Vivo has quietly shelved its AI glasses initiative after half a year of development, becoming the latest smartphone maker to retreat from the nascent wearable category as the industry grapples with widespread product homogenization and high technical barriers. The decision, driven by concerns from senior executives including Executive Vice President Hu Baishan that the company could not create a differentiated product, underscores the mounting challenges facing manufacturers attempting to build the next generation of consumer hardware.

The Chinese smartphone maker had been collaborating with multiple ODM partners including Goertek and Thundersoft on demonstration units, exploring various configurations from audio-video models to devices featuring monochrome displays. However, leadership concluded the technology and market conditions were not yet mature enough to justify continued investment.

The pullback reflects broader difficulties plaguing the AI glasses sector, where manufacturers face simultaneous pressures from demanding hardware requirements, limited content ecosystems, and a dearth of compelling use cases beyond smartphone functionality. Industry observers suggest the category may require three to five years of further development before achieving commercial viability at scale.

Hardware Complexity Proves Formidable Barrier

AI glasses present uniquely challenging technical requirements compared to other consumer electronics categories, with even minor design flaws capable of undermining the entire user experience. The head-mounted form factor leaves no margin for error, as multiple manufacturers have discovered through costly missteps.

Chinese startup Shanjie encountered significant customer returns for its first-generation "PaiPai" glasses due to chipset selection issues that degraded call quality and video resolution. Similarly, Baidu's Xiaodu brand was forced to completely redesign its inaugural AI glasses model after encountering comparable component problems.

One AI glasses company CEO acknowledged to media outlet Intelligent Emergence that virtually no products currently on the market truly meet acceptable experience standards, including their own offerings. The admission highlights how far the industry remains from delivering consumer-ready devices despite mounting hype around the category.

Industry Faces Pervasive Homogenization Problem

Product differentiation has emerged as another critical weakness, with most Chinese manufacturers essentially replicating the design approach pioneered by Meta's Ray-Ban collaboration. The convergence extends across both hardware architecture and core functionality, with competing devices offering largely identical features centered on first-person photography, translation, and optical character recognition.

The homogenization stems from strategic decisions by domestic manufacturers to follow product roadmaps already validated in Western markets rather than pursue novel approaches. China's AI glasses supply chain has also consolidated around similar component vendors, resulting in off-the-shelf reference designs that yield nearly indistinguishable end products.

Beyond hardware similarities, the software and content ecosystem for AI glasses remains underdeveloped, with manufacturers yet to identify truly essential use cases that extend beyond smartphone capabilities. This combination of technical and strategic limitations has prompted several players to reassess their commitments to the category.

Xiaomi Also Scales Back Ambitions

Vivo is not alone in tempering expectations for AI glasses. Xiaomi, among the earliest Chinese smartphone makers to enter the category, has reportedly reduced shipment targets for its second-generation product to approximately 120,000 units from 300,000 for the first iteration, according to supply chain sources. The company has not commented on the adjustment.

Despite canceling its AI glasses program, Vivo executives reportedly remain watchful of the category's evolution, particularly given reports that Apple may introduce its own AI glasses in 2027. The potential entry of the iPhone maker could significantly reshape market dynamics and competitive calculations.

Vivo Shifts Focus to Mixed Reality and Robotics

Rather than abandoning next-generation hardware entirely, Vivo appears to be redirecting resources toward mixed reality devices and longer-term robotics initiatives. In August 2025, the company unveiled the Vivo Vision Explorer Edition, emphasizing lightweight design and natural interaction, though the device was not made available for public sale and remains limited to user trials.

Hu Baishan has previously articulated the company's "second curve" strategy, positioning MR technology as foundational infrastructure for future robotics products. The approach treats MR devices as data collection and scenario validation tools, with their high-precision spatial scanning and modeling capabilities providing essential environmental understanding for home robots. Vivo established a dedicated robotics laboratory in March 2025 as part of this broader initiative.

Smartphone manufacturers bring significant advantages to next-generation hardware development, including extensive device engineering expertise, established distribution channels, and mature supply chain relationships that can transfer directly from mobile to emerging categories. However, their deep familiarity with hardware development also makes them acutely aware of the substantial challenges involved in creating genuinely novel product categories—challenges that appear to have convinced Vivo that AI glasses remain premature for now.