Alibaba's Qwen to unveil AI glasses, expand into wearables

by SHEN Xiaoge, CHEN Lu

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. will launch its first AI-powered smart glasses under the Qwen brand at the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, as Chinese and U.S. technology firms race to secure ground in AI hardware.

Pre-orders will open on March 2 across online and offline channels, according to information obtained by Jiemian News.

The glasses will integrate services from the Qwen app, including food delivery and ride-hailing, extending its ability to complete orders via a single voice command beyond smartphones to wearable devices. An Alibaba insider said the company also plans to roll out AI-powered rings and earphones later this year, targeting global markets.

Qwen said earlier that users completed nearly 200 million voice-based orders during the Lunar New Year holiday, including more than 4 million users aged 60 and above. Alibaba aims to shift such high-frequency services from smartphone screens to hands-free, context-driven interactions through hardware.

In December, Alibaba set up a consumer-focused Qwen unit led by Vice President WU Jia, combining two existing divisions. The unit oversees the Qwen app, Quark, AI hardware, UC and Shuqi Novel.

The move comes as AI-enabled smart glasses emerge as one of the most active segments in consumer electronics.

Global smart glasses shipments rose 64.2% year-on-year to 4.07 million units in the first half of 2025, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). Meta Platforms Inc. held 75.7% market share, while the other top vendors — Xiaomi, RayNeo, Xreal and Viture — were all Chinese brands.

Meta has expanded its Ray-Ban smart glasses lineup and opened its platform to third-party developers, while also developing AI earphones and other wearable devices. Apple is working on AI-powered wearables anchored around its Apple Intelligence system. OpenAI has also assembled a hardware team and is reportedly planning consumer device launches from late 2026.

For Alibaba, embedding Qwen's services into wearables marks a shift from app-based access to always-on AI interaction, as companies seek new hardware entry points to lock in users.