Rival Slams Meta Smartglasses: 'Douchebags with Cameras'

Even Realities, a Shenzhen-based company, has launched a strong critique against Meta's smartglasses, labeling them as devices that turn users into "douchebags with a camera on their faces." This sharp criticism stems from concerns over Meta's extensive data harvesting practices.

CEO Will Wang of Even Realities stated that consumers are increasingly seeking "more respectful" alternatives to smartglasses that collect data for tech platforms. Even Realities' own G2 smart glasses, priced at $600, are designed with no cameras and collect only essential data for app functionality.

Wang suggested that Meta subsidizes its $300-$500 Ray-Ban smartglasses to gather more user data, a strategy he believes is crucial for their business model. He warns that this data-collection norm could become entrenched before consumers realize its implications.

Meta has defended its practices, stating that data captured by its smartglasses remains on devices unless shared and that identifying information is filtered. Despite recent privacy challenges, the AI smartglasses industry saw a significant 322 percent shipment increase in 2025, with Meta dominating over 85 percent of the market.

Even Realities aims for hundreds of thousands in sales this year and seeks to capture 20-30 percent of the global premium market within five years. The company, backed by Tencent and others, faces technical hurdles in display quality and power consumption but is targeting markets in the US, Middle East, Japan, and Europe.