AI eyewear sees brisk sales during China’s Spring Festival

Chinese artificial intelligence glasses enjoyed a sales boom over the Spring Festival, fuelled by pent-up consumer demand and a new national subsidy.Huaqiangbei, a subdistrict in Shenzhen that is home to the world’s biggest electronics wholesale market, saw total revenue jump 35 per cent year on year during the Spring Festival, led by strong demand for AI glasses, according to a report by the 21st Century Business Herald daily newspaper.Sales of AI glasses surged up to 80 per cent, while those of drones and robots rose as much as 50 per cent.The trend partially reflected the impact of AI glasses’ inclusion for the first time in January in the government’s national subsidy programme. It joined smartphones, tablets and smartwatches as one of the four major subsidised categories.The subsidy currently applies to products priced under 6,000 yuan (US$869) and is set at 15 per cent of the sale price, with a cap of 500 yuan per item.According to a recent video report by Luoyang Daily, salespeople at traditional optical stores in central Henan province saw the strongest demand for AI glasses among educators and business executives. They are primarily drawn to the smart gadget to support unscripted public speaking.A man interacts with RayNeo’s X3 Pro AI glasses during the CES trade show in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. Photo: AP