to the future with FPV-apps.

Everysight Raptor

Everysight Raptor is a computer for people, not bikes. Raptor is designed to enhance cycling by projecting an AR layer of information in front of the cyclist's eyes.

Raptor's patented Everysight BEAMTM projection technology provides easily-accessible yet non-intrusive information. You can take HD pictures and videos with just a tap or voice command. Raptor connects to your smartphone with Bluetooth, so there is no need to pause your cycling experience for an email or to change a song on your playlist.

LetinAR PinMR

LetinAR's PinMR™ optical solutions consist of optic lenses and a micro-display. There are two types of PinMR™ optical lenses – one for eyeglasses, having small form-factor with adequate performance, and one for goggles with higher performance. 

With a small form factor, expandable eyebox and Field of View (FoV), Extended Depth of Field (DoF), and high optical efficiency, the PinMR glasses resolve the issues consumers and AR companies have identified. Issues such as bulky form factors, narrow FoV, poor color expression, high prices, and costly and complex manufacturing.

Meta 2

The Meta 2 Development Kit promises virtual workspaces of the future becoming a reality today. The high-resolution projections of Meta 2, in connection with the interfaces to Unity 3D and SOLIDWORKS, enable the three-dimensional display of 3D and CAD models amid the real world. With intuitive hand-gesture control, the users can also interact with these holograms in real-time.

The purpose of Meta 2 is to be used in testing and development, rather than for public usage. The Meta 2 is capable of real-time tracking and mapping of spaces, meaning the users can lock their content in 3D space.

North Focals

Focals by North were among the most awaited AR glasses until Google acquired the company in July 2020. The production of Focals was ceased, and no further info about their future is revealed. 

The company states that with Google, they will continue their work to blend technology seamlessly into our world: immediately accessible when you want it, but hidden away when you don't. So, nothing else to do than wait for the info of what's to come.

Snap Spectacles

Snap's Spectacles are probably the most trendy MR/AR glasses out there. With several frames to choose from, these consumer-targeted glasses have two human-eye-inspired cameras to capture 3D photos and videos at 60 fps. At the same time, four built-in microphones record immersive, high-fidelity audio.

Photos and videos wirelessly sync to your smartphone, where you can edit and transform them, and then share them anywhere you want. The new Spectacles 3 even allows you to explore the underwater world.

Toshiba dynaEdge AR100 Viewer

Toshiba's dynaEdge™ AR Smart Glasses is an AR solution designed to help large enterprises improve efficiency, quality, and operating flexibility. The glasses enable multiple usage scenarios, including see-what-I-see, remote expert, document retrieval, workflow instructions, and real-time data capture. The glasses use Toshiba Vision DE Suite™ software. 

The dynaEdge AR100 offers various methods to input and navigate, including a touchpad and programmable buttons on the HMD and directional buttons on the waist-mounted mobile mini PC, as well as voice and gesture capabilities.

Trivisio

Trivisio offers two AR devices: ARS.31 and LOC.31. The first one is an augmented reality system. It is an optoelectronic device that projects an image or streams video using near-the-eye micro-displays and beam splitter plates. The apparatus has two displays, so three-dimensional content can be visualized by utilizing the stereoscopic effect in the user's natural field of view. The HMD is available in two versions, with either HDMI connector or SMD-7.

The second, LOC.31, does basically the same, but with monocular optical see-through HMD. The LOC.31 comes in a variety of mounting options (helmet, headband) or a camera adaptation. 

Vivo AR Glass

In June 2019, Vivo introduced its strategy to expand its 5G device offerings to include AR glasses. Information about the release date or the pricing hides itself, but the release of Vivo's 5G smartphone is one step closer. 

The Vivo AR Glass supports dual-screen display and 6DoF technology. The users can experience a range of applications such as mobile office, AR games, 3D high-definition video, facial recognition, and object recognition when connected to a 5G smartphone. Once the Vivo AR Glass projects the content, the 5G smartphone will then act as the control to switch and select applications. 

Vuzix Blade

Vuzix Blade is built for industrial operations and is designed for all-day comfort. Waveguide optics project real-time content for seamless integration of the digital and the real world.

The glasses feature HD camera, noise-canceling mics, wireless WiFi, UV protection lenses, dual haptic feedback, multilingual voice control, and MicroSD expansion.

MR Glasses

Action One

Action One is a pair of MR Glasses from a Chinese company Shadow Creator. The company was founded in Shanghai, China, in 2014, specializing in mixed reality, artificial intelligence and semiconductor, and the development of applied technologies and products.

The Action One glasses promise to give natural interaction between reality, virtuality, and users. The user controls the glasses either with a controller, gestures, or voice command. Action One is available for purchase by contacting the company's customer service via email.

DigiLens

DigiLens is a waveguide pioneer, founded in 2003. The company offers smart solutions of waveguides and heads-up displays, among light engines and development kits. 

Their most exciting product line is Visualize framework, which is not actually a product. It's a framework that equips developers with a starter hardware platform to create XR experiences. 

The very first glasses built within the Visualizing framework is the v1 glasses. It is optimized to take advantage of the latest technological advances and provides developers with a full, customizable AOSP/OpenXR-compatible dev system.

Magic Leap

It's not VR; it's not smartphone AR. It's a spatial computer. Magic Leap 1 is a lightweight, wearable computer that brings the physical and digital worlds together as one.

Magic Leap 1 scans and understands the world around you, can remember where you last put things and recognizes and responds to your head position and eye movement. Also, with accurate hand tracking, you can point, shake, fist bump, and even work on your tennis serve.

Microsoft HoloLens 2

HoloLens 2 is an immersive, ergonomic, instinctual, and untethered MR glasses made by Microsoft. HoloLens 2 offers comfortable and immersive mixed reality experiences, with solutions that deliver value in minutes — all enhanced by the reliability, security, and scalability of cloud and AI services.

HoloLens 2 is primarily meant for businesses to better their collaborations. 

Nreal Light

Nreal aims to make mixed reality available and accessible to everyone. The China-based company has been actively developing user-friendly mixed reality wearables since 2017.

Nreal Light is a pair of mixed reality glasses sporting a wide-screen, vivid display. By offering a full spatial computing capability and cross-platform compatibility, Nreal strives to bring mixed reality a step closer to reality.

Nreal MR glasses are available to pre-order for developers, and coming soon to consumers as well.

Rokid

Rokid specializes in the research and product development of Mixed Reality and Artificial Intelligence. With its mission of "leave nobody behind," Rokid provides enterprise solutions for developing communities. Rokid was established in 2014 and is based in California, US.

Rokid offers two pairs of glasses: Rokid Vision for mobile usage and Rokid Glass 2 designed for multi-use scenarios. Roughly said, Rokid Vision is for consumer-like usage when Rokid Glass 2 is aimed at enterprises. 

ThirdEye X2

ThirdEye X2 offers enterprise organizations a complete MR solution out of the box. Frontline workers can view schematics, diagrams, and instructions while improving first-time fix rates, decreasing error rates, and doing more quality jobs in a day.

Designed for enterprise use, the X2 comes with environment tracking, wide field of view, noise-canceling microphones, and high-resolution camera, to name a few features. The X2 MR glasses run on the open-source Android OS.

Varjo XR-1

XR-1 Developer Edition is a professional mixed reality device for engineers, researchers, and designers pioneering a new reality. With photorealistic visual fidelity, ultra-low latency, and integrated eye tracking, the XR-1 seamlessly merges virtual content with the real world. The user can also switch between mixed reality and full VR – bringing the benefits of both worlds into one device.

XR-1 Developer Edition is powered by pass-through technology, which is achieved with cameras, sensors, optics, ISP, and Varjo's Bionic Display™. 

Smart glasses

Amazon Echo Frames

Meet Echo Frames - all-day glasses with hands-free access to Alexa. These smart glasses are in the introductory period and are available only through an invitation. They are also shipped only in 50 states in the US.

With the Amazon Echo Frames, you can make calls, set reminders, add to your to-do lists, listen to podcasts, or control your smart home from anywhere. They also support Google Assistant and Siri. Echo Frames are designed for every-day-use; they are lightweight and compatible with most prescription lenses. Built-in-microphones respond to the voice of the person wearing the frames, so your privacy is safe.

Iristick

These industrial smart glasses enable hands-free remote assistance, step-by-step workflow guidance, and pick-by-vision. The Iristick glasses come in three models: Premium, Essential, and Basic.

These industry-targeted smart safety glasses give unrestricted field of view, zoom in to the smallest details, and make sure no radiation near your temple. They also feel and look like a standard pair of glasses!

Level

Level™ smart glasses integrate activity-tracking technology into an accessory you already wear every day. 

The Level glasses work together with the Level app, available for free in the App Store and Google Play. With the app, you can easily track your activity, build momentum towards your goals, and - the one feature all of us four-eyes long for - find your glasses! 

The glasses are available in three frames. You can purchase yours from multiple stores in the US and online.

Lowdown Focus

Smith's Lowdown Focus glasses measure your brain's activity while training your cognitive skills and living your life. With the data from brain activity, you can improve your focus and heighten self-awareness.

Used together with Smith Focus App, the eyewear records and visualizes your activity and progress. The combination then offers a program for improved performance and ultimately aids in targeting your goals and objectives for excelling in a sport or combating daily stressors.

Lowdown Focus is paving its way into the wellness field, unlike many other AR/MR/smart glasses. They for sure have a place in the world of information overload.

Lucyd Loud

The Lucyd smart glasses come in the form of the Loud series. With Lucyd Loud frames, you can listen to music and change tracks, make and answer calls and use Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa.

With Loud Slim and Loud Youth, you can attach prescription lenses. The Loud XL is the perfect frame for outdoor use.

Optivent ORA-2

The ORA-2 is a powerful wearable computing device. It is a smart glass platform for mobile augmented reality and wearable computing. The ORA-2 enables hands-free mobile computing and AR applications such as remote maintenance, logistics, remote training, and situation awareness. It can run applications as a standalone wearable computer and with WiFi and Bluetooth to networks and smart devices.

The ORA-2 is equipped with a dual-core processor, camera, microphone, sound, inertial sensors, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, ambient light sensor, and a high capacity rechargeable battery. 

Solos

Solos is a combination of sensors, analytics, and high-performance smart glasses that will make your activities faster, easier and more fun. Solos smart glasses merge your preferred performance data and put it all right in front of you to fully focus on your training.

With the combination of the Solos app and the smart glasses, you can hit your performance thresholds, find your next turn, see who's calling, or get your latest social feed update.

Vue

Track steps, listen to music, make phone calls, and more— all with Vue's unisex smart glasses. Vue features audio technology, touch control, voice assistant, and Find My Glasses! Vue also has an app to make the usage smooth and efficient.

Vue's bone conduction audio technology transfers stereo sound to your inner ear. Your ears remain unplugged, so you can listen to music, answer calls, and hear notifications while still hearing the world around you.

Vuzix M-Series

Vuzix's M-Series provides a variety of comfortable all-day wearable options for enterprise workers. The glasses come in two forms: the two kinds of starter kits and the M4000 smart glasses.

The starter kits feature a touchpad, voice and button navigations, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, OLED displays, flashlight, and camera. The M4000 features, among the previous, head tracking, see-through Waveguide optics, integrated speaker, and noise-cancelling microphones.

AR glasses, availability

AR glasses

MR glasses

Smart glasses

If you know of AR/MR/smart glasses not presented here, please let us know, and we'll add them to the group!

Read more about what is augmented reality.