Truly phoneless AI glasses to the first specs with HDR10 here are the best smart glasses from CES 2026

Date:
Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:48:12 +0000

Description:
We got 20-26 vision at CES this year thanks to the five best smart glasses announced at the show

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Every year CES 2026 is brimming with technological marvels highlighting the gadgets of tomorrow, and in no other category does that feel more true than with smart glasses. So Im finding the best smart glasses of CES 2026 and shouting them out here.

There are plenty to choose from. Following the success of the Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta collab, as well as the hype being driven by Android XR the field featured a lot of new players alongside several returning favorites.

These five have risen above the crowd, however. Be it thanks to innovations such as eSIM integration or HDR, or just sophisticated simplicity, these are the smart glasses to watch from the Las Vegas show. RayNeo Air 4 Pro (Image credit: RayNeo) The best glasses for entertainment

If youre after big (virtual) screen entertainment, the new RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses will be tough to beat, especially at their very low $299 (UK and Australian pricing to be confirmed) price tag.

They still have a 1080p resolution limit, but in a first for these kinds of specs they offer HDR10 support on their micro-OLED panels, which are made
even more vivid with 1,200 nits of brightness. The audio has been tuned up as well, thanks to the expertise of Bang & Olufsen.

The screen expertise of TCL, which makes these glasses, is on show here, and while they lack some of the bells and whistles of their rivals, these specs are also relatively inexpensive and while I have yet to put them through TechRadars rigorous testing, I expect theyll be a shoo-in for the best cheap smart glasses on the market if you want that entertainment focus. Asus ROG Xreal R1 AR (Image credit: ASUS) The smart glasses gamers will want to buy

Meta who? Following the breakup between Meta and its third-party HorizonOS partners it seems at least one has already moved on to a new collaborator, because Asus and Xreal have debuted these gamer-friendly specs.

Lenovo announced some smart glasses of their own (Metas other HorizonOS partner) but as theyre only a prototype and not the most interesting
prototype at that, Ive omitted them from this list.

Anyway, back to Asus, the R1 glasses are basically the splendid Xreal One Pro glasses with two benefits: a 240Hz refresh rate for buttery smooth gaming,
and an included ROG Control Dock. The dock includes DisplayPortTM 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports so you can switch between using the glasses with your PC or your console with just a single click.

We dont yet know the glasses price but I expect theyll be on the pricier end. The One Pro glasses cost $649 / 579, and I wouldnt hold my breath for these Asus specs to cost any less (certainly not much less). RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM (Image credit: TCL) The biggest smart glasses innovation at CES 2026

TCL's AR glasses brand is back on this list again with something a little different. Weve already seen the RayNeo X3 Pro glasses before I saw them at CES last year and theyre your run-of-the-mill AI smart glasses. They boast cameras, speakers and in-built microphones to facilitate AI interactions.

So why have they made this years list? This new model boasts an eSIM with 4G capabilities so no external connection is required.

Now some big questions related to cost, battery life and, importantly, what apps and features the eSIMs will enable still remain but in the prophesized post-smartphone world that smart glasses are said to enable, this is a much-needed step.

However well this Project eSIM model does, expect others to follow TCLs lead. Rokid AI Glasses Style (Image credit: Rokid) The CES 2026 smart glasses to love if you're on a budget

I tried the Rokid Glasses at IFA in late 2025 , and this new for CES model is basically those without a display, which is certainly no bad thing
especially when theyre so darn cheap.

The Rokid AI Glasses Style are just like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. They even look a little like them too. Youll find AI voice commands, a 12MP camera that can shoot in up to 4K, a 12 hour battery life and theyll cost you less than Metas specs. Though Rokids glasses dont come with a charging case by default, which gives them an edge price-wise against the Meta Ray-Bans which do. These cost $299, which is $80 less than Meta's option.

While not mind-blowing in any sense of the word, ecosystems are built on
these more budget-friendly offerings. Cheaper options help to get new gadgets in the hands of folks who really want them but cant afford to spend massive amounts, and so this cheaper option absolutely deserves a shoutout. MemoMind AI glasses (Image credit: MemoMind) The AI smart glasses to watch from CES 2026

Rounding off my list are the XGMI MemoMind AI glasses. The projector brand is a newcomer to the space but has impressed testers with its useful AI
features, comfy design, a lightweight display, and a decent battery life a winning combination in the smart glasses world.

Early impressions are one thing, and tech is difficult to properly judge at a tech show. So while things certainly look positive my advice would be to wait for reviews. I remember being impressed by smart glasses at events like CES and then hating them when I have to spend longer than 10 minutes with them.

At $599, the MemoMind glasses are on the cheaper end of things for display glasses, but thats still a fair amount to shell out.

None of this is meant to be overly critical of these new specs, of course.
Ive included them on this list because of how good an impression the glasses have left early on. Just maybe keep an eye on them for the next few months to see if they can maintain that positivity before hitting buy now.

TechRadar is extensively covering this year's CES , and bringing you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 live news
page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and well do our best to answer it.

And dont forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/truly-phoneless-ai-glasses-to-the-first-specs-w ith-hdr10-here-are-the-best-smart-glasses-from-ces-2026


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