Wearables
Xgimi's Camera-Free Smart Glasses Promise Discretion, but Fall Short on Functionality
Xgimi's new MemoMind One glasses skip cameras for a sleeker design, but limited AI features and dependence on a mobile app raise questions about their real-world value.
The Verge
Projector maker Xgimi is venturing into wearables with the MemoMind One, a set of smart glasses that prioritize privacy and a discreet appearance by ditching the cameras found in rival products from Meta and Snap. After a week-long test of a pre-release version, the glasses deliver an intriguing concept—a private display floating before your eyes—but the execution still needs work to justify the cost.
Design and Display Tech#
The MemoMind One lean on micro-LED projectors and transparent waveguide prisms to create a personal-only screen, similar to the $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display. The key difference: Xgimi's display glows bright green rather than full color, evoking the aesthetic of old Apple II machines. While the monochrome approach feels nostalgic rather than cutting-edge, the effect of information hovering in your field of view remains oddly compelling. Outdoor visibility suffered on bright days without adequate contrast, but the glasses remain lightweight at around 47 grams and drew little attention from onlookers—a genuine advantage over bulkier AR headsets.
Features: Promise and Limitations#
The glasses excel at discretely showing notifications, weather, calendar events, and stocks on a customizable home screen. An AI assistant responds to voice commands in four to five seconds, and features like a live teleprompter, real-time captions, and voice transcription hint at genuine utility. A translation tool worked reasonably well for detecting foreign-language speech, though microphone sensitivity and background noise proved problematic.
However, the glasses feel hamstrung by their reliance on the companion mobile app. Routing navigation or sending messages requires pulling out your phone—defeating the purpose of wearing them. You cannot respond to texts or emails through the glasses themselves, limiting their appeal as a smart watch alternative. The built-in speaker also leaked audio audibly, raising privacy concerns that undermine the device's positioning.
Privacy Paradox#
Xgimi heavily markets the camera-free design as a privacy win, yet the optional "Moments" feature does the opposite: it continuously records audio to auto-generate a daily journal. The feature frequently misinterprets what actually happened and Xgimi plans to charge $19.99 monthly for it—making it safer to simply disable it.
