A new era is arriving in which subtitles appear on eyeglass lenses. An AI-powered pair of glasses that can display translation text in front of the user when speaking with foreigners, or show a presentation script at the edge of the wearer’s field of view, is set to officially enter the domestic market.
Smart-glasses specialist Even Realities said on the 4th that it will officially launch its second-generation AI smart glasses, Even G2, in the Korean market in August. Sales will be handled through Naver’s official brand store, with the official store price set at 1,099,000 won. A dedicated app update supporting Korean is scheduled for mid-August.
◆ A unicorn-level startup brand chooses a screen over a camera
Even Realities is a wearable company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with production and R&D bases in Shenzhen, China. It became known in 2024 for its first-generation product, G1, and is believed to have joined the unicorn ranks after market investors valued it at around $1 billion. The G2 was unveiled globally last November and has been sold in the United States, Europe, Japan and other markets for $599.
The company’s slogan is “technology that does not distract.” Rather than pulling users into a screen like a smartphone, it aims to deliver only the information needed at the needed moment and then step back from view. G2 has reportedly improved its optical design, making the temples thinner than the previous model and enhancing wearability.
The product philosophy is one of subtraction. Even G2 does not include a camera or external speakers. Instead, dual micro-LED displays inside the lenses show AI interaction results as text. Rather than a glasses device for watching videos on a large screen, it is a device specialized in displaying only the necessary information over the user’s field of view. Its brightness reaches up to 1,200 nits, making text readable even outdoors at midday.
It has also been designed to feel like ordinary glasses. Weighing 36 grams, it uses titanium and magnesium materials for durability, and comes in two frame styles—panto and rectangular—with three color options. A detachable sunglass clip can also be added.
The battery can last for up to two days on a single charge, and the dedicated case can provide up to seven additional charges. The company is said to have aimed to reduce the burden of having to find a charger every night, making it feel more like everyday glasses worn in the morning and taken off at night.
The Korea launch is understood as part of a wider push into Asia. After sales began first in Japan and Hong Kong, the company is now moving into the Korean market alongside Korean language support.
◆ Subtitles and translations appear in front of your eyes, making the use cases tangible
The list of features connects directly to real-life situations. When talking with foreigners while traveling abroad, real-time subtitles in 33 languages appear in the wearer’s field of view, allowing conversation while maintaining eye contact instead of glancing back and forth between a smartphone translation app and the other person.
In meetings, real-time subtitles and conversation summaries can reduce the burden of taking notes, while for presenters, a script flowing in front of the eyes serves as a prompter.
There is also potential as an assistive device for people who may be left behind by information technology. Real-time conversation subtitles could help older adults with declining hearing or those with hearing impairments by displaying the other person’s words in text. Navigation directions for walking and smartphone notification displays also reduce the number of times users need to take out a screen.
Because both hands remain free, its uses broaden further. Typical examples include checking routes and notifications while running or cycling without taking one’s eyes off the path, or receiving information while cooking or working without touching a smartphone with wet hands. From language-learning support, such as checking a conversation partner’s speech as subtitles during foreign-language practice, the device builds use cases on top of its core text-display function.
An ecosystem expansion mechanism has also been prepared. Through the open app platform “Even Hub,” the company has disclosed its software development kit (SDK), allowing outside developers to build functions directly for the glasses. The ring-shaped controller Even R1, which lets users operate the glasses with finger gestures, is also being released. It allows users to turn subtitles or call up functions using only finger movements without touching the glasses.
◆ Taking the opposite path from Meta, no-recording glasses are the winning strategy
Even G2 has a clear position in the market. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which lead the smart-glasses market, have emphasized recording everyday life with cameras, but privacy concerns have followed because of the possibility of filming without the other person’s consent.
Even Realities takes the opposite approach by removing the camera entirely, aiming to eliminate privacy controversies at the source and highlighting that it manages user data in line with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The reason smart glasses have emerged as a battleground in wearables is AI. As voice interaction that asks questions and receives answers visually has become possible, glasses have rapidly emerged as a candidate for the next device to replace the smartphone in one’s pocket.
As big tech companies and startups rush in and the valuations of related companies surge, the market is still in its early stage without a clear winner, intensifying competition to secure an early lead, analysts say.
The company also faces clear challenges. The mid-August Korean language app update will be a key test for whether translation and subtitle quality can meet real-world expectations, and that is seen as the gateway to establishing itself in Korea.
Competition is expected to intensify further as Meta expands the market by introducing lower-priced models, while companies such as Samsung Display continue advancing eyewear displays.
From the consumer’s perspective, there is something to keep in mind. Even G2 is not a camera-equipped glasses product that takes photos and videos; it is a device that shows text information, and therefore differs in direction from what buyers might expect if they want a camera-type product.
The quality of Korean subtitles and translation will be tested in real-world use after the mid-August app update, and because the external developer app ecosystem is still in its early stages, experts advise checking in advance whether the functions you want are supported before buying.
The real battleground, analysts say, is everyday usability. The market is likely to be opened by a device that is shaped like glasses people can wear all day without feeling awkward and that adds functions people use every day, such as translation and subtitles. In the competition to become the next device after the smartphone, the domestic market is expected to serve as a test bed for how the experiment of abandoning the camera and choosing the screen will perform.