AI-powered smart glasses have the potential to revolutionize wearable technology. These devices promise hands-free navigation, real-time information, and accessibility tools for visually impaired users. However, a significant challenge is holding them back—battery life.

Victoria Song, a senior reporter at The Verge, recently explored this issue through her experience with Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. She found that while the glasses offer useful AI features, their limited battery life prevents them from achieving their full potential as all-day wearable devices.

A Real-World Test in Cold Weather

Song tested the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses on a skiing trip with her spouse, intending to use the built-in camera to capture their adventure. Unfortunately, the cold weather caused their batteries to drain unexpectedly fast. Her spouse’s glasses powered off in the middle of filming, while others around them were still recording using smartphones.

The problem is that smart glasses are always exposed to outdoor temperatures, unlike phones, which can be stored in pockets, or smartwatches that can be shielded under clothes. Without proper insulation, the batteries in smart glasses become highly vulnerable, making the device unreliable in colder climates. For something designed to be worn all day, this is a major drawback.

Smart Glasses and Short Battery Life

Even under normal conditions, battery life is a significant concern. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses last around four hours with moderate use. However, when users engage AI functions like Meta’s Live AI feature, which provides real-time descriptions for visually impaired users, battery life drops drastically. According to Song, the glasses last only 30 minutes when using these features, making them impractical for those who rely on them the most.

This short battery life limits their convenience and usability. A device meant to enhance accessibility loses its effectiveness if it cannot power through a significant portion of the day.

What Happens When the Battery Dies?

One of the biggest frustrations with smart glasses is what happens when they run out of power. Unlike smartphones, which can continue functioning for basic tasks even with low battery, prescription smart glasses become nothing more than a dead accessory. Users must either continue wearing them without smart features or switch to a regular pair of glasses.

There is also no way to charge them while wearing them, meaning users need to regularly return the glasses to a charging case or carry a proprietary charging cable. Additionally, the battery inside them cannot be replaced or repaired. As with other lithium-ion batteries, degradation over time is inevitable, forcing consumers to buy an entirely new pair when battery performance declines. This is a major issue for an expensive device marketed for everyday use.

The Future of AI-Powered Smart Glasses

For AI-powered smart glasses to become truly useful and mainstream, companies like Meta must focus on extending battery life. While improvements in augmented reality displays and AI-powered assistants are exciting, none of these features will matter if the glasses cannot function throughout the day.

Another critical factor that companies should consider is battery replaceability. Smartphone batteries can often be repaired or replaced, so why not smart glasses? As wearable technology advances, brands must prioritize sustainability and longevity to improve user experience and device affordability.

Smart glasses hold exciting possibilities, but short battery life remains a fundamental barrier to adoption. If manufacturers do not find effective solutions, these devices will struggle to compete with more reliable and longer-lasting gadgets like smartphones and smartwatches. Until battery performance is significantly improved, smart glasses are unlikely to become the next major technology breakthrough.