GoKawiilAre smart glasses cool yet? In certain circles, the answer would likely be yes, but there are still plenty of people who'll need more convincing (and yes, I'm one of them).
This week, we got a hint of a possible new entrant to the smart glasses market -- one with the potential to put a stylish new twist on tech specs. British tech company Nothing is best known for making smartphones and headphones, but according to Bloomberg, it's considering branching out into smart glasses.
The company is hoping to launch the glasses in the first half of 2027, said Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. The glasses will reportedly feature cameras, microphones and speakers, and have AI capabilities that will largely be handled off-device. Nothing declined to comment on the rumors.
Smart glasses are booming as a product category, with Counterpoint Research identifying 139% year-over-year growth for the segment in the second half of 2025. The market is dominated by Meta, making it ripe for a disruptive challenger -- ideally a relative renegade -- to come in with a fresh approach.
I've tried smart glasses, and I'm yet to be convinced. Katie Collins/CNET
I'm a bit of a smart glasses skeptic, but I'd enjoy seeing a fashion-forward tech brand like Nothing branch out into eyewear. With the company's emphasis on design, it seems like a natural fit for it to tackle wearable tech and hopefully put a unique spin on it that might persuade people like me that smart specs are indeed the way forward.
Here are three things I think Nothing could do to make a splash and set itself apart.
A continuation of the company's transparent aesthetic
Nothing has built its brand around a transparent design language that exposes the underlying circuitry and wires inside its products. It's nostalgic, bold and imaginative -- and crucially would translate easily and effectively to eyewear.
Transparent frames are already very much a thing in the world of glasses, and even Meta has experimented with them. But I feel confident that Nothing could apply its signature aesthetic sensibilities in a way that would be distinctive and original. It could play with color -- the blue and pink seen on the Nothing Phone 4A and 4A Pro, for example.
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