Although they haven’t become nearly as ubiquitous as other devices, AI-powered smart glasses seem to be the next big thing tech companies are banking on, with the likes of Apple looking to get into the game. Now, it looks like Insta360 may be looking to do the same, albeit with its own twist.
Based on recent reports, the company has a patent for a type of smart glasses. What makes its design distinct from existing products is the lack of a built-in battery. Instead of cramming a lithium-ion cell into the temples, Insta360’s design features a cable that connects the device to a separate battery pack. In theory, this would make the glasses frame lighter and reduce strain on the wearer’s face. Aesthetically, the device might even look more like regular glasses.
That said, introducing a wire to the mix may make the glasses more cumbersome. Many devices now come with wireless designs to avoid cable management issues, after all. But for now, it’s hard to say whether this will be a significant enough problem.
In any case, it seems that the brand is trying something different with the product category. In fact, it may have other priorities as well. Companies like Samsung and Meta largely view smart glasses as a platform for AI assistants, with cameras and microphones serving as a way to feed information to the bots.
In comparison, Insta360 may be focusing on the device as a tool for content creation. Speaking to The Verge, Insta360 co-founder Max Richter declared that if the brand were to release smart glasses, it “wouldn’t necessarily compete with companies on smart intelligent features”. Instead, the product would focus more on giving content creators a convenient way to capture high-quality images.
Of course, how this will all shake out remains to be seen. It’s unclear whether the glasses will ever become an actual consumer product. At the moment, the company is also working on two mirrorless cameras. So, at the very least, we can expect something new sometime in the future.
