Revolutionize Your Vision with Qualcomm's New Smart Glasses Tech
Revolutionary AI chip by Qualcomm set to potentially transform the future of smart glasses.
Step into the future with Qualcomm's fresh announcement at AWE 2025 - the introduction of the Snapdragon AR1 Plus Gen 1 chip, designed specifically for smart glasses. This bad boy is ready to roll with the Llama 3.2 edge AI model, packing a whopping one billion parameters and a 128K token context. Say goodbye to bulky phones and hello to standalone smart glasses!
Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm's VP of XR, donned a pair of TCL RayNeo X3 Pro AR glasses on stage at AWE, demonstrating the ability to converse with the AI using a tiny language model (SLM), sans internet or phone backup.
Beyond answering questions, Qualcomm's AI-powered smart glasses will leverage cameras to analyze your surroundings and provide context on the sights before your eyes. The chip boasts a swift 1.2-second time to first token (TTFT), slashing the usual cloud-query delay.
So, while smart glasses won't be entirely standalone until they acquire cellular support and on-device apps, they're heading in the right direction. The Llama 3.2 model will occasionally still need outside assistance, but who needs a phone when your glasses can think for themselves?
Prefer a more professional vibe? The new Snapdragon AR1 Plus Gen 1 chipset is destined for pro-level AI glasses, akin to the Snapdragon XR2 Plus SoC in Project Moohan.
Qualcomm claims that this new chipset shrinks the height of smart glasses' temples by a smashing 20%, making them more camouflaged among regular eyewear.
The chip's alleged power efficiencies extend to functions like computer vision, Wake with Voice standby, and Video Streaming, while also delivering improved image quality through enhanced image stabilization and a multi-frame engine that illuminates photos like never before.
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Qualcomm appears to be developing smart rings as controllers for AR glasses, offering gesture control, motion tracking, health monitoring, and 3DoF control as potential features. Asghar hints that rings and smartwatches will merge to create new ways to interact with your glasses.
Our suspicions point towards the Samsung Galaxy Ring as a compatible device, set to function as an Android XR input device. Other possible partnerships may include Meta creating their own smart ring controllers.
Qualcomm hasn't revealed which devices will utilize the Snapdragon AR1+ Gen 1, aside from the RayNeo X3 Pro. The Google AR reference glasses tested at Google I/O seem like a likely candidate, and the leaked Meta Ray-Ban Hypernova could be another, given the Llama 3.2 model is a Meta AI.
Besides the new chipset, Qualcomm declared today that Snapdragon Spaces is now compatible with Android XR and Samsung Project Moohan. This should streamline the creation of spatial apps for devices like Moohan and XREAL Project Aura.
Join us this week at AWE 2025, as we delve into the latest XR and smart glasses prototypes hands-on! 🤓✌️🚀
Smart home devices and gadgets will soon get a boost from Qualcomm's new AI-powered glasses technology, as the Snapdragon AR1 Plus Gen 1 chip enables the glasses to analyze surroundings and possibly interact with these devices, reducing the need for a separate phone.
Furthermore, the emergence of Qualcomm's smart ring controllers will further revolutionize technology, potentially merging with smartwatches, and offering gesture control, health monitoring, and 3DoF control for a seamless user experience.
