HTC has brought its Vive Eagle smart glasses to Western markets, including the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia, a year after the device originally launched in Taiwan. The glasses follow a Wayfarer style frame design available in Panto or Square lens shapes, positioning HTC as another competitor entering the camera equipped smart glasses category currently led by Meta.
The basic Panto model with non-prescription sunglass lenses is priced at $499 in the US, weighing approximately 49 grams. Internally, the device runs on a Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The 235mAh battery provides up to 4.5 hours of music playback, three hours of call time, and 36 hours of standby, while charging is handled through a proprietary magnetic pin connector using a 1.2 meter USB-C cable, with an optional Power Boost accessory battery pack sold separately for extended use away from an outlet. The glasses include a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera capable of shooting stills and vertical video, along with slow motion video capture at 120 frames per second at reduced resolution, with a 10 minute maximum limit per clip and storage capacity for approximately 3,000 photos or up to 50 videos.
Control options on the device include two physical buttons, one functioning as a power switch and AI trigger and the other controlling the camera, along with a touchpad for scrolling, answering calls, and media playback. Users interact with the built in AI assistant primarily through voice commands using a designated wake phrase, with capabilities including photo and video capture, general queries, and visual analysis through the camera, alongside connectivity through Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E for transferring content to a paired smartphone.
On privacy, HTC said the Vive Eagle complies with ISO 27001 for Information Security and ISO 27701 for Privacy Information Management, with AI requests processed through Gemini and OpenAI de-identified before being shared with either company. The company said its recording indicator light is designed to remain active whenever the camera is recording, with recording set to stop if the light is obscured, the glasses are removed from the wearer’s face, or a third party verbally requests that recording stop. In terms of pricing comparison, Meta’s competing smart glasses are priced starting at $299, with prescription lenses available for an additional $100, offering a single 12-megapixel camera, an eight hour rated battery life, open-ear speakers, and a charging case providing up to 40 additional hours of battery life. The Vive Eagle’s launch in Western markets adds another option to the smart glasses category as several manufacturers continue introducing camera equipped wearable devices aimed at competing with Meta’s established position in the space.
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