Qualcomm’s latest chip hints that more powerful smart glasses could be on the way

高通最新芯片暗示功能更强大的智能眼镜即将问世

The Snapdragon Reality Elite will first arrive in Xreal’s Project Aura Android XR glasses this fall. 骁龙 Reality Elite 芯片将率先搭载于今年秋季推出的 Xreal Project Aura Android XR 眼镜中。

Smart glasses are still a nascent category, but chipmaker Qualcomm is hard at work upgrading the silicon to power the next wave of XR devices: the Snapdragon Reality Elite. 智能眼镜目前仍是一个新兴品类，但芯片制造商高通正致力于升级其芯片技术，为下一波 XR 设备提供动力，这就是骁龙 Reality Elite。

Although Qualcomm is announcing the chip today at Augmented World Expo, we’ve technically already gotten a hands-on with a device powered by the new chip at last month’s Google I/O: the forthcoming Aura glasses for Android XR. At the time, Xreal and Google were coy about the processor upgrades to the long-awaited spectacles. Turns out, it was the Reality Elite. 尽管高通在今天的增强现实博览会（Augmented World Expo）上才正式发布这款芯片，但实际上，我们上个月在 Google I/O 大会上就已经上手体验过搭载该芯片的设备了，即即将推出的 Android XR 版 Aura 眼镜。当时，Xreal 和谷歌对这款备受期待的眼镜所采用的处理器升级守口如瓶。现在看来，它正是 Reality Elite。

Spec-wise, the new chip focuses on across-the-board performance upgrades. The GPU gets a 60 percent bump, the CPU gets a 30 percent increase, and the NPU gets “up to 160 percent higher performance.” It supports 4.4K resolution at 90 frames per second per eye and less latency. Battery life has also been improved by up to 20 percent, and Qualcomm was able to improve cooling as well by boosting power efficiency. Supposedly, while handling heavy workloads, the Reality Elite will remain up to 12 degrees Celsius cooler than Qualcomm’s last-gen XR chips. 在规格方面，这款新芯片专注于全方位的性能提升。其 GPU 性能提升了 60%，CPU 提升了 30%，NPU 性能则提升了“高达 160%”。它支持单眼 4.4K 分辨率、90 帧每秒的显示效果，并降低了延迟。电池续航能力也提高了 20%，同时高通通过提升能效改善了散热表现。据称，在处理繁重任务时，Reality Elite 的运行温度比高通上一代 XR 芯片低 12 摄氏度。

In other words, this chip ought to support better visuals for immersive XR experiences, more power to handle larger LLMs for AI features, and lighter, longer-lasting glasses. You know, all the technical problems currently plaguing the smart glasses space. 换句话说，这款芯片有望为沉浸式 XR 体验提供更好的视觉效果，提供更强的算力以处理用于 AI 功能的大型语言模型（LLM），并使眼镜变得更轻、续航更久。你知道的，这些正是目前困扰智能眼镜领域的所有技术难题。

This — plus the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip that Qualcomm introduced back at Mobile World Congress in February — offers a few important clues about what we’re likely to see from wearable devices this fall and in 2027. (After all, as a components maker, Qualcomm is creating chips to meet the specific demands of partners like Meta and Google.) Both the Wear Elite and Reality Elite can be used to power smart glasses. The former is likely to be found in audio-only glasses, while the latter will likely be used for power-hungry display glasses with AI-centric features. 这一点，再加上高通在二月份世界移动通信大会（MWC）上推出的骁龙 Wear Elite 芯片，为我们揭示了今年秋季及 2027 年可穿戴设备的发展方向。（毕竟，作为组件制造商，高通正在开发芯片以满足 Meta 和谷歌等合作伙伴的具体需求。）Wear Elite 和 Reality Elite 都可以为智能眼镜提供动力。前者可能会出现在纯音频眼镜中，而后者则更可能用于对功耗要求较高、具备 AI 核心功能的显示类眼镜。

Either way, the fact that Qualcomm boosted AI performance across both chips indicates gadget makers are gung-ho on stuffing more AI into glasses, smartwatches, fitness trackers, pins, and pendants. The battery and cooling improvements are also a tacit acknowledgement that many smart glasses with displays currently struggle with the tradeoffs between bulky or unwieldy designs and all-day battery life. The risk of overheating has also been a major problem for smart glasses makers when it comes to offering more advanced features. (Because no one wants a pair of glasses to burn their faces.) Provided the Snapdragon Reality Elite’s upgrades can deliver genuine improvements in this area, it might not be too long before we start seeing some more impressive AI wearables hit the market. 无论如何，高通在两款芯片上都提升了 AI 性能，这表明设备制造商正热衷于将更多的 AI 功能塞进眼镜、智能手表、健身追踪器、AI 胸针和吊坠中。电池和散热方面的改进也默认了这样一个事实：许多带显示屏的智能眼镜目前在笨重的设计与全天候续航之间难以平衡。过热风险也是智能眼镜制造商在提供更高级功能时面临的主要问题。（毕竟没人想戴一副会烫伤脸的眼镜。）如果骁龙 Reality Elite 的升级能在这些方面带来实质性的改善，那么我们或许很快就能看到更多令人印象深刻的 AI 可穿戴设备上市。