Are smart glasses cool yet? In some circles, the answer may be yes, but there are still many people who will need convincing (and yes, I am one of them).
This week, we got a hint that there might be a new entrant into the smart glasses market — with the ability to put a new twist on tech specs. The British technology company Nothing is well known for making smartphones and headphones, but according to Bloomberg, it is thinking of connecting smart glasses.
The company hopes to launch the glasses in the first half of 2027, Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter. It is reported that the glasses will include cameras, microphones and speakers, and have AI capabilities that will be handled largely outside of the device. No one has refused to comment on these rumours.
Smart glasses are booming as a product category, with Counterpoint Research identifying 139% year-over-year growth for the segment in the second quarter of 2025. The market is dominated by the Meta, making it ripe for a disruptive competitor — well a relative insurgent — to come up with a new approach.
I’ve tried smart glasses, and I’m yet to be convinced.
I’m a bit of a smart glasses skeptic, but I’d be happy to see a fashion-forward technology like Nothing make its way into eyewear. With the company’s emphasis on design, it seems a natural fit to tackle wearable technology and hopefully put a unique spin on it that might convince people like me that smart specs are the way forward.
Here are three things that I think Nothing can do to make a splash and set themselves apart.
A continuation of the company’s transparent aesthetic
Nothing has built its mark on a transparent design language that reveals the underlying circuitry and wiring within its products. It’s whimsical, bold and imaginative — and arguably translates easily and effectively into eyewear.
Transparent frames are still very much a thing in the glasses world, and even Meta has experimented with them. But I feel confident that Nothing could use its signature aesthetic sensibility in a way that would be different from the original. It can play with color — the blue and pink seen on the Nothing Phone 4A and 4A Pro, for example.
Open design is in Nothing’s DNA.
Thinking back to my conversation last month at Mobile World Congress with Nothing’s brand chief executive, Charlie Smith, it strikes me that joining wearables not only feels like the next natural step for Nothing, but something the brand is better placed to tackle than its non-stylish rivals.
Smith, who was recently booted from luxury fashion house Loewe, spoke of being impressed by Nothing’s “rebellious art” and the spirit of fun that was much needed in an industry long dominated by minimalism. “There’s something about this kind of retrofuturism, this myth that we’re getting into — people love it,” Smith said.
“Personal technology is really about self-expression,” he continued. “Our machines are like an extension of us.”
Bonus points from me if Nothing finds a way to integrate the glowing glyph interface elements into the glasses.
A collaboration with a British indie brand
In a market full of devices made by giant companies based in the US, South Korea and China, UK-based startup Nothing feels like the closest thing the phone industry has to an indie darling. What better way to cement that status than to partner with another British independent brand?
Meta interaction with Ray-Ban again Oakley was a winning formula in its quest to establish smart glasses as a mainstream product category. But there’s also something predictable about a big company dealing with another big company. Travelers may be timeless and easily worn by anyone with a face, but they don’t proclaim original thinking or a strong sense of personal style.
It would be great fun for Nothing to work with emerging British designers (indeed, it hosted a launch event last month at London’s famous Central Saint Martin’s). Equally, it may choose to join forces with a more established designer, such as JW Anderson. Sure, the resulting glasses might not be the lowest-common-denominator product worn by every Silicon Valley executive, but that’s not exactly Nothing’s vibe.
Fortunately, there is precedent for Nothing to choose independent British brands to work with instead of the most recognized names in the industry. Its audio collaboration with KEF has already produced some of the most unique headphones on the market. I’m sure it can do the same for glasses.
There is no interaction of KEF in meat.
Great focus on sound and music
Let’s not forget that before Nothing was a smartphone company, it was a headphone company.
The technology it has developed in audio over the past few years may just give it a competitive edge over the many companies currently making smart glasses. A lot of people have been surprised at how good the sound quality can be for its smart specs, including the Meta, but nothing has the potential to take it to the next level.
None of the earbuds were made for their original product.
Encouragingly, Nothing’s sound credentials were another thing Smith brought up in our conversation.
“The sound side of the business is very important to us because of the connection with the music culture,” he said. “We like the idea [our community] being technology and music and fashion… like this next generation of creators all coming together in a company. “
Embracing music culture may be Nothing’s key differentiator and help make smart glasses an attractive product for people still to be sold on video capture and AI features.
In the past, I have argued that headphones are not AI wearables, but I am willing to revise my opinion if those headphones are inside glasses that I really like to wear.
