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Quark AI Glasses

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Quark AI Glasses[1][2][3][4][5]
Basic Info
VR/AR Augmented reality
Type Smart Glasses
Subtype AI Glasses
Developer Quark, Alibaba Group
Announcement Date July 2025 (World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Shanghai)
Release Date 27 November 2025 (S1, China); G1 pre-sale from 22 December 2025
Price From CNY 3,799 (S1); from CNY 1,899 (G1); China launch prices
Versions S1 (binocular display), three variants; G1 (no display), three variants
Successor Qwen AI Glasses
System
Operating System Android and RTOS dual system
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 with BES2800 co-processor
Storage
Storage 32 GB
Memory 3 GB (S1); 2 GB (G1)
Display
Display S1: two monochrome green micro light engines with diffractive waveguide lenses; G1: none
Peak Brightness 4,000 nits at the eye (S1, manufacturer figure)
Optics
Optics Diffractive waveguide (S1)
Ocularity Binocular (S1)
Audio
Audio Two speakers; standard, powerful and quiet sound modes
Microphone Five microphones plus one bone-conduction microphone
Camera 12 MP Sony IMX681, 109 degree ultra-wide lens, 3K video
Connectivity
WiFi Yes (Qualcomm WCN7851)
Bluetooth Yes (via BES2800)
Battery Capacity S1: removable temple battery plus a small internal battery; G1: 272 mAh
Battery Life S1: about 7 hours per battery, up to 24 hours with battery swapping (manufacturer); G1: about 9 hours (manufacturer)
Device
Weight S1: about 51 g with plain lenses (reviewer measurement); G1: about 40 g
Material Titanium alloy temples
Input Touch and voice


Quark AI Glasses (Chinese: 夸克AI眼镜) are a family of AI glasses developed by the Quark unit of Alibaba Group and sold in mainland China from November 2025. They run Alibaba's Qwen large language model as a voice assistant and connect to the company's consumer services, including Alipay payments, Amap navigation and Taobao price lookups.[1][6] The line has two series. The flagship S1 has a monochrome green display in each lens and was priced from 3,799 yuan; the G1 has the same camera, audio and processing hardware without a display and was priced from 1,899 yuan.[2][1]

Alibaba first showed the glasses at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July 2025 and put the S1 on sale on 27 November 2025.[7][6] Both series use a dual-chip design that pairs a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 with a low-power BES2800 co-processor, a 12-megapixel camera, a five-microphone array with bone conduction, and hot-swappable temple batteries.[3][4] Demand outran supply in the first weeks, with a 45-day order backlog and resale prices above the list price.[8]

In February 2026 Alibaba said that later glasses from the same team would carry the Qwen name instead. The follow-on Qwen AI Glasses went on sale in China in March 2026, and Alibaba stated that existing Quark glasses would receive the same feature updates.[9][10] As of September 2026 the Quark glasses have only been sold in China.[11]

Reviewed 20 September 2026. Launch and pre-sale dates, prices, hardware specifications, display technology, software features, supply shortage, Qwen rebranding and September 2026 status checked against the cited Alibaba, Xinhua, IT之家, 52audio, VR陀螺 and press sources. About review dates.

Announcement and release

WAIC 2025 preview

Alibaba showed the Quark AI Glasses at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai in July 2025 and described them as its first self-developed smart eyewear. The July 28 announcement listed hands-free calling, music playback, real-time translation and meeting transcription, together with Amap navigation on a near-eye display, Alipay payments, Taobao price comparison and Fliggy travel alerts. Alibaba said the product would be released in China by the end of 2025.[7] Coverage at the time reported a dual-chip design of a Snapdragon AR1 and a BES2800 processor for always-on, low-power tasks, with the price and detailed specifications still unannounced.[12]

The product is named after Quark, Alibaba's AI assistant and search app.[13]

Pre-sale and launch

A pre-sale for the S1 opened at midnight on 24 October 2025 on Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, ahead of the Double 11 shopping festival. Members of Alibaba's 88VIP program were shown a price of 3,699 yuan and other buyers 3,999 yuan, with some early buyers paying as little as 3,329 yuan; the final retail price was to be announced at launch, and shipments were scheduled to start on 8 December 2025. During the pre-sale the glasses became the second best-selling smart glasses brand on Tmall behind Xreal.[14]

Alibaba formally launched the line on 27 November 2025 with six models across the two series: three S1 variants in different frames and colors, and three G1 variants (two frame styles and a sunglasses version). The S1 went on sale that day through Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, and G1 reservations opened online the same day. Alibaba said 604 partner optical stores in 82 Chinese cities would offer fitting, demonstrations and sales.[2][1] The launch was China-only.[6] Business Standard reported that international versions were planned for the following year through platforms including AliExpress.[15]

At the launch, Alibaba vice president Wu Jia said the glasses would "usher in a revolution in human-computer interaction in the AI era".[13]

Model Display Launch price (China) Notes
S1 Binocular monochrome green display From 3,799 yuan[2] IT之家 listed the Standard Kit at 4,299 yuan (3,999 yuan after subsidy) and the Super Endurance Kit at 4,599 yuan (4,299 yuan after subsidy)[3]
G1 None From 1,899 yuan[2] Wellington frame, fashion brow frame and sunglasses versions; pre-sale opened 22 December 2025 from 1,999 yuan[16]

Supply shortage

By 10 December 2025 the Tmall flagship store was releasing a limited batch each day at 10:00, which typically sold out within half an hour, and the order backlog had reached 45 days. Xinhua reported resale prices of 4,000 to 5,000 yuan on second-hand platforms, a small rental market at 40 to 95 yuan per day, and that the S1 had topped the smart glasses sales rankings on Tmall, JD.com and Douyin within four hours of launch. The store's customer service said production capacity was limited and that the company was urgently increasing output.[8] Kechuangban Daily reported the following day that Quark had added an assembly line at a Luxshare factory, with the team aiming to reach full capacity by January 2026 for the Spring Festival shopping season, and that waveguide supplier Zhige Technology was accelerating production of its orders.[17]

CES 2026 and design award

Alibaba exhibited the S1 at CES 2026 in January 2026.[18] The S1 received an iF Design Award 2026 in the product design discipline (gaming, VR and AR category); the entry cites the internal component layout for weight distribution and the replaceable battery.[19]

Design and hardware

Frame and ergonomics

The S1 frame is 3.3 mm thick at its thinnest point and the temples 7.5 mm wide, which Alibaba said is about 25 percent thinner than the industry norm. The temples are titanium alloy and the frames are shaped for Asian face profiles; prescription lenses can be fitted.[2] The batteries sit in the temples, which IT之家 and VR陀螺 describe as a 1:1 front-to-rear weight balance.[3][5] In VR陀螺's review the S1 weighed 51 g with plain lenses;[5] 52audio's teardown measured 52.6 g.[4] The G1 weighs about 40 g.[1]

Processing and memory

Both series use a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 alongside a BES2800 co-processor from Bestechnic, and switch between Android and a real-time operating system depending on the task. The S1 has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage; the G1 has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB.[3][16] The teardown identified the co-processor as a BES2800BP, a BIWIN 32 GB ePoP memory package, a Qualcomm WCN7851 Wi-Fi chip and a Southchip SC89622 charging controller.[4]

Camera and audio

The camera uses a 12-megapixel Sony IMX681 sensor behind an f/2.2, 109 degree ultra-wide lens with dual stabilization.[3][4] Alibaba quotes a 0.6-second capture time, 3K video recording, AI upscaling to 4K output and a "Super Raw" low-light mode.[1][2] VR陀螺 reported recording limits of ten minutes per clip at 1080p and three minutes at 3K.[5]

The microphone array has five air-conduction microphones and one bone-conduction microphone; the teardown identified them as Knowles HA24 MEMS units and a Knowles SNB22.[2][4] Two speakers offer standard, powerful and quiet sound modes.[5]

Battery

The S1 has a removable battery in each temple plus a small internal battery so that a battery can be swapped without powering down. Alibaba describes this as an industry first and quotes up to 24 hours of use with swapping.[1][2] IT之家 gave a combined runtime of 7 hours per set of batteries.[3] Reported capacities differ: IT之家 listed 287 mAh, VR陀螺 280 mAh, and the battery label photographed in the teardown reads 3.91 V, 240 mAh, 0.94 Wh, with a 0.157 Wh internal cell.[3][5][4] Charging uses a clip-on charger with contact points.[4] The G1 has a 272 mAh battery with a claimed 9 hours of mixed use.[16]

In VR陀螺's testing, one S1 battery lasted about four hours of heavy use (photography, video, music and navigation), about seven hours in typical use, and about 25 hours on standby.[5]

Display and optics

Only the S1 has a display. Each lens carries a diffractive waveguide fed by its own light engine, and the two images can be adjusted across nine positions so that the virtual image appears at a distance of 2 to 10 metres. Alibaba quotes a peak brightness of 4,000 nits at the eye, and the teardown report lists a lens transmittance of 97 percent from a nano-coating.[3][5][4] The display shows monochrome green text and graphics.[20]

Sources disagree on the panel technology. Alibaba's English-language launch materials describe "dual micro-OLED displays".[1] The 52audio teardown identifies two 0.15 cc micro-LED light engines, and LEDinside reports them as JBD Hummingbird Mini II units.[4][18] The waveguides come from Zhige Technology.[17]

VR陀螺 found the menu text legible in direct afternoon sunlight, and noted that placing the image in the upper-middle area of the lens kept rainbow artifacts from the diffractive waveguide out of the main view; light leakage visible to other people was minimal.[5]

Software and features

The glasses run Alibaba's Qwen models as a voice assistant, woken with "Hello Qwen", and pair with the Qwen app on a phone.[1][6] Advertised functions include price recognition of items in view with Taobao lookups, text and image questions, live translation, near-eye walking and cycling navigation from Amap, AI meeting notes, reminders, a teleprompter, and finding nearby places.[1][7] Payment works through Alipay by looking at a QR code.[20] Partner services at launch included Fliggy, QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, and Alibaba said the glasses support the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for third-party developers.[1] VR陀螺 also tested WeChat message notifications shown on the display.[5]

Control is by voice and by touch on the temples; there is no wrist or hand input device.[20]

In May 2026 Alibaba announced a "proactive AI" update for its Qwen Glasses that surfaces reminders and suggestions from context such as weather, location and calendar, plus a spatial 3D display mode that uses the two light engines for stereoscopic images, with ride-hailing, food delivery and ticket booking through the Qwen app to follow.[21] Alibaba had said in February that Quark glasses would receive the same updates as the Qwen series,[9] and The Gadgeteer reported the proactive features arriving on the Quark S1 in May 2026.[11]

Reception

In its launch-day review, VR陀螺 praised the sunlight legibility of the display, the balance of the frame during walking, and daytime photo quality that it described as close to a flagship phone. It noted slight pressure on the ears during long wear and a learning curve for the touch controls, and said that the built-in links to Alibaba's applications simplify common tasks.[5]

Road to VR compared the S1 with the Meta Ray-Ban Display, which had launched at about US$800. It noted that Meta's glasses have a single full-color display and a Neural Band wristband for gesture input, while the S1 has two monochrome green displays and only voice and touch input, so it cannot scroll or pinch-zoom content in the same way.[20] CNBC named Xiaomi and Xreal as domestic competitors,[6] and SCMP also listed Rokid.[13]

IDC research director Sophie Pan said that Alibaba's entry would "bring new dynamics to the competitive landscape of China's smart eyewear market". IDC counted 1.6 million smart glasses shipped in China in the year to September 2025, about a third of them from Xiaomi.[15] Alibaba said the Qwen app had reached 10 million downloads in its first week of public beta.[6]

Qwen AI Glasses and current status

In December 2025 Alibaba created a Qwen business unit under Wu Jia that combined the Qwen app, Quark, AI hardware, UC and Shuqi Novel.[22] On 27 February 2026 the company said that Quark AI Glasses and the forthcoming Qwen AI Glasses came from the same algorithm, software and hardware team, that the Qwen glasses were a subsequent series named to match its global brand, and that Quark glasses already sold would get the same feature updates.[9]

Alibaba presented the Qwen AI Glasses at MWC Barcelona in March 2026, again as an S1 series with a display and a G1 series without, plus a G1 sunglasses version in seven lens colors. Reservations in China opened on 2 March 2026, sales began on 8 March, the G1 had an official price of 2,899 yuan and about 1,997 yuan after subsidies, and Alibaba said an international version would roll out within 2026.[23][10] At the show, Alibaba staff did not confirm to Android Police how the Qwen models differed from the Quark S1 and G1.[24]

In May 2026 Alibaba stated, citing Wellsenn XR data, that its Qwen Glasses held a 53 percent share of cumulative online smart glasses sales in China since launch.[21] As of September 2026 the Quark-branded S1 and G1 remain China-only products; the S1 was still listed at 3,799 yuan in May 2026.[11] Alibaba has not announced an international release of the Quark-branded models.

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 "Alibaba Launches New Quark AI Glasses Series in China, Deeply Integrated with Qwen". Alizila. Alibaba Group. 2025-11-27. https://www.alizila.com/alibaba-launches-new-quark-ai-glasses-series-in-china-deeply-integrated-with-qwen/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "搭载阿里千问，夸克AI眼镜两个系列六款单品发布". Xinhua. 2025-11-27. http://www.xinhuanet.com/tech/20251127/08d77754e3654647b345f1b71ca496c1/c.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "阿里首款自研 AI 眼镜：夸克 AI 眼镜 S1 发布，双光机显示、3K 视频拍摄、可换电设计". IT之家. 2025-11-27. https://www.ithome.com/0/900/714.htm. 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 "拆解报告：夸克AI眼镜S1". 我爱音频网 (52audio). https://www.52audio.com/archives/269965.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 冉启行 (2025-11-27). "【深度评测】阿里第一款AI眼镜夸克S1，诚意满满！". VR陀螺. https://www.vrtuoluo.cn/544201.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Arjun Kharpal (2025-11-27). "Alibaba Quark AI Glasses go on sale: Price, specs". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/27/alibaba-quark-ai-glasses-go-on-sale-price-specs.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Alibaba Unveils Intelligent Cockpits, Enterprise Partnerships and AI Glasses at WAIC 2025". Alibaba Cloud. Alibaba Group. 2025-07-28. https://www.alibabacloud.com/en/press-room/alibaba-unveils-intelligent-cockpits-enterprise. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "夸克AI眼镜每天上架30分钟就被抢光，订单排期延至45天后". Xinhua. 2025-12-10. http://www.news.cn/tech/20251210/429e7f17aae546b6a9b31573e0052d76/c.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "阿里：夸克AI眼镜和千问AI眼镜是同一个团队推出的不同系列". 每经网 (NBD). 2026-02-27. https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2026-02-27/4271586.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "千问AI眼镜开启全渠道预约：3月8日现货发售、年内全球上市". 央广网 (CNR). 2026-03-02. https://tech.cnr.cn/techxp/20260302/t20260302_527540790.shtml. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Rei Padla (2026-05-12). "Alibaba's Quark AI Glasses S1 Just Got Proactive AI". The Gadgeteer. https://the-gadgeteer.com/2026/05/12/quark-ai-glasses-s1-proactive-ai-qwen-update-may-2026/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  12. ↑ Ulrich Mathey (2025-07-29). "Quark AI Glasses: Alibaba startet Angriff auf Meta und Xiaomi". Notebookcheck. https://www.notebookcheck.com/Quark-AI-Glasses-Alibaba-startet-Angriff-auf-Meta-und-Xiaomi.1071882.0.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Ann Cao (2025-11-27). "Alibaba launches US$537 Quark AI glasses to challenge wearables from Meta, Xiaomi, Rokid". South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3334399/alibaba-launches-us537-quark-ai-glasses-challenge-wearables-meta-xiaomi-rokid. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  14. ↑ "Alibaba Enters AI Hardware Market with Quark AI Glasses Presale Ahead of December Launch". TMTPost. https://en.tmtpost.com/post/7737306. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Alibaba Group Holding releases AI glasses in rare consumer gadget foray". Business Standard. 2025-11-27. https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/alibaba-group-holding-releases-ai-glasses-in-rare-consumer-gadget-foray-125112701307_1.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "夸克 AI 眼镜 G1 开启预售：双芯双系统、3K 视频拍摄，1999 元起". 新浪科技 (Sina Tech). 2025-12-22. https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/digi/2025-12-22/doc-inhcryrk9259921.shtml. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "夸克AI眼镜已新增产线 目标明年1月充分释放产能". 科创板日报 (Kechuangban Daily). Cailian Press. 2025-12-11. https://api3.cls.cn/b/2226839. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "CES 2026：24款AR眼镜大盘点". LEDinside. 2026-01-08. https://www.ledinside.cn/showreport/20260108-60860.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  19. ↑ "Quark AI Glasses S1". iF Design. https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/quark-ai-glasses-s1/749579. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Scott Hayden (2025-12-02). "Alibaba Launches Smart Glasses to Rival Meta Ray-Ban Display". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/alibaba-smart-glasses-rival-meta-ray-ban-display/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Alibaba's Qwen Glasses Upgrades with Proactive AI Capabilities and Spatial 3D Display to Elevate Intuitive AI Experiences". Alibaba Cloud Community. Alibaba Group. 2026-05-09. https://www.alibabacloud.com/blog/alibaba%E2%80%99s-qwen-glasses-upgrades-with-proactive-ai-capabilities-and-spatial-3d-display-to-elevate-intuitive-ai-experiences_603099. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  22. ↑ Shen Xiaoge and Chen Lu (2026-02-27). "Alibaba's Qwen to unveil AI glasses, expand into wearables". Jiemian News. https://m.jiemian.com/article/14046876.html. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  23. ↑ "Alibaba Unveils Qwen Glasses at MWC Barcelona, Accelerating AI Hardware Ambitions". Alibaba Cloud Community. Alibaba Group. 2026-03-04. https://www.alibabacloud.com/blog/alibaba-unveils-qwen-glasses-at-mwc-barcelona-accelerating-ai-hardware-ambitions_602920. Retrieved 2026-09-20.
  24. ↑ Andy Boxall (2026-03-05). "I wore new smartglasses at MWC 2026, and they took comfort to the next level". Android Police. https://www.androidpolice.com/i-wore-new-smartglasses-at-mwc-2026-and-they-took-comfort-to-the-next-level/. Retrieved 2026-09-20.


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