Alibaba’s New Qwen N1 Glasses Let Wearers Pay by Gaze With Swappable Temple Batteries

Photo credit: Alibaba
Alibaba began selling its Qwen N1 and N1 Pro smart glasses in China on October 13 after a Hangzhou event, with pre-orders open since late September. Standard packages start near 2,899 RMB ($433) for the N1 and 3,399 RMB ($508) for the Pro, though subsidies and launch offers can bring the lower model closer to 2,200 RMB ($329). Both models land in the same price band as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses and are listed on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin.

Every pair of Qwen glasses includes a 50 Megapixel camera sensor, which can capture respectable still images even in first person, as well as stabilized 4k video. Your voice commands are picked up by bone conduction microphones and delivered directly to the Qwen assistant. That assistant can translate whatever you’re saying, scribble down some meeting notes, record sessions on its own, and simply remind you of any upcoming travel plans. For a quick shopping trip, you can even use your glasses to complete purchases on the fly, eliminating the need to fumble for your phone.

According to the Chinese press, these glasses have dual batteries built in, one in each temple, allowing you to simply change them and continue wearing the glasses. Alibaba estimates that the N1 can last 9 hours of operation or 25 hours of standby time, while the Pro version lasts 8 hours. They also have a dedicated chip running a separate ‘visual path’ at a mere 5 milliwatts, as this gadget is always on, always looking out, and only wakes up the rest of the system when it detects something significant. That includes detecting persons or events and just alerting you to what you truly need to know.

Oh, and the N1 Pro takes things a step further by including a tiny eye-tracking camera that follows your gaze. Point your gaze at an object or menu item and just ask a question; the system will utilize that direction to determine what’s right in front of you. The same tracking mechanism is used to scan your iris and confirm a payment with Alipay; simply gaze at a QR code and the system will authenticate the payment using your eye. The health sensors in the Pro glasses measure your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature, and then send the information to Qwen for you to review and maybe receive suggestions.

The current Meta glasses contain a 12-megapixel camera but no eye tracking or health sensors, however they do have a screen. Alibaba’s versions, on the other hand, have no screens and rely solely on voice commands and the Pro’s eye tracking for interaction. They’ve also produced a set of Qwen Clip earphones that are tuned with Bose and can perform the same translating and note-taking functions, but at a lesser cost. For the time being, the Qwen glasses are only available in China, with the goal of getting users to engage with Alibaba’s services while they go about their daily lives.
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