In today's digital wave, payment method transformations have never ceased. From cash to card swiping, from QR code scanning to facial recognition, now there's a new payment method - pay by looking.

On August 14, Thunderbird Innovation announced a partnership with Ant Group Co., Ltd. to implement "look and pay" functionality with AI glasses. Not long ago, Rokid, Xiaomi and Quark also officially announced this feature.

A single payment function certainly cannot bring substantial sales leaps to AI/AR glasses. On this point, Thunderbird Innovation, Rokid, and XREAL share consistent views. However, in building their ecosystems, both Thunderbird Innovation and Rokid believe that payment is a key step in connecting numerous scenarios, bringing smart glasses closer to people's daily lives.

Nevertheless, the ecosystem capabilities currently demonstrated by AI glasses still struggle to break free from the smartphone narrative framework. To welcome their own "iPhone moment," manufacturers believe that more critical elements beyond phones - such as scenarios that can only be intuitively presented through AR integration, real-time ECG viewing functions, and unique AR ecosystems - will still take time to realize.

**"Look and Pay" - Hands-Free Experience**

"Look and pay" requires no hands. Users simply look at the Alipay blue ring or QR payment code to complete the entire payment process on the glasses, truly achieving "pay by looking," as described by Thunderbird Innovation for smart glasses payment scenarios.

According to introductions, Thunderbird X3 Pro is the world's first AI glasses supporting Alipay's "tap to pay" device. Since this model is the world's smallest mass-producible full-color MicroLED optical waveguide glasses, its payment function is also the world's first full-color glasses payment. This payment capability will gradually expand to Thunderbird V3, V3 Slim and subsequent new products, covering broader user groups and accelerating market adoption of AI and AR glasses.

On August 14, Thunderbird Innovation and Ant Group Co., Ltd. announced a strategic partnership to create digital payment integration innovation solutions for global markets, promoting AI and AR glasses technology implementation in local life, mobile payments, cross-border consumption and other scenarios. Subsequently, Thunderbird X3 Pro will also meet demands in high-frequency cross-border consumption scenarios like tourism, shopping, and transportation through Ant International's Alipay+ global wallet payment partner ecosystem.

Before Thunderbird Innovation, Rokid, Xiaomi and Quark had successively announced this functionality, all partnering with Alipay. In June this year, Rokid announced the launch of the world's first smart glasses "look and pay" feature, with Rokid Glasses becoming the world's first smart glasses to implement payment functionality.

According to Rokid's description, payment can be completed in just three steps: when the user wears Rokid Glasses, they say "Leqi, pay 10 yuan"; Rokid Glasses recognizes the Alipay payment code; the user says "confirm payment" to complete the transaction. Throughout this process, payment information is displayed directly on the glasses screen without requiring phone operation.

Regarding whether XREAL and Inmo Technology, also among China's "AR Four Dragons" alongside Thunderbird Innovation and Rokid, will launch this feature, XREAL responded: "Our focus is on strengthening the underlying capabilities of AR glasses, improving core experiences like display, computing, and interaction."

Interestingly, whether Thunderbird Innovation, Rokid or Xiaomi, while partnering with Alipay, they also compete with Alibaba behind it, since Quark AI glasses belongs to Alibaba.

A Rokid representative interpreted this as industry prosperity, stating: "Industry prosperity is good for us. As a startup that has been deeply involved in the AR industry for many years, we invested significant effort early on in market education and user cultivation. But due to limited resources, we concentrated most of our human and material resources on product development without much budget for marketing. Even the best products struggle to open markets if no one knows about them."

Therefore, from Apple's XR layout to major companies like Xiaomi and Alibaba entering the field, Rokid is pleased to see this change. "Previous efforts by overseas brands like Meta and Ray-Ban successfully cultivated market awareness, like bringing everyone from a small swimming pool to the vast ocean. With a larger market, specialized product companies like us have greater development space. Companies like Alibaba are both partners and teammates in market development. They use their resources to drive industry development, essentially expanding the entire market. So we see no real competitors in this industry currently, only partners growing together."

**Scenario-Based Implementation for Breakthrough**

AI glasses haven't entered most consumers' shopping carts, with the decisive factor being that products haven't provided services they need. What services do most consumers need? For consumer electronics categories, smartphones provide the most valuable reference, so this year the entire industry has been adding functions closer to phone ecosystems, with payment being one such feature.

Payment is one of smartphones' most important current functions. Whether ordering takeout, online shopping, buying tickets or refueling, payment is essential. A core factor enabling smooth operation of numerous smartphone apps is online payment availability.

However, can smart glasses attract numerous consumers by launching payment functionality?

"Payment functionality isn't the sole deciding factor for consumer purchases. Whether consumers are willing to buy still depends on glasses' overall experience, such as wearing comfort, interactivity, ecosystem applications, etc.," Thunderbird Innovation representatives stated.

Rokid representatives also noted that single function improvements or enhancements typically only attract minority users with strong pain points in specific scenarios. For instance, glasses with new payment functions are more attractive to high-frequency payment users, but ordinary consumers' purchasing decisions focus more on comprehensive experience. Only when products provide diversified quality experiences beyond core functions, solving multiple scenario needs, will users feel "worth buying."

XREAL told reporters that while payment functionality brings glasses closer to daily life, its actual value and impact on consumer decisions are limited. "It solves limited problems in limited scenarios, essentially similar to NFC or facial payment - an enhanced experience optimization. It has no fundamental impact on existing payment patterns and won't become core motivation driving user purchases."

But payment functionality isn't redundant. Thunderbird Innovation emphasized that beyond being a user function, payment is also "basic equipment" helping AR glasses achieve scenario closure. For example, people can search for nearby restaurants on glasses, navigate to destinations, and pay with their eyes after dining - this seamless process is more attractive than individual functions alone.

Therefore, Thunderbird Innovation will also explore deep applications of AI and AR glasses in life services with Ant Group Co., Ltd., building full-chain service capabilities including QR code package pickup, bike sharing, utility payments, physical product price comparisons, integrating glasses into every aspect of daily life.

Rokid will also expand more convenient life services with Alipay, such as quick "look and pay" when leaving parking lots; voice-activated phone top-ups and utility payments; voice-based ride-hailing and food ordering payment scenarios; and adding user purchase needs to schedule reminders anytime.

**Next-Generation Terminal Debate**

Smart glasses are widely regarded by the industry as the most promising next-generation universal computing terminal, potentially succeeding smartphones as the new core intelligent device. Thunderbird Innovation also stated when announcing payment functionality: "With continuous improvement in security, payment, interaction and application ecosystems, AI and AR glasses are gradually developing capabilities to replace some smartphone usage scenarios, becoming true next-generation personal computing terminals after smartphones."

But will this be a replacement relationship?

"Current AI glasses can't replace phones yet, mostly still requiring phone connections. Implementing phone functions on glasses is more accurately described as competing for users' phone usage time, provided glasses offer upgraded experiences compared to phones," a Rokid representative said.

Thunderbird Innovation also indicated that glasses replacing phones doesn't mean immediately transplanting phone applications to glasses for users to abandon phones. The company believes future glasses-phone relationships will resemble current phone-PC relationships - computer market holdings remain unchanged, but annual new sales decrease because they occupy less user time.

However, without breaking through smartphone functionality, consumers have no reason to purchase AI glasses, and their phone time won't be captured. Current AI glasses functions largely reference smartphones, including payment, navigation, gaming, photography, and recognition.

Thunderbird Innovation noted that glasses operate in three-dimensional worlds with display and interaction methods very different from existing phone ecosystems. Glasses will generate many new application scenarios, such as crucial AI assistants and virtual-reality integration.

So what unique value do AI glasses offer beyond phone functions?

"We've implemented AI translation, spatial navigation, AI recording, AR gaming, first-person photography and videography - all utilizing the product's 'see what you see, hear what you hear, before your eyes, by your ears' characteristics that users appreciate. Additionally, we've created numerous AI functions like liquor identification, luxury goods recognition, English practice, mock interviews and massive AI intelligent agents, truly integrating AI into daily life like air," Thunderbird Innovation representatives said.

Rokid representatives also noted that AI glasses have replacement potential because of their form factor advantages and future built-in biometric sensors for eye tracking or health monitoring - capabilities phones cannot achieve.

"Ultimately, AI glasses must combine with AR, with many functions requiring AR display for intuitive presentation, such as real-time ECG viewing. Otherwise, voice interaction alone compromises the experience."

But when will AI/AR glasses' unique experiences and functions reach levels that "conquer" most consumers? Short-term realization seems unlikely.

Data reveals the gap between ideals and reality. IDC predicts China's smart glasses shipments will reach 2.75 million units in 2025, up 107% year-over-year. But this remains far from smartphone volumes - China's smartphone shipments reached 286 million units in 2024. Smart glasses' annual shipments represent only one percent of smartphones.