Lenovo introduces Glasses T1, the first AR glasses that don’t look weird and work with any smartphone

Lenovo, one of the big hardware manufacturers with no immediate plans or plans to develop its own AR/VR content ecosystem, unveils the Glasses T1, augmented reality glasses that can pair with any Android smartphone, iOS and even Windows PCs.

The new gadget can very easily pass for an ordinary pair of sunglasses, with nothing much giving away the advanced technology hidden immediately behind the tinted lenses.

Starting with the basic functions, you can use the new accessory to watch videos as if you had a large screen in front of you, with Lenovo selecting a micro-OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Native resolution isn’t specified, but for video content that doesn’t matter much anyway, more important is the virtually unlimited contrast ratio specific to OLED technology.

Used in conjunction with a compatible AR app or service, the glasses can overlay various virtual objects that appear to float in your field of vision, possibly harmonised with the physical space of the room you’re in.

The less good news is that, like other inexpensive AR accessories, the OLED screen only partially covers the field of vision seen through the glasses’ lenses. Not being a fully transparent OLED screen, the technical solution is more of a necessary compromise, with the Lenovo Glasses T1 also appearing primarily as sunglasses.

At least with the experimental software developed by Lenovo specifically for demonstrating AR capabilities, interaction with the virtual world is done with the phone’s touch interface, set to emulate the functionality of a trackpad.

Lenovo hopes to sell the Glasses T1 accessory for $500, considerably below the $750 price tag charged in Chinese stores for rival Oppo Air Glass. If all goes according to plan, the Lenovo Glasses T1 accessory will be available to order from outside China next year.