Xreal, Google’s smartglasses partner, thinks it has finally mastered this notoriously tricky industry

Xreal CEO Chi Xu says the smart glasses market has burned through large investments because the devices have been bulky, awkward, and lacking compelling software. At Google I/O, Xreal promoted Project Aura, its latest attempt to build XR glasses people actually want to use, as the industry looks to Meta’s Ray-Ban partnership as evidence of rising consumer demand.

The sector appears to be shifting from experimental hardware toward more practical, socially acceptable devices with clearer everyday uses. If companies can align hardware, operating systems, and interfaces, smart glasses could move closer to mainstream adoption, though profitability remains a major unresolved challenge.

Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of XREAL, thinks the smart glasses business has finally reached a turning point.