The smartphone was, without a doubt, the device that redefined the 21st century. But now, more than 15 years after the launch of the iPhone, a new question arises: what will be the next device capable of transforming how we interact with the digital world?

The answer may lie in AI smart glasses. In this scenario, two giants stand out: Meta, with its Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses, and Apple, which after the Vision Pro, is now redirecting resources to develop its own next-generation glasses.

Beyond a hardware battle, it is a multi-billion dollar race to determine who will lead the post-smartphone era.

Smart glasses are back at the center of the dispute

The concept of smart glasses emerged more than a decade ago, with Google Glass in 2013. At the time, they promised to transform our interaction with the digital world, but ended up running into issues of usability, privacy, and social acceptance. Meta tried again with Ray-Ban Stories in 2021, but adoption was still limited.

For years, smart glasses were seen as curiosities or experimental gadgets. However, today, with the evolution of generative artificial intelligence, the miniaturization of components, and integration with digital assistants, they are making a strong comeback.

These devices are no longer just simple information displays but natural extensions of daily life, capable of capturing, processing, and interacting with the world in real time, in a fluid and practical way. 

Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses: technology that fits into real life

Launched in 2023, the Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses have already sold about 2 million units and have become a notable presence at events like the Oscars, Met Gala, and Paris Fashion Week. They show how technology can be naturally incorporated into daily life.

The success is due to three factors:

• Discreet and socially accepted design: with the appearance of regular glasses, they go unnoticed and eliminate the stigma of bulky or overly futuristic devices.
  
  
  

• AI Integration: they allow you to ask questions by voice, get instant answers, translate languages, and record photos and videos without needing your phone.
  
  
  

• Daily convenience: listening to music, answering calls, receiving route directions, or sharing content happen in a practical way and without interruptions to the routine.

Simplicity is precisely Meta's great advantage. Instead of betting on an experience far from reality, the glasses offer features that are already useful in the present, combining style, connectivity, and artificial intelligence in an easy-to-adopt format.

Apple changes course: from Vision Pro to AI Glasses

The Apple Vision Pro, launched in 2024, showed the power of mixed reality, but also its limitations: high price, weight, and difficulty of use in social contexts.

According to Bloomberg reports, Apple decided to suspend the planned Vision Pro upgrade to focus resources on the development of smart glasses, with two main projects:

• N50: glasses that connect to the iPhone, without their own display. Launch is expected for 2027, but the announcement could happen as early as next year.
  
  

• Model with display: direct rival to the Ray-Ban Meta Display, originally planned for 2028, but now accelerated to arrive sooner.

This shift shows that even Apple recognizes: the mobile future is not in isolated headsets, but in lightweight, social, and AI-powered devices.

The artificial intelligence battle: Siri vs Meta AI

None of these devices will have a future without a robust layer of artificial intelligence. It is at this point that the competition intensifies.

Meta bets on integrating its glasses with its own multimodal assistant, capable of handling images, sounds, and text. In practice, this already allows for real-time translations, quick queries, and even contextual answers based on what the camera is seeing. This level of interaction brings the glasses closer to the role of a "new smartphone", as it reduces the need to turn to other devices.

Apple, on the other hand, faces a challenge: Siri has been left behind compared to competitors like ChatGPT, Gemini (Google), and Claude (Anthropic). To regain ground, the company is betting on Apple Intelligence and a remodeled Siri, planned for the first half of 2026, which promises to be more natural, integrated, and proactive.

Billion-dollar investments and high-level design

This race is not just technological: it is strategic and financial. Billions of dollars in research, development, and marketing are at stake, as creating the successor device to the smartphone requires not only innovation, but also global scale.

Meta is already working on a new version of its glasses for 2027, with two independent displays that expand augmented reality possibilities and promise to transform how we consume information on the move. The investment aligns with Mark Zuckerberg’s company's focus on prioritizing accessible wearables highly integrated into its AI platform.

Apple, in turn, bets on its track record of premium design and creating integrated experiences within the iOS ecosystem. To do this, it enlists high-profile names like Jony Ive, the designer behind the iPhone, who is now collaborating on projects for new interfaces for smart devices. The idea is to repeat the iPhone's feat: turning a gadget into an object of global desire.

The impact on the mobile market

If smart glasses actually replace or reduce the role of the smartphone, the impacts on the mobile market will be profound. It is not just about launching a new gadget, but rewriting the logic of consumption and monetization of personal technology.

Some possible transformations include:

• Shift in consumer habits: less time looking at rectangular screens and greater interaction through voice, gestures, and context.
  
  
  

• Transformation of digital advertising: brands will need to adapt to appear in immersive experiences, which do not follow the format of banners or short videos.
  
  
  

• Reinvention of SEO and online content: voice searches and multimodal assistants change how information is indexed and displayed.
  
  
  

• New app ecosystems: just as the App Store shaped the iPhone market, smart glasses may require their own platforms, with apps optimized for augmented reality.

Another point of attention is the fate of bets on disruptive devices that did not take off, such as foldable smartphones. Despite the high investment from brands like Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola, adoption remained limited, showing that not every innovation manages to become a market standard. In the case of smart glasses, the challenge is even greater: it is not enough to impress, it is necessary to offer convenience, an affordable price, and a design that fits into daily life.

Other competitors in the race

Although the main duel is between Apple and Meta, several other tech giants are accelerating to avoid being left out of the next generation of smart mobile devices.

• Google: after the failure of Google Glass in the last decade, the company is revisiting the concept of smart glasses with a focus on advanced AI and integration with the Android ecosystem. The experience served as a learning process regarding design, usability, and social acceptance.
  
  
  

• Amazon: is investing in expanding Alexa beyond smart homes, targeting mobile devices that combine multimodal assistants with computer vision and voice. The strategy is to transform daily interaction into something more intuitive and integrated.
  
  
  

• OpenAI: in addition to leading in generative AI development, the company has partnered with Jony Ive, Apple's former designer, to create a hardware line that puts AI at the center of the user experience, exploring innovative interfaces and cutting-edge design.

Other emerging players: startups and augmented reality wearable manufacturers are also testing prototypes that combine AI, environmental sensors, and mobile connectivity, creating experimental solutions that could accelerate market evolution.

Who will create the definitive device?

The big question remains: who will launch the successor to the smartphone?

Meta has the advantage of agility and pioneering: it already has a product on the market, socially accepted and constantly evolving. Apple, on the other hand, brings brand power, ecosystem integration, and a history of turning technologies mainstream.

The definitive device has not arrived yet, but when it does, it could change the way we work, communicate, and consume information. And that is the duality of progress: technology shaping humanity, and humanity transforming the world!