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HTC Vive Eagle

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VIVE Eagle[1][2][3]
Basic Info
VR/AR AI glasses (camera and audio, no display)
Type Smart glasses
Subtype AI Glasses
Developer HTC
Manufacturer HTC
Announcement Date 14 August 2025
Release Date 1 September 2025 (Taiwan); 3 September 2026 (North America); 21 September 2026 (United Kingdom and Europe)
Price NT$15,600 (Taiwan launch price); US$499 (United States, clear or sun lenses)
Website https://www.vive.com/us/product/vive-eagle/overview/
Versions Square frame; Pantos frame
Requires Smartphone running iOS 17.6 or later or Android 10 or later, with the VIVE Connect app
System
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1
Storage
Storage 32 GB
Memory 4 GB RAM
Audio
Audio Two stereo bass-enhanced open-ear speakers
Microphone Beamforming array: one directional, three omnidirectional
Camera 12 MP ultra-wide; photos 3024 x 4032 px; video 2176 x 2944 at 30 fps
Connectivity
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3
Power Magnetic charging cable; 1-50% in 10 minutes, 1-80% in 23 minutes
Battery Capacity 235 mAh
Battery Life Over 36 hours standby; up to 4.5 hours continuous music; over 3 hours continuous voice calls
Device
Weight 48.5 g (Pantos, with lens); 49 g (Square, with lens)
Color Square: Black, Coffee, Berry; Pantos: Charcoal Black, Clear Brown, Navy
Input Voice command; touchpad; capture button; power/AI button
Compliance IP54


HTC Vive Eagle (stylized VIVE Eagle) is a pair of camera-equipped smart glasses developed by HTC. The glasses have no display. They combine a 12 MP camera, open-ear speakers, a four-microphone array and a voice assistant called VIVE AI that can hand complex requests to either Google Gemini or OpenAI's GPT models, chosen by the wearer in the companion app.[1][4] HTC markets the product on its privacy measures, press coverage has framed it as a rival to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and it is the company's first product in the AI glasses category.[3][5][6]

HTC announced the glasses on 14 August 2025 and sold them first in Taiwan from 1 September 2025 at NT$15,600.[2] Launches in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan followed between December 2025 and April 2026.[7][6][8] On 3 September 2026 HTC opened orders in North America, Europe and Australia at US$499, GBP 429 and EUR 469, sold the glasses in two frame shapes, the original square frame and a rounder "Pantos" frame, and released a software update that raised video recording to 3K resolution.[3][9]

Reviewed 20 September 2026. Every citation opened and checked: announcement and regional launch dates, prices, HTC spec-sheet values, software features, executive quotes, Red Dot awards and review scores. About review dates.

Announcement and release

HTC introduced VIVE Eagle on 14 August 2025 as a Taiwan-only product. Pre-orders ran from 14 to 31 August 2025 and retail sales began on 1 September 2025 through 2020EYEhaus eyewear stores and Taiwan Mobile's OP experience stores, with Taiwan Mobile also bundling the glasses with telecom plans. The launch package included sun lenses, a case and a two-year VIVE AI Plus subscription, and the four launch colors were Berry, Coffee, Grey and Black. Charles Huang, an HTC senior vice president, said that the product "represents HTC's newest exploration in the realm of intelligent living and personal wearables".[2] At the end of August 2025, Taiwan Mobile told Focus Taiwan that pre-order demand had been strong and that the Black version was the most popular.[10]

At the time of the Taiwan launch, HTC gave no plan for other markets.[11] The product then rolled out region by region over the following year.

Region On-sale date Launch price Channels and notes
Taiwan 1 September 2025 NT$15,600 2020EYEhaus stores, Taiwan Mobile[2]
Hong Kong 11 December 2025 HK$3,988 (M and L sizes) Sold with non-prescription Zeiss sun lenses; prescription lenses fitted by opticians[7]
Singapore March 2026 (on sale by 9 March) S$730 (UV400 lenses); S$880 (AdaptiveSun photochromic lenses) Singtel online shop and selected Singtel stores[12][6]
Japan 24 April 2026 JPY 82,500 (sun or clear lenses); JPY 98,000 (photochromic) KDDI "au +1 collection", au Online Shop, Yamada Denki; sold by HTC NIPPON[8][13]
United States and Canada 3 September 2026 (US pre-orders opened in July 2026 on Amazon) US$499; CA$699 vive.com, Amazon[3][14][15]
United Kingdom and Europe Orders from 3 September 2026, shipping from 21 September 2026 GBP 429; EUR 469 vive.com and selected channels[3]
Australia 14 September 2026 AU$799 HTC VIVE online store, Amazon, selected Harvey Norman stores[16][17]

HTC's 3 September 2026 announcement, datelined Berkeley, California and Taipei, covered Europe, North America and Australia together. HTC co-founder and chairperson Cher Wang said: "Technology should free our imaginations, and allow us to create and experience and improve our lives. VIVE Eagle is where style meets intelligence, it taps into powerful AI tools and frees your hands so you can be more present in the moment." The same release priced the optional Power Boost battery accessory at US$49, GBP 45 and EUR 49.[3] In the United States the base price of US$499 applies to the clear and sunglass lens versions; Android Headlines reported a US$599 price for the photochromic version, which HTC's US store listed as "available at a later date" in September 2026.[18][19]

The Pantos frame, which had already appeared in HTC's US pre-order listings in July 2026, reached Taiwan in the same week at NT$15,600, the same price as the square frame, through Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile.[14][9]

Design and hardware

Frames and lenses

VIVE Eagle is built to look like ordinary eyewear, with all electronics housed in the temples. The original frame is a square design; the Pantos frame, which HTC introduced in Taiwan as new in September 2026, has a soft-round shape and comes with small and large nose pads in the box.[1][9] Both frames are 148.88 mm wide with 150.2 mm temples and a 20 mm bridge; HTC's specification page gives the Pantos lens as 41.9 x 48.49 mm and the Square lens as 39.98 x 48.85 mm. The same page lists the Pantos frame at 48.5 g and the Square frame at 49 g, both including lenses, while HTC's US and Canadian store pages state the reverse (Square 48.5 g, Pantos 49 g) and note that weight varies with frame size, lens type and accessories.[1][18][15] At the 2025 launch HTC described the glasses simply as "under 49 grams".[2] The Asian launches offered M and L sizes, and Android Authority quoted 48.8 g for the medium size of the US version.[6][14]

Lenses come from Zeiss in three types: UV400 sunglass, UV400 blue-light-blocking clear, and UV380 "AdaptiveSun" photochromic lenses.[1] Only the sun lenses were included at the Taiwan launch; clear and photochromic versions went on sale in later markets, including Singapore and Japan.[2][6][8] Prescription lenses can be fitted by opticians; in Taiwan HTC named 2020EYEhaus as its optical partner.[20] The frame is rated IP54 against dust and splashes.[1]

The controls are a power/AI button on the left temple, a capture button on the right temple and a touchpad on the right temple for scrolling and navigation, plus voice commands.[1][21]

Camera

The single 12 MP ultra-wide camera sits in the frame front and records HDR photos at 3024 x 4032 pixels. At launch, video was limited to 1512 x 2016 pixels at 30 fps.[20][22] The September 2026 software update raised the maximum to 2176 x 2944 pixels ("3K") at 30 fps and added a slow-motion mode; HTC's current specification sheet lists the 3K figure.[1][9] In Engadget's September 2026 review, slow-motion clips were captured at 120 fps at 960 x 1280 pixels, regular clips were limited to 10 minutes, and the 32 GB of storage held roughly 50 videos.[21] At launch HTC stated that the storage holds more than 3,000 photos or more than 50 videos of up to 3 minutes each.[20]

A capture LED lights or pulses whenever the camera is active, and HTC states that it adjusts its brightness to stay visible in different lighting. Recording stops automatically if the glasses are removed or the LED is covered, and an optional setting lets bystanders end a recording by saying "Stop filming".[2][3]

Audio and microphones

Two open-ear stereo speakers in the temples handle music, calls and assistant responses; HTC describes them as bass-enhanced with sound-leakage reduction. A beamforming array of one directional and three omnidirectional microphones is used for calls and voice commands.[1][4]

Processor, memory and connectivity

The glasses run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. They connect to a phone over Bluetooth 5.3 and support Wi-Fi 6E.[1] A smartphone with iOS 17.6 or later, or Android 10 or later, running the VIVE Connect app is required.[1][20]

Battery and charging

The 235 mAh battery is rated by HTC for over 36 hours of standby, up to 4.5 hours of continuous music playback and over 3 hours of continuous voice calls. Charging uses a magnetic cable; HTC quotes 1-50% in 10 minutes and 1-80% in 23 minutes, and the glasses can be used while charging.[1][4] In the 2026 launch material HTC gives a broader figure of 4 to 6 hours of active use.[3]

The optional Power Boost is a magnetic battery that weighs under 8 g and adds 120 mAh, taking the total to 355 mAh.[4] It sells for US$49 in the United States and AU$79 in Australia.[3][16]

Software and features

VIVE AI and third-party models

The on-device VIVE AI assistant handles everyday commands such as taking a photo or controlling music without an internet connection. For open-ended questions it passes the request to a large language model; the wearer chooses between Google Gemini and OpenAI GPT in the VIVE Connect app, and HTC says the available services depend on region.[22][4] The glasses can also trigger the phone's own assistant, including Siri and Google Assistant, for calls, reminders, calendars, music and navigation.[4] At the 2025 launch the ChatGPT option was labelled beta.[11]

HTC emphasizes data handling in its marketing. Photos and videos are stored locally and encrypted; requests sent to third-party models are de-identified first; and HTC states that user data is not sold and is not used to train AI models. At the 2025 launch HTC said VIVE AI was pending ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certification; by September 2026 it stated that it held both.[2][3][4]

Translation, notes and streaming

At launch the glasses translated text captured by the camera into spoken audio in 13 languages: Arabic, Traditional Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Thai and Turkish.[2] By September 2026 HTC listed visual translation in more than 70 languages and live speech translation in more than 90 languages. Live translation has a Conversation Mode for two-way exchanges and a Listening Mode for speeches or other continuous audio.[4] The September 2026 update also expanded VIVE AI Notes, which records, transcribes and summarizes conversations with speaker identification, to 96 languages, and added head gestures for answering (nod) or rejecting (shake) calls.[9]

The same update added first-person live streaming through the VIVE Connect app. HTC's product page names YouTube and Twitch as destinations, while its US store page lists YouTube and Facebook; Taiwanese coverage of the update quoted about 1.2 hours of streaming per charge.[4][9]

Subscription

Full access to the AI features requires a VIVE AI subscription. Every purchase includes 24 months of the VIVE AI Plus tier; HTC also sells a higher VIVE AI Pro tier and additional AI credits, and states that supported languages and usage limits vary by tier and region.[18][4] In Australia, CyberShack reported that VIVE AI Plus covers translation in up to 12 languages with 100 AI credits per month and would cost AU$4.99 per month or AU$49.90 per year after the included two years, while VIVE AI Pro costs AU$15.99 per month or AU$159.90 per year and includes 400 credits per month.[17]

Awards

VIVE Eagle received two Red Dot Awards in 2026: a Product Design award in the smart glasses category, where the jury called the design "sophisticated in terms of technology and ergonomics", and a second award for its packaging, a reusable cylindrical paper-tube box with a synthetic leather pouch.[23][24]

Reception

Road to VR's Ben Lang noted at the announcement that the Eagle has no display of any kind and is positioned as a vehicle for AI voice assistance and media capture, sharing basic features such as the camera button and recording LED with Meta's Ray-Ban glasses.[22] Engadget's Steve Dent framed it as a direct challenger to Ray-Ban Meta, one gram heavier than Meta's glasses.[5]

Reviews of the US version appeared in September 2026. Joe Fedewa of How-To Geek scored the glasses 7/10, praising the 49 g weight, the open-ear speakers and the choice of assistant, and found camera output comparable to Ray-Ban Meta, but criticized low-light performance and the US$120 premium over Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2).[25] Daniel Cooper of Engadget gave a score of 7.4 out of 10. He liked the weight, the button layout and the privacy measures, including the manual import of photos over the glasses' own Wi-Fi network, but described the photos as "flat and nondescript", found the AI assistant unreliable (when asked to read a novel aloud it stopped after a few words each time, citing content guidelines, and it gave only "the gist" of a restaurant menu), and judged the speakers tinny with weak bass. His verdict was that the glasses "did nothing to win over this AI camera glasses skeptic" at US$499 against Meta's US$299.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "VIVE Eagle Specs". VIVE. HTC Corporation. https://www.vive.com/us/product/vive-eagle/spec/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "HTC Unveils VIVE Eagle AI Glasses". VIVE Newsroom. HTC Corporation. 2025-08-14. https://www.vive.com/us/newsroom/2025-08-14/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 "Style Meets Intelligence: HTC Announces VIVE Eagle - Privacy-Centric AI Smart Glasses". Yahoo Finance. Business Wire. 2026-09-03. https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/style-meets-intelligence-htc-announces-130000138.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 "VIVE Eagle - New AI Glasses with Translation, Bluetooth, Music". VIVE. HTC Corporation. https://www.vive.com/us/product/vive-eagle/overview/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Steve Dent (2025-08-14). "HTC takes on Meta with the Vive Eagle smart glasses". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/ai/htc-takes-on-meta-with-the-vive-eagle-smart-glasses-120048879.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Glenn Chua (2026-03-18). "HTC's new smart glasses launched in Singapore". HardwareZone. https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/mobile/wearables/htc-vive-eagle-ai-smart-glasses-wearable-singapore-launch. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "HTC 港推 AI 眼鏡 VIVE Eagle 第一身相機+翻譯將支援廣東話". unwire.hk. 2025-12-10. https://unwire.hk/2025/12/10/htc-vive-eagle-hk-launch/mobile-phone/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 北川研斗 (2026-04-21). "HTCからスマートグラス「VIVE Eagle」国内発売、auなどで24日発売". ケータイ Watch. Impress. https://k-tai.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2103292.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 黃筱晴 (2026-09-04). "HTC VIVE Eagle智慧眼鏡推全新圓框款 3K錄影、AI翻譯、直播全面升級". 經濟日報. United Daily News. https://money.udn.com/money/story/5612/9733563. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  10. ↑ "HTC's VIVE Eagle AI glasses seeing great demand in preorder sales: Distributor". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. 2025-08-30. https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202508300004. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Michail (2025-08-14). "HTC Vive Eagle announced with 12MP camera, AI translation and 36-hour battery life". GSMArena. https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_vive_eagle_announced_with_12mp_camera_ai_translation_and_36hour_battery_life_-news-69046.php. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  12. ↑ Charlotte Lee (2026-03-09). "Taiwan's HTC launches AI glasses in Singapore". Taiwan News. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6316779. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  13. ↑ "日常に溶け込む軽量型AIグラス HTC「VIVE Eagle」をau +1 collectionから4月24日に発売". au. KDDI. 2026-04-21. https://www.au.com/information/topic/mobile/2026-003/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Jay Bonggolto (2026-07-13). "HTC Vive Eagle lands in the US to challenge Ray-Ban Meta". Android Authority. https://www.androidauthority.com/htc-vive-eagle-us-preorders-live-3687050/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Vive Eagle AI Glasses". VIVE Store Canada. HTC Corporation. https://shop-ca.vive.com/products/vive-eagle. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "HTC VIVE launches Eagle AI smart glasses in Australia". IT Brief Australia. 2026-09-04. https://itbrief.com.au/story/htc-vive-launches-eagle-ai-smart-glasses-in-australia. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Scott Hunt (2026-09-07). "HTC VIVE Eagle AI smart glasses are launching from 14th September". CyberShack. https://cybershack.com.au/gadgets-and-stuff/htc-vive-eagle-announcement/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "VIVE Eagle AI Glasses". VIVE Store United States. HTC Corporation. https://shop-us.vive.com/products/vive-eagle. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  19. ↑ Sai Krishna (2026-09-03). "HTC Vive Eagle Smart Glasses Finally Land in the US". Android Headlines. https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/09/htc-vive-eagle-smart-glasses-finally-land-in-the-us.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 VIVE Team (2025-08-15). "Introducing VIVE Eagle: Smart Glasses Built for Everyday Life". VIVE Blog. HTC Corporation. https://blog.vive.com/us/introducing-vive-eagle-smart-glasses-built-for-everyday-life/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Daniel Cooper (2026-09-15). "HTC Vive Eagle review: Pricey smart glasses that fail to impress". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2257186/htc-vive-eagle-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Ben Lang (2025-08-19). "HTC Enters the Smartglasses Race with VIVE Eagle". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/htc-vive-eagle-smart-glasses-announcement/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  23. ↑ "Red Dot Design Award: VIVE EAGLE". Red Dot Design Award. https://www.red-dot.org/project/vive-eagle-89369. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  24. ↑ "Red Dot Design Award: HTC VIVE Eagle". Red Dot Design Award. https://www.red-dot.org/project/htc-vive-eagle-90157. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  25. ↑ Joe Fedewa (2026-09-03). "HTC's Vive Eagle smart glasses fix Meta's biggest flaw, but it comes at a price". How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/htc-vive-eagle-smart-glasses-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.


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