China's AI device market is exploding: smart glasses, pocket assistants, and even "translator muzzles" are entering the mass market.

China's AI device market is exploding: smart glasses, pocket assistants, and even "translator muzzles" are entering the mass market.

In China, the market for wearable AI devices is experiencing rapid growth. More than 70 companies are creating alternatives to Meta smart glasses, and new gadgets—from mini AI-powered voice recorders to unusual translators—are sold both domestically and internationally. Experts believe that China's extensive hardware expertise could give it an advantage in the race with the US.

Hardware Wave: China Bets on Devices as AI Entry Point

While the US is focused on models and software, China is betting that the next stage of the race is hardware. This idea was clearly expressed by Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of 01.AI. According to him, while today's competition is indeed focused on models and apps, soon the key will be the physical device: something the user holds or wears.

And here China has a clear advantage: it remains the world's largest electronics manufacturer and is able to launch mass-market hardware innovations faster and cheaper than its competitors.

70+ Companies Are Making "Chinese Ray-Ban Metas": Smart Glasses Are Coming to the Masses

Following the success of the Meta smart glasses (millions of units sold since 2023), Chinese companies have rushed into the segment. There are now over 70 alternative manufacturers on the market , ranging from budget models to premium AR devices.

China's AI device market is exploding: smart glasses, pocket assistants, and even "translator muzzles" are entering the mass market.

Some brands are entering the global market, for example:
Inmo
Rokid

Both companies sell their glasses globally and are often featured in international press reviews as strong alternatives to Western products.

The domestic market remains even more competitive: Xiaomi and Alibaba are limited to China, but are actively developing their own AI capabilities. In the supply chain ecosystem, they hold a key advantage: complete control over production, from lenses to camera modules.

DingTalk A1: A Pocket AI Secretary That Hears Everything

Alibaba has decided to go beyond smart glasses and released the DingTalk A1 , a credit card-sized gadget designed for work meetings.

Possibilities:
speech recording from a distance of up to 8 meters;
automatic decoding;
summarizing and analyzing conversations;
integration into work chats.

In other words, the A1 becomes a "corporate memory," recording everything that happens in the room.
Functionally, it's similar to the Plaud Note sold in the US, but the Chinese version is more deeply integrated into the DingTalk ecosystem.

From the Practical to the Eccentric: China's Experiments in AI Hardware

The Chinese wearables market has always been diverse, but the advent of AI has bolstered the developers' confidence. The best example is a gadget from the startup Le Le Gaoshang Education Technology.

Device:
Designed for Chinese parents who don't speak English well;
worn around the neck like a pillow;
descends to the chest;
has a "muzzle" on the mouth that muffles the user's voice;
performs translation and educational functions;
Powered by Tencent and iFlyTek AI;
costs about $420.

The positioning is interesting: the developers promise that the device “turns a parent into a laowai,” that is, a conventional native speaker of a foreign language.

This reflects a general trend: Chinese companies are willing to experiment, quickly test ideas, and release niche products, which creates the effect of a “thriving market.”

Why China is ahead now: Hardware touchpoints = data

AI glasses, voice recorders, translators, mini-assistants—all these devices perform the same function: they create a constant flow of data.

Analysts believe this is precisely what gives China its advantage over other countries. The more devices, the more live, diverse data the models collect. And data is the fuel of AI.

This development model:
stimulates mass adoption of new gadgets;
accelerates the training of local models;
creates a market with a high density of users and producers.

According to consultant Tom van Dillen, while outside China people are only just discussing the “possible future of AI devices,” in China itself there are already dozens of such devices.

But an advantage in hardware is no guarantee of victory.

Kai-Fu Lee emphasizes an important limitation: to truly win the AI ​​race, it's not enough to just produce devices. You need to create a product that will become a global standard—"be an Apple iPhone."

Challenges:
Privacy concerns may be slowing global sales of Chinese gadgets;
Chinese AI models may be inferior to American ones in terms of quality or accessibility;

The ecosystem must be not only cheap, but also convenient, stable and universal.
The Chinese market for wearable AI devices has entered a phase of explosive growth.
From smart glasses rivaling Meta to mini-assistants and quirky translators, the ecosystem is expanding at an incredible rate.

The country's manufacturing advantage allows for the launch of experimental products on a mass scale, while multiple hardware touchpoints accelerate data collection and improve the quality of local AI solutions.

But to achieve global leadership, China needs more than just hardware—it needs “its own iPhone,” a device that will set a new standard and cement its technological advantage.
Written by Ethan Blake
Independent researcher, fintech consultant, and market analyst.

December 09, 2025

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