“AI is advancing very fast, and large language model developers are engaged in an arms race that requires massive resources,” Charles Huang, HTC’s senior vice president of global sales and marketing, told Reuters. “We want to leverage the strengths of different platforms instead of building a closed ecosystem.”
The VIVE Eagle smartglasses support multiple AI platforms, including Google’s Gemini and OpenAI, giving users access to updates and improvements across different models. This contrasts with competitors such as Meta, whose smartglasses rely on Meta AI, and Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Alibaba, which use domestically developed AI.
HTC launched the VIVE model in Hong Kong earlier this month, priced at HK$3,988 ($512). The company plans to expand sales to Japan and Southeast Asia in early 2026, followed by Europe and the United States later in the year. Huang noted that an Asia-first approach considers regional design preferences, as many smartglasses on the market are built around a “Western fit” that may not suit Asian wearers.
Regarding China, Huang said the market posed additional challenges due to restrictions on foreign AI services and data regulations requiring local servers, making entry a longer-term prospect.
Global smartglasses shipments rose 110% in the first half of this year, with Meta holding 73% of the market, according to research firm Counterpoint. Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley “smart” glasses, introduced in 2023, allow users to take calls, capture photos, and play music, drawing widespread attention. Analysts have, however, raised privacy concerns over Meta’s use of user data to power AI features.
Huang emphasized that HTC does not use user data to train its AI models, highlighting privacy and data security as key differentiators. The launch of the VIVE AI smartglasses represents HTC’s renewed push into consumer-facing hardware, following the sale of part of its extended reality headset and glasses unit to Google for $250 million earlier this year.