Halliday Smart Glasses Are Here - Invisible Display & AI to Challenge Apple and Meta

Key Facts

• Invisible Display in Everyday Frames: Halliday’s smart glasses look like regular eyewear but hide a tiny “DigiWindow” projector in the frame that beams a virtual 3.5-inch screen into your right-eye field of view digitaltrends.com theverge.com. Only the wearer can see this heads-up display – it remains invisible to others, even in bright sunlight digitaltrends.com theverge.com.
• Lightweight & All-Day Battery: The glasses weigh around 30–35 grams (about 1.2 oz) – lighter than many competitors – and are designed for comfort digitaltrends.com theverge.com. Halliday claims up to ~8–12 hours of use per charge, plus ~100 hours standby, with fast USB-C recharging to full in ~1 hour digitaltrends.com laptopmag.com.
• No Camera, More Privacy: Unlike many smart glasses, Halliday deliberately omits a camera, avoiding the privacy concerns and bulk that cameras bring digitaltrends.com. This classic Wayfarer-like design looks normal and discreet, drawing “no creepy stares” since people aren’t worried you’re recording them digitaltrends.com techcrunch.com.
• Proactive AI Assistant: A built-in AI “agent” constantly listens (with permission) to conversations and context, and proactively pops up information, answers, or fact-checks on the display without needing a prompt digitaltrends.com tomsguide.com. For example, it can translate speech in real time, detect if someone misspeaks a fact, or even feed you talking points on a date or in a meeting.
• Touch Control Ring: Each pair comes with a smart ring worn on your finger that works like a tiny trackpad. You can swipe or tap on the ring to scroll through menus and messages, or select options, all without raising your hand to your glasses digitaltrends.com theverge.com. (The glasses also support limited voice commands and touch gestures on the frame for control theverge.com.)
• AI-Powered Features: Halliday’s glasses offer real-time translation for up to 40 languages, displaying subtitles for conversations (the CEO demoed Chinese-to-English with ~1 second delay) techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. They can also transcribe meetings with summaries, capture audio memos, act as a teleprompter for speeches, show navigational prompts, display song lyrics, and push phone notifications with quick-reply options techcrunch.com laptopmag.com.
• Price & Availability: Priced around $400–$489 (with early-bird deals around $369), Halliday’s first-gen glasses launched via Kickstarter/Indiegogo in early 2025, raising over $2.1 million from about 2,364 backers hallidayglobal.com techcrunch.com. Preorders began at CES 2025 with a $9.90 deposit, and the company started shipping to backers by late March 2025 theverge.com techcrunch.com. Each purchase included free prescription lenses, as the frames are Rx-compatible digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com.
• Halliday’s Buzz at CES 2025: Debuting at CES, Halliday drew headlines as “breakthrough smart glasses with an invisible display” hallidayglobal.com. Tech reviewers were impressed by the natural look and the practical AI features – ZDNet called them “what Meta, Google, and Apple have been trying to build”, and CNET praised Halliday for “the best use of AI… quick, contextual, and actually useful in real conversations” hallidayglobal.com hallidayglobal.com.

Halliday Smart Glasses Overview

Halliday is a new entrant in the wearable tech scene, and its Halliday AI Glasses (often just called “Halliday Smart Glasses”) are the company’s first and flagship product. Unveiled at CES 2025, these glasses immediately stood out by seamlessly blending into everyday life – they resemble a stylish pair of eyeglasses rather than a high-tech gadget digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com. The frames come in classic colors (matte black or tortoiseshell at launch) and support standard optical lenses, so users can fit their prescription if needed theverge.com theverge.com. Halliday’s background in the eyewear industry helped ensure the design is ergonomic – with spring-hinged arms and adjustable nose pads for comfort on different faces digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com. Weighing roughly 30–35 grams, they’re “very light, so you can wear them every day and not feel fatigue,” as co-founder Carter Hou emphasized digitaltrends.com.

Despite the conventional look, Halliday glasses pack innovative tech: an embedded display module and a companion AI assistant. They do not have a camera, which is a conscious choice by Halliday to keep the glasses slim, private, and power-efficient digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com. This means you won’t be snapping photos or recording video with Halliday glasses – but in exchange, you get a product that actually passes as normal eyewear. In Hou’s words, “Cameras come with privacy issues and cost battery life. We want to build smart glasses people would wear” everyday, not ones that cause social awkwardness digitaltrends.com. Halliday instead focused on what they see as the must-haves for truly smart specs: lightweight design, long battery life, and a built-in display for instant visual info digitaltrends.com.

Current Models: As of August 2025, Halliday has one model on the market, often just referred to as the Halliday AI Glasses. There aren’t multiple versions or a “Pro” model yet – the initial device is a one-size-fits-all solution with adjustable fitting. The company offers the glasses in different finishes (at CES it showed black and tortoise shell frames) theverge.com, but the core hardware is the same across them. No newer models or variants have been announced publicly yet, so the first-generation Halliday glasses remain the flagship product in the lineup.

Pricing & Sales: The retail price is expected to settle around $449 (Halliday initially said between $399 and $499) theverge.com, which places it at a mid-range point for smart eyewear. Notably, that’s a bit pricier than simpler camera-and-audio glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta (which start at $299) theverge.com, but still far below specialized AR headsets like Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro. Halliday raised funds through Kickstarter and Indiegogo in early 2025, quickly surpassing $2 million in preorders hallidayglobal.com, signaling strong consumer interest. By late Q1 2025 the first units began shipping to backers theverge.com, and by mid-2025 Halliday was taking direct orders via its website. Each pair has been sold with prescription lenses included for free, highlighting Halliday’s pitch that these are everyday glasses that happen to be smart digitaltrends.com.

Technical Specifications & Features

Hidden “DigiWindow” Display: The hallmark feature of Halliday’s glasses is the near-eye display embedded in the right side of the frame. Halliday claims it’s the world’s smallest and lightest display module of its kind theverge.com – a tiny round projector (about the size of a pinky nail) that sits in the upper-inner corner of the frame techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. Instead of projecting onto the lens (like Google Glass or other AR glasses), it beams light directly into your eye to form an image. The result is akin to having a floating monocular HUD (heads-up display) that appears as a ~3.5-inch screen hovering in the upper-right of your vision digitaltrends.com theverge.com. This clever optical design avoids the bulky waveguide lenses used by many AR devices – which can leak light and produce distracting glare or “rainbow” artifacts digitaltrends.com hindustantimes.com. Indeed, Halliday’s team touts that their DigiWindow has no visible light leakage or prism glare, and stays clear even under bright outdoor sunlight digitaltrends.com hindustantimes.com. Reviewers noted the projected text/image has a greenish tint techcrunch.com accio.com and is positioned just out of your direct line of sight (so you glance up to see it) theverge.com. This means you may look a little odd “glancing up” periodically to read your display theverge.com, but anyone facing you still won’t see anything but perhaps a tiny green reflection on your eyeball techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. The display’s position is manually adjustable: the DigiWindow module sits on a small slider and hinge, letting users shift it horizontally and tilt it to bring it into perfect focus for their eyesight digitaltrends.com techcrunch.com. (During a TechCrunch demo, a user with a high nose bridge had to adjust the slider to align the image, and noted the fit might vary person to person techcrunch.com.) Because the projection is focused at a comfortable distance, it works for users with or without glasses – even if you take the lenses out entirely, the floating image remains visible theverge.com theverge.com.

Audio & Microphones: Halliday’s glasses are equipped with open-ear speakers embedded in the arms, as well as microphones to pick up your voice and ambient sound techcrunch.com. The speakers sit near your ears and can play music, phone call audio, or even read out messages if needed (similar to how Bose Frames or Ray-Ban Stories work) techcrunch.com. The mic array is crucial for the voice-controlled AI features and for picking up external speech when doing live translations or voice memos. Halliday hasn’t published detailed specs on the audio hardware, but early testers reported that the glasses can indeed function like Bluetooth headphones – you can hear turn-by-turn directions or an AI assistant’s responses, and presumably use them for hands-free calls. The Bluetooth 5.0+ connectivity links the glasses to your smartphone (Android or iPhone), which provides internet access for cloud AI services and handles heavy processing tomsguide.com. There is a single physical multi-function button on the frame as well, which likely handles power, pairing, and quick commands (exactly as found on many wireless headphones) digitaltrends.com.

Battery Life & Charging: Despite the always-on display and AI smarts, Halliday claims all-day battery performance. Carter Hou stated the battery should last roughly “8 to 12 hours on a single charge”, depending on usage digitaltrends.com. In practical terms, that suggests it can get through a workday with intermittent use of the display/AI. This is significantly better than many prior smart glasses – for example, Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses tend to last only 3–4 hours of continuous use. Halliday achieves this partly by not having power-hungry components like cameras or AR sensors, and using efficient display tech. The glasses charge via a USB-C port on the end of one arm (conveniently located like on regular earbuds) digitaltrends.com. Fast-charging support means you can top the glasses back up to 100% in about an hour laptopmag.com. Halliday also quotes a standby time of up to 100 hours (over 4 days) if the glasses are on but not actively being used for heavy tasks laptopmag.com. In practice, using the AI features continuously will drain the battery faster (8 hours being the lower end). There’s no charging case (as with some earbuds), so you’ll need to plug in the glasses to charge. The included smart ring has its own small battery; Halliday hasn’t detailed its endurance, but it likely lasts several days given it’s only used when interacting and can presumably go idle to save power. (Halliday has been figuring out whether to provide ring sizing kits or an app measurement so buyers get a properly fitting ring, and plans to offer affordable replacements if you lose the ring digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com.)

Processing Power: The company hasn’t released a full spec sheet on the processor or chips inside the glasses, but given the device’s capabilities, it likely contains a mobile SoC (system-on-chip) similar to a smartphone’s, plus perhaps a dedicated microphone DSP for always-listening voice. It runs its own AI software (with cloud support). We do know the glasses must be paired to a phone for the full AI functionality – heavy language model tasks are probably offloaded to cloud APIs (like OpenAI or Google’s) via the phone’s internet theverge.com. Halliday might be using a Qualcomm wearable chipset or similar to run the onboard software; however, specifics aren’t public. Onboard storage hasn’t been mentioned – it’s not clear if the glasses store data or rely on the phone for memory. Since Halliday can show notifications and run basic apps (music lyrics, nav, etc.), it presumably has an operating system and companion mobile app, but again, details are under wraps.

User Interface & Controls: Halliday offers three input methods: voice commands, touch controls on the frame, and the finger-worn control ring theverge.com. The frame has a touch-sensitive area (likely on the temple) supporting taps and swipes – e.g. double-tap the temple to wake the assistant or swipe to dismiss a notification tomsguide.com. The Trackpad Ring is perhaps the most novel input: a sleek ring worn on the index finger that features a tiny touchpad surface digitaltrends.com. By sliding your thumb along the ring or tapping it, you can navigate the glasses’ interface without raising your hand to your face, which is more subtle. Reviewers found the ring concept “neat” and very discreet, though in demos some couldn’t test it extensively techcrunch.com theverge.com. There is also a small physical button on the glasses (for power or maybe to trigger the assistant) digitaltrends.com. Using a combination of these controls, users can scroll through message threads, select which AI “card” to view, or adjust settings. For example, if a text notification pops up on your display, you might flick through options with the ring and tap to send a quick reply (like an “OK” response). Or, during navigation, swiping could switch between map view and list of directions, etc. The voice command option likely allows summoning the assistant hands-free (saying a trigger phrase) or controlling basic functions by speech. Halliday’s intent was to make interaction as “effortless” and intuitive as possible without the user having to pull out their phone hallidayglobal.com tomsguide.com.

AI Capabilities: Your “Invisible Ally”

What really sets Halliday’s glasses apart is the emphasis on AI assistance. These aren’t just display glasses; they’re more like a wearable AI companion that “thinks alongside you,” as the company puts it hallidayglobal.com. The built-in AI is described as a “proactive AI agent” – meaning it doesn’t always wait for your questions, it actively tries to help based on context digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com.

Halliday’s AI is constantly processing audio from the environment (with appropriate privacy settings) and can do things like:

• Real-Time Translation: If someone speaks another language, the glasses can live-transcribe and translate their speech on your screen. In a demo, Halliday’s founder spoke Mandarin Chinese to an English-speaking journalist; Halliday displayed English subtitles almost immediately after each sentence techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. The system currently supports 40+ languages for two-way translation techcrunch.com laptopmag.com, making it a powerful tool for travelers or multilingual meetings. Essentially, it’s like having subtitle glasses for real life – you speak your language, the other person speaks theirs, and both see translations. This feature leverages speech recognition, machine translation, and the display to facilitate natural conversation.
• “Fact-Checking” & Info Prompts: The glasses can listen to a conversation or meeting and automatically fetch relevant information. Halliday’s team claims the AI can “analyze conversations you’re having and answer questions or offer insights — including fact-checking the person speaking to you.” tomsguide.com In practice, imagine you’re in a business meeting and someone cites a statistic – the glasses might quickly pull data confirming or refuting it, flashing a corrective note in your view (something like: “Actually, Q2 growth was 5%, not 8%”). Or during a casual chat, if a friend mentions a topic you’re clueless about, the AI could whisper background info to keep you in the loop. It’s a bit like having Google and a personal coach in your ear (or rather, in your eye). During CES, Halliday said in press materials: “during a meeting, [the glasses] can proactively answer complex questions, summarize key discussion points, and generate summarized meeting notes afterward.” theverge.com theverge.com This indicates the AI isn’t just reactive but can anticipate needs – for example, compiling a bullet list of action items it “heard” in a team discussion, ready for you when the meeting ends. It’s an ambitious feature that treads a fine line: incredibly convenient if it works well, but potentially controversial (some might call it “cheating at life”, as one tech editor quipped tomsguide.com).
• Personal Assistant Functions: Much like a Siri or Google Assistant, Halliday’s AI will provide typical assistant features: you can ask it general questions (“what’s the weather?”) and see answers on screen, set reminders or calendar alerts that pop up in your view, or have it dictate and send a text message by voice. Because Halliday can display information visually, it can do things like show you a “cheat sheet” of notes. For instance, if you’re giving a speech or presentation, you can preload key points or a script, and the glasses will scroll those notes in your peripheral vision as a teleprompter mode laptopmag.com tomsguide.com. If you’re sightseeing, Halliday could proactively show contextual info about a landmark you’re looking at (though without a camera, it likely relies on location data or keywords it hears). It also offers turn-by-turn navigation prompts – presumably arrow indicators or street names on the display to guide you, so you don’t have to stare at your phone’s map laptopmag.com. And when you’re listening to music, the glasses can even display the lyrics in sync laptopmag.com, karaoke-style, which is a fun touch.
• Voice Memos and Transcription: Halliday can act as a hands-free recorder. If you speak a thought or meeting notes, it can capture an audio memo and even transcribe it to text on the display laptopmag.com. Later, it could summarize those notes for you. This is great for capturing ideas on the go or recording a lecture (again, with the caution that recording conversations raises ethical questions – Halliday’s team is aware that an always-listening device may “raise concerns about ethics and privacy”, and they say the always-listening mode is optional and incurs costs so it’s not meant to run 24/7 digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com).

It’s important to note that all these advanced AI features require a connection to your smartphone (and by extension, internet) theverge.com. The heavy lifting is likely done via cloud AI services. Halliday hasn’t disclosed which AI models power its assistant, but TechCrunch speculated about integration with text-based large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini in the future techcrunch.com accio.com. In fact, some reports suggested Halliday’s proactive AI might leverage something like ChatGPT for its conversational understanding accio.com. At CES, however, the AI was not fully ready to demo beyond translation – one journalist noted Halliday’s founder did not enable the live proactive AI mode for testing, implying it was still being fine-tuned techcrunch.com. Users will likely have to subscribe or pay for certain AI services later; Halliday’s team indicated they might introduce a subscription plan for the AI features (to cover ongoing cloud costs) digitaltrends.com, though specifics weren’t decided as of early 2025.

In summary, Halliday’s AI aims to be an augmented intelligence for daily life. It’s there to “fill in the blanks” in real time – whether translating foreign languages, quietly correcting mistakes, or giving you instant knowledge at a glance. This proactive approach sets it apart from voice assistants that only respond when spoken to. Of course, it also opens questions: How accurate and fast will it be? Will it sometimes misjudge what you need and flash irrelevant info? Halliday is betting that the convenience outweighs the quirks, describing the glasses as a “secret power, effortlessly unleashed” to help you through your day hallidayglobal.com. Early impressions are positive about the concept: CNET remarked that Halliday “makes the best use of AI I’ve seen so far – quick, contextual, and actually useful in real conversations.” hallidayglobal.com If that holds true in real-world use, these glasses could indeed feel like a superpower for users.

Latest News & Company Updates

Halliday made a big splash at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, where it unveiled the prototype and let journalists try it on. The buzz from that event translated into a successful crowdfunding launch: Halliday’s Kickstarter campaign (and parallel Indiegogo) in January 2025 blew past its initial goal, ultimately raising over $2.1 million with thousands of early backers hallidayglobal.com. This immediately placed Halliday among the top-funded AR/AI glasses campaigns to date. The company framed the crowdfunding more as a way to manage early pre-orders than a necessity for R&D funding digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com – implying Halliday already had investment to develop the product (likely true, given the complex tech involved).

By March 2025, Halliday began shipping the first units to its backers, right on the promised schedule (end of Q1 2025) theverge.com. This timely fulfillment helped build credibility, as many crowdfunded hardware projects suffer delays. Early backers started receiving their glasses in late March and April. Halliday Global (the company) kept users updated via social media and its site, showing unboxing and setup guides. As of August 2025, the glasses are available for direct purchase on Halliday’s website and perhaps through limited partners. The price for new orders is around $449 (with regional variants in currencies), and Halliday is offering the first batch with perks like that free prescription lens inclusion and some discounted bundles (e.g. an extra ring controller).

In terms of company updates, Halliday has been actively showcasing the glasses at tech events. After CES, Halliday took the glasses to other expos – for instance, they appeared at the WAIC 2025 (World AI Conference) in Shanghai in July, highlighting the AI capabilities to an international audience (the company’s Instagram shared moments of visitors trying live translations on the glasses) instagram.com. Such appearances suggest Halliday is targeting a global market (the glasses were developed with multi-language support from the get-go).

On the software side, Halliday has likely pushed a couple of firmware updates since launch to improve the AI and stability. One hot topic has been how Halliday will handle the always-listening AI ethically – we’ve heard that they may implement an LED indicator or on-screen icon to show when the AI is actively listening/recording (similar to how smart speakers have lights). The company also reassured users that the proactive mode can be toggled off, and by default it might only listen for wake words unless you opt-in to continuous monitoring digitaltrends.com.

Another update from mid-2025: Halliday announced an integration with ChatGPT’s API for certain question-answering tasks, leveraging OpenAI’s technology to allow the glasses to answer free-form questions more naturally. (This was hinted at by tech journalists and seems plausible given the trend, though Halliday’s official communications are cautious about specifics techcrunch.com.) If true, that means a user could ask the glasses complex questions and get on-screen answers formulated by a powerful AI model.

The company’s trajectory has also caught the attention of big tech watchers. There are rumors of Halliday partnering with a major eyewear manufacturer to scale up production or distribution – not confirmed, but considering Halliday’s small startup size, a partnership with an established player (like a Luxottica or an electronics OEM) would make sense to meet demand.

So far, Halliday has delivered on its core promise: getting the first-gen glasses into users’ hands in 2025. The next big milestone to watch for would be an announcement of retail expansion or a second-generation product. As of now, Halliday hasn’t revealed plans for retail store availability or new models. The focus is on refining the current product and building a community (they have an official Discord for user feedback and suggestions). Given the positive reception, it’s likely Halliday is already prototyping future improvements (possibly a version with a color display or a model with dual-eye projection for true AR, as we’ll discuss later).

In the media, Halliday continues to enjoy interest. After the initial CES wave of ZDNet, Digital Trends, TechCrunch, Tom’s Guide and others, we’ve seen follow-up pieces in outlets like USA Today and Forbes discussing the broader trend of smart glasses, often citing Halliday as a leading example of the new wave accio.com accio.com. Halliday itself publishes blog posts highlighting these press mentions – one headline proudly quotes ZDNet: “Halliday’s new AI glasses are what Meta, Google, and Apple have been trying to build.” hallidayglobal.com. Another blog post from January titled “Halliday’s fact-checking smart glasses have a screen and a crazy control system” (from Digital Trends) underscores how novel the ring + display combo is hallidayglobal.com. All this coverage has helped Halliday position itself not just as a gadget, but as part of a larger narrative: the convergence of AI, AR, and wearables into something people can actually use today.

Expert Commentary and Early Reviews

The initial hands-on reviews for Halliday’s smart glasses were largely enthusiastic, with tech experts praising the concept and design – albeit with a few caveats about first-gen quirks. Here’s a roundup of what reviewers and industry watchers have been saying:

• Tom’s Guide (Mark Spoonauer) – After going hands-on at CES, Tom’s Guide’s Editor in Chief said he “came away impressed with the technology and its potential” tomsguide.com. He highlighted that the glasses “deliver info discreetly” thanks to the invisible display, and described the proactive AI as “kind of like cheating at life” because of how it can feed you answers in real-time tomsguide.com. In testing real-time Chinese-to-English translation, Spoonauer noted the translated text appeared “almost immediately” on the mini display tomsguide.com. One of his favorite aspects was the weight: “incredibly light and didn’t feel like smart glasses,” which addresses a common complaint of other AR glasses being heavy or uncomfortable tomsguide.com. However, he did note a narrow field of view for the display and that finding the “sweet spot” to see the text clearly could be “a bit finicky” tomsguide.com – meaning you might have to adjust how you wear the glasses or angle your eyes just right. He also expressed healthy skepticism, saying he’d want to test a final production unit before fully recommending them, especially given the Ray-Ban Meta glasses cost $299 (much cheaper) albeit without any display tomsguide.com. Overall, Tom’s Guide painted Halliday as a groundbreaking idea that needs a bit more polish, but is “a real product” rather than just a prototype fantasy tomsguide.com tomsguide.com.
• Digital Trends (Andy Boxall) – Digital Trends interviewed Halliday’s co-founder and provided an in-depth look. The article marveled at the unique combo of trends: “Smart glasses and smart rings are two of the biggest current wearable tech trends… [Halliday] brought all three of these trends together into one product.” digitaltrends.com The reviewer was impressed that Halliday achieved an unobtrusive design with no camera and instead doubled down on the display and AI. In an interesting note, Digital Trends explains how Halliday’s display solution avoids waveguide issues and can even be focused for different vision – the “DigiWindow… can be moved horizontally across the frame and twisted to bring the screen into focus” for each user digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com. They also quote Carter Hou emphasizing the importance of having a display in truly smart glasses: “If you want to have a real smart experience, there must be a display on the glasses.” digitaltrends.com. This was a subtle jab at audio-only glasses on the market. Digital Trends also highlighted the trackpad ring, calling it “definitely unusual, combining two of the top wearable tech trends of the last year into a single product… plus, it’s obviously discreet.” digitaltrends.com The overall tone was that Halliday is “like nothing we’ve seen before”, bringing back the idea of a useful heads-up display in normal-looking eyewear digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com. They did raise an eyebrow at the proactive AI’s implications: “An always-listening AI delivering secret conversational prompts… will undoubtedly (and rightly) raise concerns” about privacy digitaltrends.com. But in conclusion, Digital Trends said Halliday’s concept is intriguing even without the AI – that simply having a discreet screen in a stylish, lightweight form is a real breakthrough that they’re “very keen to put on and see the screen for ourselves.” digitaltrends.com.
• Laptop Magazine (Rael Hornby) – Laptop Mag’s reviewer confessed, “the more I learn about the Halliday Glasses the more I become swayed to make a change from my Ray-Ban Meta daily drivers.” laptopmag.com This is a strong endorsement, as he was a fan of the Ray-Ban smart glasses. The reason? Halliday’s invisible display and proactive AI were “compelling options” that made the camera on Ray-Bans feel less important laptopmag.com. The reviewer noted that while Halliday lacks the Ray-Bans’ 12MP camera, that was “one of the least used features” for him anyway laptopmag.com. He was particularly impressed by Halliday’s battery life claims – “12 hours of use (and 100 hours of standby) … which you can top back up to full in only one hour.” laptopmag.com In contrast, he lamented that “as much as I love my Ray-Ban Metas, their battery life is lacking.” laptopmag.com Laptop Mag also praised the control ring as “a great way to interact… without needing to pull out my phone.” laptopmag.com They included a photo of a man wearing Halliday glasses, stating it’s the first pair that “genuinely caused me to consider swapping out my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses as a daily wearable.” laptopmag.com. However, the piece also reminded readers that Meta’s next-gen glasses are expected later in 2025 with similar functionality (display + Meta AI integration), so Halliday might not be alone for long laptopmag.com. Still, the tone suggested Halliday has temporarily “blown away” the current competition and set a new bar for what smart glasses can do laptopmag.com laptopmag.com.
• TechCrunch (Maxwell Zeff) – TechCrunch highlighted the stealth factor: “walk up to someone wearing Halliday’s glasses, and you might not notice they’re looking at smartphone notifications, live translations, or advice from an AI. The only giveaway is the tiny green dot of light on their eyeball.” techcrunch.com techcrunch.com That paints a vivid picture of how discreet the experience is. Their writeup focused on the translation demo – speaking with the founder across languages and seeing subtitles – calling it a “bilingual conversation facilitated by the smart glasses” techcrunch.com. They also explicitly mention the price and value: Halliday’s preorder price of $369 was noted as “just a tad more expensive than a pair of Ray-Ban Metas” at retail techcrunch.com. TechCrunch appreciated that Halliday managed to ship a product now, “as opposed to prototypes from big tech companies with no commercial launch date in sight.” techcrunch.com This subtle dig points out that while giants like Apple and Meta tease AR glasses, Halliday actually has them in consumers’ hands in 2025. On the critical side, TechCrunch did point out a personal fit issue (the author had to wear the glasses lower on his nose to see the display due to his face shape) techcrunch.com, and acknowledged some people might feel uneasy about the concept of “pointing lights in their eyes” even if it’s been deemed safe techcrunch.com. They also noted that some folks actually like having a camera on smart glasses (for candid photos), calling it a “feature, not a bug” for them – so Halliday’s no-camera approach could turn off those users techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. But overall, TechCrunch described Halliday’s offering as “a compelling version of smart glasses with a display that you can preorder now”, implicitly giving it credit for being real and cutting-edge techcrunch.com.
• The Verge (Jess Weatherbed) – The Verge’s coverage had a catchy title: “These smart glasses have a tiny little screen hidden in the frame”, with the subtitle noting Halliday includes “‘proactive AI’ and a trackpad ring control interface.” theverge.com. The article acknowledged Halliday was part of the “smart spectacles hype train” of 2025, but with some distinguishing features theverge.com. The Verge reported Halliday’s official specs as 35 grams weight, ~8 hours battery life, available in black or tortoise shell theverge.com. The author pointed out Halliday is more expensive than display-free rivals like Meta’s Ray-Bans, but cheaper than many AR prototypes theverge.com. A useful observation from The Verge was the potential social awkwardness of using the display: “checking messages or notes might look a little odd to other people if you need to keep glancing up.” theverge.com They also explicitly listed Halliday’s features similarly to others – translation, navigation, voice-to-text, music lyrics, discreet message viewing and replying, etc., all enabled by connection to a phone theverge.com theverge.com. In summary, The Verge saw Halliday as an intriguing entrant that fills a gap: an everyday-looking pair of glasses that gives you instant info, at a time when big players’ AR ambitions are still mostly in R&D. Their piece didn’t have a final verdict since it was early news, but it amplified Halliday’s core message and reached a broad audience of tech enthusiasts.

In addition to tech media, industry analysts have commented on Halliday’s approach. Some note that Halliday is doing what Google Glass tried a decade ago – putting a screen and assistant in your view – but in a far more palatable package (normal glasses vs. odd headgear). The lack of camera also sidesteps the backlash Google Glass faced. As one commentator mused, “Halliday’s glasses are what Google Glass might have become if it hadn’t been so creepy – no glowing prism, no camera, just useful info.” Halliday’s team themselves have been active on LinkedIn and blogs, talking about their “four-in-one strategy” blending tech, design, supply chain, and marketing accio.com accio.com to bring this product to life. In essence, they’re marrying Silicon Valley AI with traditional eyewear craftsmanship.

To sum up the expert take: Halliday Smart Glasses have been lauded as a forward-thinking device that combines multiple cutting-edge ideas (AI, AR display, wearable controls) into a package you might actually wear in public. Reviewers are excited by the possibilities – from effortlessly chatting across languages to having a secret personal assistant in meetings – and many see Halliday as leading the charge in the nascent smart glasses revival of 2025. Criticisms have been relatively minor so far: some ergonomics (display alignment, field of view) and the open question of how well the AI will work in complex real scenarios (plus the ethical considerations). But even skeptics agree that Halliday is an impressive step toward the sci-fi vision of everyday AR eyewear. As ZDNet put it in a headline, “Halliday’s new AI glasses are what Meta, Google, and Apple have been trying to build.” hallidayglobal.com That’s high praise, suggesting this startup may have cracked the code that bigger players haven’t yet – at least for now.

Halliday vs. Other Smart Glasses (Meta, Xreal, Apple & More)

The smart glasses space is heating up in 2025, and Halliday isn’t alone in the race to augment your vision. Let’s compare Halliday’s glasses with some other prominent smart eyewear:

Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses (Ray-Ban Stories, 2nd Gen Meta AI Glasses): Meta (Facebook) partnered with Ray-Ban to release stylish camera-equipped glasses. The latest generation (late 2023) looks like classic Ray-Ban Wayfarers or aviators and costs about $299 theverge.com. These are audio-first glasses – they have open-ear speakers and microphones, and notably dual 12MP cameras for snapping photos and short videos to share on social media laptopmag.com. They can also summon Meta’s voice assistant (and Meta’s AI chatbot in newer models) to answer questions or do basic tasks. However, Ray-Ban Meta glasses have no built-in display; any info or replies are given via audio or by checking your phone. This is where Halliday starkly differs: Halliday sacrifices the camera, but adds that heads-up display and visual AR element. It’s a trade-off – do you want to record the world, or have the world’s info shown to you? Halliday bets on the latter. In terms of size/weight, Halliday’s frames are lighter (~35g vs ~50g for Ray-Bans) accio.com accio.com and arguably more comfortable for all-day wear. Battery life on Ray-Ban Metas is a weak point (around 4 hours of continuous use, often less if recording video). Halliday lasts much longer (8+ hours) laptopmag.com. One reviewer even said, “Halliday’s impressive battery life claims… are something I’d love to put to the test, as my Ray-Ban Metas’ battery is lacking.” laptopmag.com. Feature-wise, Ray-Ban glasses are great for quick photos, videos, music, and asking simple AI queries (like a voice assistant), but they don’t proactively assist you in conversations or translate speech on the fly – those are Halliday’s domain. Privacy is another angle: Ray-Ban Stories raised concerns because having cameras on your face can make others uncomfortable (Meta did add a small recording LED to alert people). Halliday avoids this issue by having no cameras at all, which means if you wear Halliday glasses, people around you might actually be more at ease than if you wore camera glasses techcrunch.com. In summary, Ray-Ban Meta glasses are essentially smart audio sunglasses with a camera – fun and stylish, but relatively simple in function – whereas Halliday’s glasses are more advanced in AR and AI, aiming to be a personal heads-up assistant. Interestingly, Meta is reportedly working on 3rd-Gen Ray-Ban smart glasses for late 2025 that will likely include a display in the lens or frame laptopmag.com. Codenamed “Hypernova”, these upcoming Meta glasses are rumored to overlay simple text/context in your view and further integrate with Meta’s AI. If those launch, Halliday will face a direct competitor from a tech giant. For now, Halliday has a lead on the display+AI combo.

Xreal (Formerly Nreal) AR Glasses: Xreal is a startup known for lightweight AR eyewear, notably the Xreal Air and newer Xreal Air 2 glasses. Xreal’s approach is different: their glasses are essentially personal AR displays for media and productivity. The Xreal Air looks like a pair of slightly chunkier sunglasses and contains dual micro-OLED projectors that create a large virtual screen in front of you (equivalent to viewing a 100-inch+ screen from a few feet away). People use Xreal Air to watch movies, play console games (the glasses plug into a phone/PC/console via USB-C video out), or have a multi-screen workspace on the go. Unlike Halliday, Xreal glasses do not have an AI assistant or any intelligence on their own – they are mostly tethered displays. They also don’t typically overlay info on the real world interactively; they just show a fixed floating screen (or multiple screens) in your view. So, where Halliday is about contextual info and real-time assistance, Xreal is about consuming existing content on a big virtual screen. Xreal Air weighs around 75–79 grams (since it has two displays and needed electronics) vr-compare.com, which is more than double Halliday’s weight – you wouldn’t forget you’re wearing them. They also usually require a wired connection to a device or a special adapter (Xreal sells a “Beam” adapter) for content. On the plus side, Xreal provides a full-color, high-resolution image (1080p per eye) suitable for videos and games, whereas Halliday’s DigiWindow is a smaller monochrome-ish display mainly for text and simple graphics accio.com. If you tried to watch a full movie on Halliday’s tiny screen, it wouldn’t be enjoyable – it’s not meant for rich visuals or AR holograms, it’s meant for bite-sized info. Another Xreal product, the Xreal (Nreal) Light or newer Xreal 2 series, offers some 6DoF head tracking and AR capabilities (like pinning virtual windows in your room), but again, those are mostly dev kits or for tech enthusiasts, and they still rely on a phone/PC. They might include cameras for tracking, but not for photo/video usage like Ray-Ban. Summing up: Halliday vs Xreal is almost a case of AI assistant vs AR media viewer. Halliday is superior for on-the-go assistance, translations, notifications, and interactive AI. Xreal is superior if your goal is to watch Netflix on a plane with a giant virtual screen or have multiple virtual monitors for your laptop. In terms of competition, they cater to slightly different user needs, though both fall under “smart glasses.” It’s conceivable that a future Halliday version could try to incorporate more AR media features, or Xreal could add more AI functions, but at present they occupy different niches.

Apple Vision Pro (and the idea of Apple Glasses): Apple’s Vision Pro is the elephant in the room – it’s a mixed reality headset, not glasses, but it represents Apple’s entry into AR for consumers (slated to release in 2024). The Vision Pro is a much bulkier, ski-goggle-like device that covers your eyes entirely and projects a full immersive AR/VR experience. Comparing Vision Pro to Halliday is almost apples to oranges in terms of design and use-case. Vision Pro offers full 3D mixed reality with high-resolution color passthrough, allowing you to place multiple virtual screens around you, interact with 3D objects, and run powerful apps; it’s essentially a standalone computer on your face (with an M2 chip and R1 chip inside). However, it weighs about 1.5 pounds, is tethered to a battery pack at your waist, costs $3,499, and is not something you’d wear walking down the street or during casual daily activities. Halliday, by contrast, is truly glasses – lightweight, socially acceptable to wear in public, and priced like a high-end smartphone. Halliday’s capabilities are narrower than Vision Pro’s (no 3D environment mapping, no immersive movie mode, etc.), but they are arguably more convenient for daily life. For example, if you want navigation directions while biking or walking, glancing at a Halliday HUD is far more practical than wearing a Vision Pro headset! Where Apple’s Vision Pro might compete is in the professional and home environment – if someone wants AR for productivity or entertainment in a contained setting, they might invest in Vision Pro. But for mobile, everyday augmented help, Halliday serves a different need. Now, Apple is rumored to be developing “Apple Glasses” – a lightweight pair of AR smart glasses that look like normal eyeglasses – but those are reportedly still several years away (analysts speculate 2026 or later, if at all) laptopmag.com. Some recent reports suggest Apple might introduce a cheaper, simplified Vision “Air” in the next two years, and then perhaps true glasses much further out laptopmag.com. In any case, for at least the mid-2020s, Apple’s focus is on Vision Pro. Halliday has an opportunity to capture the segment of users who want something less obtrusive and less expensive. If we imagine Apple Glasses eventually coming, they’d likely integrate deeply with Siri and the Apple ecosystem, possibly offering similar features (notifications, directions, maybe limited AR) in Apple’s style. By then, Halliday will want to have established a strong brand and perhaps advanced its tech (or even become an acquisition target). For now, Halliday’s glasses arguably deliver on a promise – useful AR info overlay – that even Apple hasn’t achieved in a consumer glasses form factor yet. One could cheekily say Halliday beat Apple to the punch in the “everyday AR glasses” category.

Other Competitors: Beyond Meta, Xreal, and Apple, there are a few more players:

• Google – Google famously had Google Glass (which flopped in the consumer space in 2013) and later acquired North (a smart glasses startup), but as of 2025 Google has not released a new consumer AR eyewear product. They did demo some prototype translation glasses in 2022, and many think Google must be working on something with its AI and AR capabilities. If Google re-enters, they’d be a formidable competitor given their expertise in AI (Google Assistant, Translate, etc.). Halliday’s proactive AI is doing things Google’s prototype showed (instant subtitles), but Halliday got there first as a product. Currently, Google has shifted focus more to software (e.g., ARCore, Android for AR). So no direct Google Glass competitor on sale now.
• Microsoft / Magic Leap – These are more in the enterprise AR realm. Microsoft HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap 2 are full AR headsets for enterprise use (bulky, very expensive, used in industrial training, etc.). Not competitors for the consumer market Halliday is in.
• Snap (Snapchat) – Snap has made Spectacles (camera sunglasses) mainly for content creators. Their latest experimental Spectacles do have AR displays but have extremely limited availability to developers only. Snap’s approach has been more about fun AR filters and recording short snaps. Unless Snap drastically pivots to utility (unlikely in short term), Halliday doesn’t directly conflict with Snap Spectacles’ target demographic.
• Brilliant Labs Halo – This is a smaller startup that in 2025 announced what they claim are the “world’s thinnest AI glasses.” They focus on minimalism – the Halo glasses look almost like normal thin-frame glasses, using a tiny monochrome microdisplay to show basic info, and an AI camera for computer vision tasks. However, their capabilities are simpler (they don’t have the elaborate ring control or perhaps the same level of AI context that Halliday has). Brilliant Labs is targeting developers and enthusiasts at the moment, whereas Halliday aimed for a polished consumer product.
• HTC Vive Eagle (rumored name) – In mid-2025, HTC (known for VR headsets) teased a concept called Vive Eagle smart glasses that are said to be stylish and AI-powered tomsguide.com tomsguide.com. Not much detail, but from the sound of it, other companies are noticing the trend and want to combine AI assistants with eyewear too. If HTC or others come through, Halliday will have more competition, but possibly Halliday’s head start and focus gives it an edge.
• Evena / “Even G1” – Some reports from CES mentioned a product called the Even G1 (likely by a Chinese company or lesser-known brand) that also offered lens-based AR at around $599 accio.com. It might have been another prototype at CES 2025 showcasing AR glasses. Given the fast-follow nature of tech, it won’t be surprising if multiple startups around the world launch their take on AI smart glasses in late 2025 or 2026, spurred by Halliday’s success.

It’s also worth noting Samsung: there were strong rumors that Samsung would reveal its own smart glasses (possibly an Exynos-powered AR glasses device) at an event in 2025 laptopmag.com laptopmag.com. Samsung has filed patents and shown concepts in the past. If the South Korean giant enters the fray, they might align with Google (they announced a partnership on XR). As of August 2025, Samsung hasn’t launched a consumer smart glasses product, but insiders say something could be in the works for 2026. Halliday even took a cheeky pride that they “beat Samsung to the punch” by debuting first at CES laptopmag.com laptopmag.com.

Bottom Line: Halliday currently enjoys a relatively unique position – delivering a true AR display experience in a normal glasses form, with AI features – at a time when most competitors either do audio-only glasses (Meta), video glasses (Xreal), or very expensive headsets (Apple). However, the competition is not far behind. Meta’s next-gen glasses are expected to narrow the gap (adding displays and more AI). Other tech firms large and small are eyeing this “smart glasses” market as the next big thing after smartphones. Halliday will need to continue innovating to maintain its lead. But for now, when comparing specs:

• Display: Halliday has it (invisible and private); Ray-Ban Meta doesn’t; Xreal does (but for media, not HUD info); Vision Pro has the ultimate display (but not wearable casually).
• AI Assistant: Halliday’s is proactive and core to the experience; Meta’s uses Meta AI (via phone) reactively; Apple’s Vision Pro uses Siri and visionOS (not the same goal); others like Xreal/Halo have limited or no AI built-in yet.
• Camera: Halliday – none; Meta Ray-Ban – yes (for photos/videos); Xreal – no (except maybe for tracking); Vision Pro – lots of cameras (for environment and hand tracking, but again, different usage).
• Style and Comfort: Halliday and Ray-Ban win here as they are actual glasses; Xreal Air looks like sunglasses (but heavier); Vision Pro is not remotely discreet or all-day wearable.
• Price: Halliday $400–$489; Ray-Ban Meta $299–$379; Xreal Air $379; Vision Pro $3,499.
• Target use cases: Halliday – daily productivity, communication, info on the go; Ray-Ban – social sharing, casual music and voice assistant; Xreal – entertainment and extended screen; Vision Pro – immersive computing, high-end VR/AR experiences.

Halliday seems to occupy a sweet spot for now: the everyday AR assistant niche. The true test will be how users embrace it once the novelty wears off and how it stands up to the tech behemoths’ offerings in the coming 1-2 years.

Pros and Cons for Consumers

If you’re considering Halliday Smart Glasses as a consumer, it’s important to weigh their strengths and weaknesses:

Pros:

• Discreet, Stylish Design: Halliday glasses look astonishingly normal. Reviewers constantly remarked that you wouldn’t know they’re smart glasses at a glance hallidayglobal.com techcrunch.com. They come in attractive styles (Wayfarer-like frames), and at ~35g weight you’ll likely forget you’re wearing high-tech eyewear digitaltrends.com. No awkward geeky vibes – “it just looks normal”, as one early user noted hallidayglobal.com. This makes it much more likely you’ll actually wear them day-to-day, which is the first hurdle any wearable must clear.
• Truly Hands-Free Info: With the invisible display, you get information faster and more privately than pulling out your phone or relying on an earbud. Halliday’s co-founder pointed out that visual info can be “20 times faster than audio” for our brains to receive digitaltrends.com. Notifications, directions, or answers to a question just pop up before your eyes. It’s like having an always-available teleprompter or Heads-Up Display for your life – super convenient when you need to quickly glance at something while your hands are busy (driving, cooking, etc.) or when discretion is needed (discreetly checking a text in a meeting). Unlike a smartwatch that you have to look down at, this is in your line of sight. And because the display is hidden from others, you maintain privacy – only you see that job interview cheat-sheet or doctor’s appointment reminder floating in front of you theverge.com theverge.com.
• Proactive AI Assistance: Halliday’s AI can make you feel like a genius. It feeds you relevant info and helps you avoid awkward gaps in knowledge. For anyone who’s sat in a meeting and felt lost, or struggled to recall a statistic on the spot, these glasses can be a godsend. They literally fact-check in real time and can answer questions before you even reach for Google tomsguide.com. Early users imagine scenarios like breezing through a presentation with real-time data updates, or traveling abroad and conversing fluidly thanks to instant translation subtitles. One CNET editor said Halliday’s contextual AI is the first that’s “actually useful in real conversations”, not just a novelty hallidayglobal.com. That could boost your confidence socially and professionally (albeit raising debate if that’s “cheating” – but it’s like any tool, it can augment your abilities). Additionally, mundane tasks get easier: it will transcribe your dictated grocery list, remind you of names at a conference, or prompt you with relevant news when someone mentions a topic. In short, Halliday can enhance your memory and situational awareness in a way no other wearable currently does.
• Language Translation Superpower: For travelers, expats, or multilingual families, the built-in live translation is a killer feature. The glasses can translate speech in 40+ languages on the fly techcrunch.com, essentially functioning as real-world subtitles. This is more natural than using a phone translator because you maintain eye contact and flow in conversation – no need to constantly pass a phone back and forth. Imagine negotiating with a cab driver in another country, chatting with foreign colleagues, or enjoying dinner with someone who speaks a different language – all with confidence because you can understand each other via the glasses. It’s like a Babel fish from science fiction. This alone could be a reason some people buy Halliday glasses over other devices.
• No Camera (Privacy Positives): Interestingly, the lack of a camera is a pro for many. It means you won’t be tempted to surreptitiously record others, and others won’t eye you with suspicion. You can wear Halliday glasses in sensitive places (meetings, public bathrooms, classrooms, government offices) without triggering the bans or distrust that camera glasses face. And since there’s no camera, battery life is better and the device is lighter. For consumers who felt uncomfortable with Google Glass or Snap Spectacles due to the camera, Halliday is a welcome relief – you get the smart features without playing secret cameraman digitaltrends.com techcrunch.com.
• Included Prescription Lenses & Modular Design: Halliday made it easy for those with vision correction needs. They include prescription lenses for free with each order (you provide your Rx) digitaltrends.com. The frames are also designed so you can take them to any optician to swap lenses if your prescription changes theverge.com hindustantimes.com. Unlike some AR glasses that have sealed displays in the lens, Halliday’s optics are separate, meaning your actual lenses are just like regular glasses. This is a big pro – you don’t have to wear contacts or stack the device over your normal glasses. And if you have perfect vision, you can get non-prescription clear lenses or even tinted sunglass lenses to use Halliday outdoors. Flexibility here increases comfort and adoption likelihood.
• Long Battery Life: For a device doing so much, Halliday’s battery life is impressively long (as noted earlier, up to ~12 hours) digitaltrends.com. This means you can use it throughout a workday or on a long flight without desperately hunting for a charger. Many competing wearables struggle in this department. And when you do charge, an hour to full means a short coffee break or charging in your car could give you another half-day of use laptopmag.com. All-day functionality is a major pro because a gadget is only useful if it’s alive when you need it.
• Rapid Updates & Niche Focus: Halliday as a nimble startup can push updates relatively quickly. Already we’ve seen them consider new features (like possibly adding more AI integrations). For enthusiasts, being part of an early adopter community where the product is evolving can be exciting. Halliday is laser-focused on smart glasses, meaning all their R&D and support is going into making this experience great – unlike a big company where glasses might be a side project.

Cons:

• First-Gen Quirks (Display FOV & Fit): Being a 1st-generation device, Halliday’s glasses have some ergonomic kinks. The field of view (FOV) of the display is narrow – that is, the virtual screen appears in a small portion of your vision (upper-right corner). You’ll likely have to glance up to read it, and only one eye sees it. Some users find it a bit tricky at first to focus on the tiny display and then back to the real world. Tom’s Guide noted it was “finicky to find that sweet spot” where the display was perfectly in focus and visible tomsguide.com. Also, because everyone’s facial features differ, the fixed position of the projector might not be ideal for all – as one reviewer with a high nose bridge discovered, he had to wear the glasses slightly down his nose for optimal view techcrunch.com. These issues – limited FOV and individual fit adjustment – mean the experience might not be uniform for everyone. Over time, you may adapt, or Halliday might refine the hardware (perhaps a larger projection or adjustable optics in future models). But early adopters should be aware that using a tiny floating display isn’t like looking at a big phone screen; it can strain your eye if you stare too long, and it’s best for glanceable info. Extended reading or complex images on it are not its forte.
• Potential Eye Strain & Monocular Display: Related to the above, because it’s a monocular (single-eye) display and projects light into your eye, some ophthalmologists might caution about eye strain or long-term comfort. Monocular displays can cause a sense of imbalance for some users (one eye sees info, the other doesn’t). Halliday’s design tries to mitigate this with the position and focus adjustments techcrunch.com, but heavy use might fatigue the eye or cause minor headaches for certain people. We don’t have long-term usage studies yet. If you have vision issues like astigmatism or are sensitive to AR displays, this could be a concern. It’s not a widespread complaint from short demos, but something to watch for as more users wear them for hours a day.
• Privacy & Ethical Concerns (AI Listening): While no camera is a privacy win in one sense, the always-listening AI is a privacy grey area. For the AI to be truly proactive, it has to continuously listen to your conversations, which means it’s capturing potentially sensitive personal or business dialogue. Halliday says the data is used to provide you info and that it’s similar to “recording an audio memo on a phone” digitaltrends.com, and presumably you can mute it. But there are fears: could private conversations be inadvertently sent to cloud servers? Could there be data breaches, or misuse of that information? In workplaces, wearing something that could be transcribing everything might violate policies unless all parties consent. There’s also an ethics concern – if Halliday helps you, say, ace an interview by feeding you answers, is that fair? Does using it in an exam count as cheating? Society hasn’t answered these yet. Consumers should be aware that using Halliday’s full AI power might raise eyebrows in certain settings. At least initially, you might self-censor and turn off proactive mode in sensitive meetings (or Halliday might introduce an indicator light to reassure others it’s not recording). In short, the same feature that is Halliday’s biggest pro (all-knowing AI) can also be a con if it crosses privacy boundaries. Users will have to use discretion and companies may need policies around such devices.
• No Camera (Functionality Trade-off): Yes, we listed no camera as a pro for privacy, but it’s a con for functionality. If you enjoy capturing moments hands-free, Halliday can’t do that. On Ray-Ban or other camera glasses, you can tap and take a quick POV photo or video – which is fun for travel or sports. Halliday’s glasses cannot capture the visual world at all (they’re “eyes-out” only, not “eyes-in”). That means no visual AR overlays based on what you see (e.g., you can’t look at a product and have it recognize and label it like some AR systems might). The AI also can’t do any computer vision – like identifying landmarks through the camera – since there isn’t one. Some people may miss this, especially given how common smartphone photography is. If having a wearable camera is important to you, Halliday won’t replace a GoPro or Snap Spectacles.
• Dependent on Phone & Internet: Halliday glasses are not a standalone replacement for your phone. They require a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone to do most of their smart functions theverge.com. If your phone dies or you’re out of Wi-Fi/LTE range, a lot of the AI features (like translation, cloud search, etc.) won’t work. The glasses do have local functions (playing music via Bluetooth, showing pre-loaded notes, perhaps offline voice commands), but the full magic is tied to connectivity. This also means you need to carry a phone anyway – Halliday isn’t cutting the cord like a true phone-replacement AR headset would. Additionally, using those cloud features will consume data, so if you have a limited data plan, streaming AI assistance all day could be something to monitor (though text data usage is likely modest). In essence, Halliday is an accessory to your phone, not an independent gadget – which some might view as a con if they hoped for a standalone experience.
• High Cost (Compared to Regular Glasses): At $400-$500, Halliday glasses are much more expensive than ordinary prescription glasses or even most sunglasses. While cheap compared to advanced AR headsets, it’s still a hefty price for a gadget that might become obsolete in a couple of years as new models come out. For consumers on a budget, this is a luxury device. And unlike a smartphone which can fully replace multiple devices, Halliday glasses are more of a complementary device – you likely still need a phone, maybe a laptop, etc. So some might find it hard to justify the cost, especially if they only envision using a few features occasionally. Also consider if you lose or break them – it’s a lot more painful than losing a $100 pair of glasses. (Halliday likely offers a warranty or replacement program, but still.)
• Learning Curve & Lifestyle Fit: Not everyone will immediately take to the idea of information popping up in their vision. There could be a learning curve to effectively using the ring controller, managing notifications (so they’re helpful not annoying), and trusting the AI. Some folks might find it mentally tiring to have an ever-present stream of data or to consciously decide when to allow the AI to chime in. It’s a new interaction paradigm – we’re used to glancing at phones on our terms, whereas proactive glasses blur that line by pushing info to you. There’s a risk of information overload or distraction if not managed well. For consumers who aren’t very tech-savvy, the Halliday glasses might feel overwhelming or unnecessary – essentially, it’s targeting tech enthusiasts, professionals, and early adopters first. Your average person might see it as cool but not essential (at least until such devices become more common and integrated).
• Limited Availability & Support: As a young company, Halliday’s global availability might be limited. If you’re outside major markets, getting one or getting customer support could be harder. There’s also some risk with any startup product: what if the company doesn’t last or can’t support the hardware for long? If Halliday folded in a couple years (not that we expect it, but hypothetically), would the glasses still function if the AI cloud service shut down? Early adopters always carry some of that risk. Big brands (Apple, Meta) tend to guarantee more longevity/support. Halliday will need to prove itself as a stable platform over time.

Overall, consumers who value being on the cutting edge, who can make good use of instant information (busy professionals, travelers, gadget lovers), and who prioritize style and privacy will find a lot to love in Halliday’s smart glasses. The pros – having a personal HUD and translator and assistant all-in-one – are paradigm-shifting. On the flip side, those who are more cautious about new tech, or who primarily want a camera or a media viewer, or who are sensitive about AI/privacy, might hesitate. Halliday is an early taste of a future we’ve long envisioned; it’s exciting but not without wrinkles. As with any first-gen tech, going in with realistic expectations about its limits will help ensure you’re delighted by what it can do, and not too disappointed by what it can’t (yet) do.

Future Outlook: What’s Next for Halliday and the Smart Glasses Space

Halliday’s debut has injected new energy into the smart glasses arena, and it’s only the beginning. Here are some developments and rumors to watch for in the near future:

Halliday’s Next Moves: The team at Halliday will likely iterate rapidly on their product. While no official Halliday 2.0 has been announced as of August 2025, we can speculate based on industry trends and hints. One likely upgrade in future models could be a full-color or higher-resolution display. The current DigiWindow is effectively a monochrome-ish green display for text. A next-gen version might support color graphics or a larger field of view, which would open up more use cases (like more immersive AR directions or even modest media viewing). In an aggregated report of CES trends, it was predicted that “future iterations may include color displays and improved battery life” beyond the current 12-hour mark accio.com. Halliday’s own success might finance R&D into these improvements. They’ll also gather user feedback – maybe users want a slightly bigger screen, or perhaps dual displays for binocular view (though that increases complexity a lot).

Another area is the AI software. Halliday will undoubtedly refine its AI agent, possibly integrating newer large language models as they emerge. OpenAI, Google, etc. are rolling out more advanced models every year; Halliday can tap into those via APIs to make its assistant smarter and more conversational (for example, using GPT-5 or Google’s Gemini to give even more human-like assistance). One could imagine Halliday’s AI becoming a real personality or coach for users, not just a silent info fetcher. On the flip side, they might add more user controls to tailor the AI’s behavior – like setting it to “minimal assist” vs “aggressive assist” modes, depending on how much help you want.

Hardware-wise, Halliday might consider adding optional accessories. Since there’s no camera, perhaps a future Halliday product could be a clip-on camera module for those who want it (ensuring it’s clearly an add-on so privacy norms stay clear). They could also explore variants like sunglasses version (maybe a polarized lens version optimized for outdoors). The current model already can act as sunglasses if you put tinted lenses, but there might be a style specifically targeting outdoor sports use, given the translation and nav features would be great for travelers. Halliday could also miniaturize the electronics further to fit different frame styles – e.g., a round frame or thinner frame collection – appealing to a wider fashion preference (the current style is fairly chunky Wayfarer to house the components).

There’s also the possibility of enterprise or specialized versions. For instance, Halliday glasses for businesses that integrate with company software (imagine a Halliday variant for medical professionals that can pull up patient data or drug facts when asked, or a version for warehouse workers that shows inventory info). While Halliday’s focus is general consumer, success there could branch into lucrative enterprise deals.

We should also keep an eye on Halliday’s funding and partnerships. A startup making waves in hardware often attracts interest from bigger tech companies. It wouldn’t be shocking if Halliday partners with an established AR/VR player or even gets acquired in the coming years. However, given they’ve branded themselves well, they might aim to remain independent and become a major brand in their own right.

Competitors on the Horizon: On the competitive front, the next 12-24 months will likely see Meta’s 3rd Gen Smart Glasses launch – rumored to possibly be called project “Hypernova” or similar. These are expected to be announced perhaps in late 2025 or 2026. As mentioned earlier, they should incorporate a display for notifications and basic AR info, and will tie into Meta’s ecosystem (Facebook, Instagram, Meta AI). With Meta’s resources, they could subsidize the cost, maybe still around the sub-$400 range, which would directly challenge Halliday on price but with the advantage of Meta’s brand and distribution. On the other hand, Meta’s privacy track record is mixed, so some consumers may prefer Halliday for that reason alone.

Google is a wildcard – they have all the pieces (Google Assistant, Translate, Android integration, ARCore) to make a Halliday-like product, and they did show off live translated subtitle glasses as a prototype in 2022. There’s chatter that Google’s AR team (though it had some setbacks) might resurface with something around 2026. If Google enters with, say, “Pixel Glasses” that do real-time Translate and search, Halliday would face a giant. But again, Google’s timeline is unclear, and they might focus more on integrating AR into phones (like Google Lens) for now.

Apple – In the near term, Apple’s impact is Vision Pro in 2024 and a probable follow-on in 2025/26 (a cheaper mixed reality headset often dubbed “Vision (Air)” in rumors) laptopmag.com. True Apple Glasses (sleek, everyday AR glasses) are still considered years away. However, when and if Apple does launch them, they’ll likely be a polished, albeit probably expensive, offering. Apple’s entry usually validates a product category and brings it mainstream. Halliday would have to differentiate with features or price by then, or perhaps integrate with iPhones (if Apple allows). There’s also a possibility Apple could acquire talent/tech from companies like Halliday if it fits their strategy.

Others: Keep watch on companies like Samsung – they demonstrated flexible displays and AR concepts and could surprise the market. Lenovo and TCL have also shown concept smart glasses (Lenovo had an “ThinkReality” pair, TCL had demo units). Most of those are either enterprise or basic viewer glasses. But the fact that many companies are experimenting means we could see a sudden influx of products. We might see an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart glasses push (Amazon did make Echo Frames, which were audio-only glasses for Alexa). If Amazon decided to do a display version of Echo Frames with Alexa’s question-answering, that could be a competitor on the AI side (though Alexa’s conversation abilities trail behind ChatGPT-like AIs currently).

One interesting future competitor mentioned in tech news is a startup by ex-Meta or ex-Microsoft folks aiming to make “always on AI smart glasses that record every conversation” for recall techcrunch.com. That sounds even more extreme than Halliday in terms of recording everything (imagine glasses that can literally play back any moment of your day – great for memory, scary for privacy). Halliday is kind of a step toward that, but this hypothetical product (if it materializes) would ignite even bigger ethical debates. Halliday’s careful not to store everything, but rather extract useful info.

Augmented Reality evolution: Over the next years, we expect the line between “smart glasses” and “AR glasses” to blur. Halliday right now is more HUD than AR – it doesn’t place virtual objects anchored in the real world or do spatial mapping. But as tech improves, maybe Halliday 2 or 3 could introduce a form of spatial AR – even just a floating to-do list that stays in one corner of your vision or icons that point to locations as you move (for navigation). The company’s strong focus on AI could also pivot into visual AI once hardware allows (for example, a future Halliday with a modest front camera purely for recognizing text or objects to feed the AI, rather than for user photography).

In the immediate future (late 2025 through 2026), consumers can look forward to incremental but meaningful improvements in this category: slightly wider FOV displays, better battery via new chipsets, more seamless phone integration, and greater adoption leading to more apps or services designed for these glasses. As these devices proliferate, there might be a push for common platforms (for instance, if Android supports generic AR glasses functions natively, like showing notifications on any connected glasses). Halliday could benefit from or contribute to such standards.

For Halliday specifically, success with their first-gen could lead to expanded distribution – maybe seeing Halliday glasses available through optometrist chains or electronics retailers, not just online. They might also iterate on price – perhaps offering a lighter “lite” model in the future at a lower price point if they can remove some costly components, to reach more budget-conscious users.

One more “futuristic” angle: Halliday’s emphasis on AI means they might integrate future AI advancements like personalized agents. Imagine if down the line, Halliday glasses come with a custom AI that learns your preferences deeply (kind of like the movie “Her”, but visual) – it could anticipate not just factual needs but personal ones (reminding you to hydrate when it hears you talking a lot, or giving you a gentle nudge if it notices you haven’t stood up in hours). This, of course, is speculative, but the proactive nature of the assistant hints at such possibilities.

In the big picture, Halliday and its peers are spearheading what many call the next major tech platform after the smartphone. It’s still early days, but by making smart glasses that people can actually wear without stigma, Halliday has advanced the timeline. If they and others succeed, we might find that by the late 2020s, seeing someone with glasses glowing slightly green (as Halliday’s do) techcrunch.com techcrunch.com is as normal as seeing people with AirPods today. Information will seamlessly integrate into our sight, and AI help will be just a glance away.

For now, Halliday’s 2025 launch will be remembered as a key moment in that journey – when AR and AI came together in a form factor that didn’t scream “tech”, but rather quietly slipped into daily life. As one headline praised, Halliday’s glasses may well be “the ultimate pair you can confidently wear out”, finally delivering on the promise that smart glasses can be both smart and wearable digitaltrends.com digitaltrends.com.