Exhausted and nursing a hangover from the night before, I asked myself an important question at Singapore’s Changi Airport - 'will I look stupid wearing the new Rokid Max AR glasses?' Perhaps hyperaware of myself more than I should be, I took one last contemplative look at the glasses, thinking they don’t actually resemble most of the eye-strapped tech that people make fun of. On the flip side, they also don’t look like normal glasses. So, what exactly are they? 

India currently finds itself in an in-between situation of sorts. While the Western world appears to be slowly embracing the world of AR and VR, perpetuated by offerings from Apple, Meta, and even Ray-Ban, only the Meta Quest is sold here. The other two have somehow found their way onto our Instagram feeds, thanks to a few social media influencers flaunting them around. In this era of transition, the Rokid AR glasses, on paper, offer a simple solution: a 215-inch screen right in front of you, but without the caveats of the Metaverse or Apple’s Vision OS. But just how good are they? 

The Good 

I quite like the way the Rokid glasses look, but the rest of the stuff attached to it, maybe not so much. But we’ll get back to that later. They have this unique '90s oval-shaped design but with a few contemporary elements. The best way to describe them would be perhaps swimming glasses meet modern-day wayfarers, giving them a rather inconspicuous look. However, what you do find odd is that they don’t exactly sit like normal glasses — perched almost a quarter inch away from the face, which makes sense given that it has to project a massive screen without overwhelming the user. It’s odd but not a dealbreaker. 

What could be a dealbreaker, though, I say this with a hint of exaggeration, is the way they connect to the Rokid Station, the hub and remote of the entire ensemble. Even when you’re watching something, it’s hard to ignore the fact that a cable is flowing out of your glasses, into your pocket, connecting them to the Rokid Station. While I am aware that a Blade Runner-esque future is still some time away, perhaps a future model could handle this in a cleaner way. 

The Better 

Whatever public awkwardness you may feel momentarily flies out of the window when you put them on. Weighing just 75g, you don’t feel like something is strapped to your eye because nothing is. What you do feel is perhaps a heavier, but never uncomfortable, set of glasses on your nose. Power them up and a massive 215-inch screen appears in front of you, but at a healthy distance. It’s similar to watching a movie from the middle of the back row instead of the front row. You do feel the enormity of the scale but without being overwhelmed. 

Another helpful thing for prescription glasses wearers like me is the vision correction feature (from -6 to 0), built right into the glasses, which also house the volume control buttons and even the speakers. Even though my usage was restricted to WiFi streaming, the 32GB storage might not be enough if you’re planning to view downloaded content. Once you’re plugged in and hit play, it feels like you are watching a massive screen, which appears to be floating in the foreground of your environment. The Rokid Station acts as an Android TV hub, giving you access to YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and even Hulu. The immersion is remarkable though, with visuals so high-res that individual pixels are indiscernible. While the colours may seem a little warmer compared to the original content, only a few with eagle eyes or graphic and colour-intensive jobs might notice the difference.  

Should You Buy One? 

While the Rokid Station packs a 5,000mAh battery and does offer a claimed 5-hour watch time, the glasses themselves can run a little hot when used for an extended time; specifically, the bridge of the glasses. It is not uncomfortable, a little annoying yes. Not to mention, the speakers don’t exactly “feel right”. Placed inside the temple of the glass, it also feels like the audio is coming from something just above the ear, and not directly into the ear. However, considering their design and the technological limitations, I’d classify this as a nitpick. My biggest complaint though is its lack of Netflix support, where I spend most of my time watching something.  

At Rs 74,999, the Rokid AR Joy (Rokid Glasses + Rokid Station) is not a necessary purchase. Although, after using it extensively enough, both at airports and at home, it is quite surprising how used one gets to them. Before you pull the trigger, I would recommend trying a demo unit first.