Finally, an Apple wearable that doesn't look weird: Why I’m sold on the rumored new Apple smart glasses

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By Mariyan Slavov

Published: Apr 14, 2026, 9:02 AM

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Apple is gearing up to release its first smart glasses | Image by Popular Mechanics

There's a new Apple gadget on the horizon, and it promises to be better than the unfortunate Apple Vision Pro. And in my opinion, Apple should've started its "glasses" journey with this new gadget in the first place.

The upcoming Apple smart glasses, codenamed N50, seem to be the polar opposites to the Vision Pro in almost every way, yet they might turn into a bestseller. On paper, the specs of the Vision Pro blow the upcoming Apple N50 smart glasses out of the water, but there's one thing much more important than specs.

Apple N50 smart glasses — what they are and what they're not

The Meta Ray Ban glasses | Image by Meta

Speaking of specs, let's just get this one out of the way. The N50 smart glasses don't feature a display, and they're not an Augmented Reality device. Meaning, they don't project computer graphics on top of the reality you see around you.

This is a needed clarification, as many people were incorrectly drawing comparisons to Meta's AR glasses. Furthermore, Apple's smart glasses are just one part of a larger batch of smart accessories meant to work in tandem, such as a camera-equipped pendant and, get this, camera-equipped AirPods!

These smart accessories are meant to work together and feed Apple Intelligence and Siri data from the world around you to offer a seamless and useful AI experience in your day-to-day activities.

Now back to the Vision Pro and a short and simple argument for why at the end of the day, it ultimately failed.

Would you wear an 800-gram brick on your head?

The Apple Vision Pro is a lonely and weird endeavor | Image by PhoneArena

Most people would never wear a VR headset. At least not while there are other people around you, and certainly not in public. This makes such devices pretty niche.
I've been closely following the VR (virtual reality) developments since my days in PCWorld all the way back to 2016 and the first HTC Vive.

Now, ten years later, VR is still "just about to explode," and frankly, I'm tired of waiting. There are conceptual problems before VR that may never be addressed, and the Vision Pro suffers from almost all of them.

It costs a fortune, it's heavy, you look weird wearing it, and most of the time you can do most of the things the Vision Pro does using conventional devices such as a laptop, a smartphone, or a pair of headphones.

I know the Vision Pro is technically mixed reality, as it projects your surroundings as a pass-through video, but at the end of the day it's still a bulky display you strap to your head. Now, a pair of regular glasses, on the other hand, is something all people are used to wearing.

Even if your eyesight is 20/20, come summer you pull out your Ray-Bans not only to protect your eyes from that nasty UV radiation but also to look cool.
And that's the beauty of the upcoming Apple N50 smart glasses.

Simplicity at its best and no learning curve

Wearing sunglasses doesn't require reading a manual | Image by GearLab

Most people view smart glasses as fancy Bluetooth headsets. There might be truth to this, but you need to try a pair before passing your judgment. On paper, it's just a Bluetooth camera, speakers, and a microphone connected to your phone.

But in reality, smart glasses give you the convenience to talk to your assistant, handle calls, listen to music, and, in the case of Apple's N50, feed real-world data to Apple Intelligence. It's a liberating experience. Even the most basic smart glasses free you from having earbuds stuck in your ears and constantly reaching for your phone.

I imagine Apple's integration with the Apple Intelligence ecosystem is going to be even better and more useful. You can throw dirt at Apple all day, but even the hardcore anti-Apple apostles, spreading Android teachings, would admit how convenient and user-friendly the Apple ecosystem is.

And as a bonus, you get a cool look. According to the latest leaks and rumors, Apple's N50 smart glasses will feature three distinct shapes — a Wayfarer one; a more rectangular shape, similar to Tim Cook's glasses; and a big circular one to round up the fashion options.

Should we be excited about Apple's N50 smart glasses?

We don't have any images for the N50 but they should look similar to the Ray Bans | Image by Meta

I have a confession to make. At first, when I read all the leaks about the N50, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I kind of expected Meta-like AR glasses with all the bells and whistles of the Vision Pro but without the bulk and the huge price tag.

But the more I think about this, the more I want to try the N50. We don't have anything about the expected price of these glasses yet, but I suspect they won't go much higher than a pair of Meta's Ray-Ban camera glasses, given the hardware involved.

Lately I've been trying to cut down my screen time, and a pair of smart glasses might be the perfect solution. What about you? Are you excited about Apple's first take on the smart glasses idea, and what would you use this gadget for?

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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.

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