Detailed Review
I have been using the Rokid AI Glasses for a week now and so it is time for a review! Since I have had the chance to test quite a few AI glasses, I think I know what I am talking about :). And that is why we are starting directly with the most important point: daily usability. Oh and by the way, I am not being paid for this review. I also bought the glasses myself.
Battery and Comfort
Battery dead, glasses heavy? That was frequently my experience with AI glasses. The battery was often empty extremely quickly and the weight of the glasses was not necessarily high, but high enough that I did not want to wear them without smart functions. With the Rokid, this is fortunately different. This is due to several points: the monochrome display, very good battery management, and practical batteries that you can quickly clip to the side at any time.
The glasses are also extremely light at 49g and weigh hardly more than conventional glasses. I am currently wearing the glasses about 12 to 14 hours a day. I do not feel any signs of fatigue and when the glasses are in standby, which they are most of the time, the battery lasts a very long time. With continuous use, it also lasts quite a while, depending on the application. But: if the battery runs out and you have the optional batteries, you can refill the glasses at any time without having to take them off. Thanks to a magnetic holder, you only have to guide the battery along the temple and it snaps in.
Visual Impression
It is a monochrome display on both lenses. But as far as I understand it, the same image is on both lenses. Since the focal point is quite far forward, this causes no problem with the visual impression. It still looks very good and is very easy to read. I actually find the factor that everything is green to be cool. It feels like I am wearing an old arcade machine. Somehow cool. Cyber. The field of view is very solid for such a device. If you suffer from a visual impairment, you should definitely get the optional clip-on lenses. Because even if one might think nearsightedness causes no problems here because the focus is quite close, that is a mistake. At least for me, it is a difference like night and day. I pushed the lenses out of an old pair of glasses and taped them to the Rokid :D. That works too.
Software
The glasses connect to the smartphone and the heavy computing tasks happen on the phone, while the glasses provide additional sensors and an additional display. This is a sensible combination, but also somewhat more error-prone due to Bluetooth and the smartphone. Generally, it is stable and once the glasses are connected, the connection works very well. I never had to deal with disconnections. Quite the opposite: even if the glasses did turn off, they immediately communicated correctly with the smartphone again. However, the glasses are not glasses with an app store. There are some widgets and ways to install software from developers, but that is not the core of the glasses and is intended more for nerds. I do not find that bad though. The glasses have their limiting factors and I think that Rokid itself already delivers very good use cases: teleprompter, live translation, and navigation! Those are also the use cases for which I buy such glasses. I do not want to place an AR world in the room and walk around it. That is technically impressive, but in my opinion not the right purpose for a pair of glasses in this form factor with current technology.
Sound
I find the sound comparatively good. For example, it sounds better than my old Bose AI Glasses and just as good as RayNeo X3. Anyone who wants to rock out to loud music with strong bass should definitely reach for headphones. But I actually use them daily as a replacement for my headphones to listen to music. When the volume is set to medium, the sound feels extremely natural. Often I did not know if the sound was coming from the smartphone, the glasses, or from inside my head :D.
Camera
The camera is good. The cool thing is that it is always ready for use and I have taken spontaneous shots with it that I could never or would never have taken with the smartphone. But: the quality is only okay. The wide angle and the quality at night are impressive, but generally, the photos lack some detail. So even sharp photos do not look completely sharp upon closer inspection. This is completely irrelevant for shots of interiors or landscapes. The weaknesses become more visible when you photograph people.
Conclusion
I have had the glasses for a week now and must say: they are an everyday companion. No AI glasses have managed that for me so far. Right now I am on my way to South Korea and am excited to see how the live translation performs in real everyday life. I would buy the glasses again and currently recommend them to anyone looking for a smart extension.